Color Technician

LyondellBasell North America•Lansing, MI

About The Position

Responsible for color matching activities supporting new product development for molded-in-color polypropylene compounded resins used in automotive and non-automotive applications. The role applies knowledge of color theory, pigments, dyes, special-effect colorants, polymers, and processing to develop commercially viable custom color matches that meet customer requirements for performance, appearance, and processing. The Color Technician manages color recipes and color quality specifications, serves as a technical expert to manufacturing, and supports quality and non-conformance investigations involving application field issues. The position collaborates with internal and external stakeholders on color innovation aligned with the Performance Materials business strategy, and provides technical guidance on color appearance, processing, and performance for new and existing products and applications.

Requirements

Associate degree in Color Science, Polymer Science, Materials Science, Chemistry, or a related field; a related engineering or business degree is preferred.
Strong leadership and people/organizational skills demonstrated through product development or manufacturing experience.
Intimate knowledge of pigment properties, characteristics, and processing behavior, and formulation knowledge involving polymers, additives, functional modifiers, fillers, flame retardants, plasticizers, or other materials.
Intimate knowledge of polymer processing and color-related testing methods, with the ability to operate relevant equipment.
Demonstrated ability and understanding of color-matching theory and formulation development for mold-in-color aesthetic applications, including automotive, appliance, agriculture, and building and construction expectations.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate with all levels of management internally and externally.
Demonstrated ability to differentiate color through the Munsell color test, with a score of 16 or less.

Nice To Haves

Two years of experience matching colors in thermoplastic polyolefin compounds.
Two years of experience matching colors to Automotive OEM requirements.
Experience with quality systems for design and development, such as TS 16949 and Design and Development requirements.
Sound computer skills, including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, color-matching systems, and information technology systems.
Preferred experience with project management, SAP, and PLM software.
Related engineering or business degree.

Responsibilities

Develop color formulations and match colors to customer application requirements while optimizing colorant loading and raw-material costs.
Operate laboratory weighing, blending, compounding, molding, and color-measurement equipment; interpret measurement results.
Document color and property performance data and observations, and maintain color-development project records, samples, and retains.
Create quality specification control plans and advise on preferred production methods.
Support new-product scale-up at internal or subcontracted manufacturing sites and consult with manufacturing on product, process, and quality resolution.
Communicate responsively with internal and external stakeholders and manage projects independently and collaboratively.
Support key customer, partner, and vendor relationships in alignment with business strategy.
Collaborate globally and cross-functionally on color innovation, new business development, and best-practice sharing.
Provide technical guidance on color appearance, processing, and performance for new and existing products and applications.
Work with manufacturing, procurement, product safety, and other teams to optimize regulatory compliance, product safety, quality, cost, and efficiency through recipe management.
Deliver GoalZero HSE performance through management systems and workplace culture.