Customer Service Representative

SOUTHEASTERN CONTAINER INC•Winchester, VA

19d•$73,000 - $102,000•Onsite

About The Position

Southeastern Container, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of PET beverage bottles and preforms, supplying the Coca-Cola bottling system. We are seeking a Customer Service Representative to serve as the primary point of contact for customers, ensuring exceptional service through communication, order management, issue resolution, and internal coordination. This role collaborates with production, quality, scheduling, logistics, and customer personnel to meet requirements and address concerns professionally.

Requirements

Associate's or bachelor's degree in a technical, business, or science field, or equivalent manufacturing experience.
3+ years in customer service, quality, or manufacturing, preferably in packaging, plastics, or food and beverage.
Working knowledge of at least one of the following: blow molding, injection molding, or closure manufacturing and the willingness to learn.
Experience running a complaint or corrective action to completion, including root cause analysis and documentation.
Excellent written and verbal communication skills with customers, plant personnel, and management; proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Word.
Experience supporting large customer accounts or manufacturing customers.
Willingness to travel to customer sites and SEC plants.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with capper setup and closure application, including feed systems, orienters, chucks, and torque measurement.
Experience supporting Coca-Cola bottlers and working to NAOU standard methods and specifications.
Ability to effectively manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills; problem-solving and conflict resolution abilities.
Ability to maintain confidentiality and professionalism.
Experience with GainSeeker or a comparable SPC system, and Power BI.
Working knowledge of ISO 9001, FSSC 22000, HACCP, and FDA food-contact requirements; Lean or Six Sigma training.
Demonstrated root cause and problem-solving tools such as 5-Why, fishbone, and 8D.

Responsibilities

Develop strong customer relationships through regular prompt communication, visits, and partnership meetings and timely resolution of concerns; understand expectations and coordinate follow-up commitments, including first-level technical questions on bottle, preform, and closure performance.
Manage DMR records, corrective action responses, priorities, due dates, and status updates to ensure timely closure of customer issues; coordinate product recalls and re-selection activities when required.
Coordinate with manufacturing, QA, laboratories, logistics, sales, and other teams to meet customer requirements, thoroughly investigate customer concerns, determine solutions, and communicate results.
Prepare customer visit reports, business updates, supporting records, and performance trends, including applicable water-test results; recommend improvements and track implementation.
Coordinate routine and special laboratory testing and verify the completeness of requests and results.
Escalate unusual or out-of-specification findings and support complaint investigations.
Control returned nonconforming products and hold-area inventory by verifying receipt, condition, quantity, traceability, and scan counts ensuring secure segregation and restricted access.
Conduct inspections and aging reviews and investigate discrepancies.
Document release or disposition authorization.
Maintain a working knowledge of blow molding, injection molding, and closure manufacturing processes, equipment, materials, tooling, and key process parameters to support troubleshooting, defect analysis, complaint investigations, and corrective actions.
Complete a structured technical onboarding within the first 12 months covering blow molding, injection molding and closure manufacturing and application.
Floor time in the plants and on customer filling lines is a key part of this position.
Maintain knowledge of SEC and customer product specifications, drawings, and applicable test methods, and apply them when judging conformance and when answering a customer on whether product met spec.
Comply with all product safety, legality, regulatory, and quality requirements.