Glass Forming Engineer - TD Engineering

Nipro•MILLVILLE, NJ

12h•Onsite

About The Position

The Glass Forming Process Engineer acts as a catalyst to transform molten glass from the conditioner/forehearth into repeatable, discrete tubes that meet customer dimensional and cosmetic requirements. This position works closely with furnace and cold end operations to ensure optimal glass flow through the drawing lines and finished packaging. As such, this position is instrumental in troubleshooting machinery, particularly inline inspection equipment, along with conveyors and autopackers to ensure continuous flow for high-volume production lines.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Materials Science, Mechanical, Chemical, or related field preferred)
3–5+ years of experience in glass forming or high-temperature continuous manufacturing
Working knowledge of high-volume manufacturing operations, including glass forming, furnace/forehearth operations, cold end processes, inline inspection, conveying, and packaging systems.
Understands key business drivers such as yield, scrap, uptime, efficiency, pack rate, quality performance, customer requirements, and the impact these factors have on cost, profitability, and operational performance.
Demonstrates awareness of safety, environmental, ISO, and quality system requirements, and applies continuous improvement principles to support process stability, waste reduction, and repeatable production results.
Knowledge of glass furnaces, forehearths, Vello design (preferred)
Strong understanding of glass forming principles and thermal control
Hands-on experience with forming tooling (rings, bells) and diameter changeovers
Familiarity with inline inspection systems and automation
Proficiency with data analysis and problem-solving tools (SPC, RCA)
Strong troubleshooting and analytical thinking
Effective communication and cross-functional collaboration
Hands-on, results-driven mindset
Adheres to all safety, health, environmental, and quality policies.
Supports ISO procedures and work instructions and exemplifies company values at all times.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of glass furnaces, forehearths, Vello design

Responsibilities

Lead and optimize glass tube forming operations on Vello drawing lines, ensuring stable and efficient production
Establish and maintain process parameters to achieve consistent tube diameter, wall thickness, concentricity, and surface quality
Assess and determine proper ring and bell sizing configurations to support targeted tube diameters and product specifications, ensuring optimal glass distribution and forming stability
Partner with furnace teams to maintain consistent glass temperature, viscosity, and flow characteristics feeding the Vello lines
Collaborate with cold end operations to optimize downstream processes including, inline inspection, cutting, conveying, and autopacking
Serve as the primary technical resource for resolving forming-related issues impacting quality or production efficiency
Diagnoses and correct issues related to Vello forming equipment (rings, bells, mandrels, burners, and cooling systems), tube geometry variation, inline inspection systems, conveyors, and autopackers
Support setup, changeovers, and optimization of Vello lines for different product sizes and specifications
Evaluate and implement tooling improvements to enhance process stability and product quality
Support quality investigations related to forming defects (ovality, wall variation, etc.)
Develop and document efficient “setups” to ensure repeatable shift-to-shift target pack rate execution
Assist with the start-up of the melter and cold end processes
Monitor process performance using SPC and other analytical tools
Track and improve KPIs such as yield, scrap, uptime, and efficiency
Supports site OpEx coordinators' continuous improvement interventions and employee teams
Follow the 4 C's outlined in the company policy - communication, commitment, continuous improvement, and customer satisfaction
Exemplifies all safety, health, and environment rules, company rules, regulations, and ISO procedures and work instructions
Designs and improves processes, solves complex problems, shares knowledge, and teaches others
Serves as a leader of teams, coach, teacher, trainer, and consultant to assigned groups
Models and facilitates improvement implementation and sustainment through deployment of the Nipro OPEX model and works to involve everyone in the pursuit of sustained beneficial change
Focuses groups on continuous improvement by involving people in meeting productivity and site objectives
Participates in best practice sharing and identifies opportunities to implement common processes and best practices
Encourages teams to identify and address issues, uses expertise to guide problem-solving techniques, and ensures solutions are implemented effectively
Perform other duties as assigned