Lead Plastic Technician

Greif•Nacogdoches, TX

3d•Onsite

About The Position

Greif is a global leader in performance packaging, operating in 40 countries and delivering trusted, innovative, and tailored solutions to in-demand and fast-growing industries. The company is committed to legendary customer service, operational excellence, and global sustainability. Greif packages life's essentials and creates lasting value for its colleagues, customers, and stakeholders. This role involves leading a team that works independently to set up, monitor, and troubleshoot blow molding, injection molding, or extrusion molding machinery to ensure optimal production performance. The Lead Plastic Technician will guide daily production operations, including machine setup, start-up, and troubleshooting, while also assisting maintenance with equipment repair. The position requires customizing process parameters, monitoring production schedules, and coordinating with other departments to meet operational goals. Responsibilities include performing preventive maintenance, troubleshooting complex issues, leading repair efforts, conducting root cause analysis, and optimizing machine parameters to improve efficiency and reduce downtime. The role also involves maintaining accurate production records, preparing performance reports, ensuring quality checks are completed, and collaborating with engineering and quality control teams. Additionally, the Lead Plastic Technician will operate equipment, provide feedback on mold design, train junior technicians, and ensure compliance with safety procedures.

Requirements

Typically possesses a High School diploma (or equivalent) and 5 or more years of experience.
Strong mechanical skills including; knowledge of electrical, pneumatics, hydraulics, air compressors, chillers and PLCs with the ability to make required adjustments.
Able to troubleshoot machine maintenance issues as they arise.
Strong understanding of plastics materials, manufacturing processes, and machinery operations.
Strong attention to detail and commitment to quality assurance.
Strong problem solving skills with the capability to troubleshoot and resolve production issues.
Good communication skills and ability to work effectively in a team environment.
Adherence to safety protocols and regulations in a manufacturing setting.
Ability to make process changes to ensure production of high-quality product.

Responsibilities

Lead colleague who works independently to set up, monitor and troubleshoot blow molding, injection molding, or extrusion molding machinery to ensure optimal production performance.
Leads daily production operations, including all machine setup, start-up, and troubleshooting.
Leads others who operate and monitor plastic molding and extrusion equipment, ensuring optimal performance during production.
Helps maintenance with the troubleshooting and repair of the equipment.
Customizes process parameters based on product specifications and past experience.
Monitors production schedules to ensure timely and accurate order fulfillment.
Coordinates with production supervisors and other departments to meet operational goals.
Performs preventive maintenance and moderate repairs on equipment and communicates major repairs to maintenance.
Troubleshoots and diagnoses complex plastic molding, extrusion, finishing, and process-related issues.
Leads repair efforts, including detailed troubleshooting and part replacements.
Leads root cause analysis and implement corrective actions for process-related issues.
Works closely with engineering and maintenance teams for long-term fixes.
Adjusts and optimizes machine parameters to improve production efficiency and reduce downtime.
Proposes and implements improvements to enhance Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), focusing on reducing cycle times and improving throughput.
Maintains accurate production records, including equipment logs and process changes.
Ensures accuracy of all records and makes adjustments as needed.
Prepares detailed reports on production performance, downtime causes, and maintenance history.
Analyzes production trends and suggests operational improvements based on data.
Ensures all quality checks are completed to maintain compliance with company and industry standards.
Collaborates with the quality control team to maintain compliance with company and industry standards.
Supports and helps implement all related quality control initiatives.
Works closely with the engineering and quality control teams to address any operational issues and improve production processes
Operates all equipment/gauges and to relieve machine operators during breaks and lunches.
Provides feedback on mold design and assist tool and die makers to dial in each mold for optimal cycle time and quality.
Trains and advises junior technicians.
Promotes, complies, and ensures operations and company safety procedures and practices are followed.
Recommends new policies and procedures.
Customizes process parameters based on product specifications and past experience.
Monitors production schedules to ensure timely and accurate order fulfillment.
Coordinate with production supervisors and other departments to meet operational goals.
Performs other duties as assigned.