Equipment Optimization & Cost Reduction Specialist
About The Position
Join a team that nourishes life from farm to table! Upstate Niagara Cooperative, proudly owned by 200+ local family farms, is one of America’s largest and most stable dairy cooperatives. Guided by farmer- and employee-led values, we process and market high-quality milk, yogurt, dips, sour cream, cottage cheese, and more under our trusted brands: Upstate Farms®, Bison®, Milk for Life®, and Intense Milk®. Here, you’ll support sustainable farming, strong communities, and the mission to deliver fresh, local dairy to families every day. The Equipment Optimization & Cost Reduction Specialist is responsible for minimizing external service costs by developing in-house expertise for Evergreen, Federal, Fogg, and other dairy filling and primary processing equipment. This role combines technical proficiency, hands-on troubleshooting, training, and vendor management to build sustainable in-house capabilities and local partnerships that reduce reliance on OEM service technicians and drive long-term maintenance efficiency.
Requirements
- Education: Associate’s or Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical, Electrical, or Industrial Engineering preferred; or equivalent technical experience.
- Experience: Minimum 5–7 years of experience maintaining and troubleshooting dairy or beverage fillers (Evergreen, Fogg, Federal, Modern preferred).
- Proven experience reducing maintenance costs and developing in-house maintenance capabilities.
- Skills: Strong mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting ability.
- Excellent communication and leadership skills for training and mentoring staff.
- Understanding of preventative maintenance, predictive technologies, and reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) principles.
- Proficient with CMMS systems and technical documentation.
Nice To Haves
- Hands-on machining, fabrication, and mechanical rebuild experience preferred.
Responsibilities
- Cost Reduction & Vendor Dependence Identify, analyze, and target areas of high external service costs (Evergreen, Fogg, Federal, Modern, all packaging equipment, etc.).
- Develop and implement strategies to reduce reliance on OEM and third-party technicians.
- Establish and maintain relationships with local qualified machine shops for fabrication, machining, and rebuild work.
- Create and maintain a cost-savings tracker to quantify improvements and return on investment.
- Training & Skill Development Conduct hands-on training for in-house maintenance teams on filler operation, troubleshooting, and preventative maintenance.
- Develop standard work procedures, manuals, and visual aids for critical machine components.
- Foster a culture of technical excellence and continuous learning within the maintenance organization.
- Drive predictive maintenance programs to ultimately improve OEE, reduce losses, improve management personnel knowledge on the floor, create teamwork environments.
- Technical Expertise Perform advanced diagnostics, rebuilds, and retrofits on Evergreen, Fogg, Federal, and Modern related packaging and processing equipment.
- Collaborate with engineering to identify design improvements, parts standardization, and retrofit opportunities.
- Oversee spare parts inventory for primary equipment, ensuring proper documentation and usage tracking.
- Process & Performance Optimization Lead root cause analysis (RCA) and corrective actions for chronic filler issues.
- Work with operations and quality teams to improve machine performance, efficiency, and uptime.
- Benchmark performance metrics (MTBF, MTTR, OEE) and drive measurable improvement initiatives.
- Work with management teams to drive OEE performance, develop operator skillset and continually reduce manufacturing cost per unit monthly
Benefits
- Other components of the total rewards package may include participation in group health and/or dental insurance, retirement plan, wellness program, paid time away from work, and paid holidays.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Mid Level
Education Level
Associate degree
