Logistics Engineer – Sanford Advanced Manufacturing

Caterpillar Inc.•Sanford, NC

1d•$112,710 - $169,060•Onsite

About The Position

Caterpillar Inc. is establishing a new advanced manufacturing campus in Sanford, North Carolina, to increase production capacity for compact track loaders and telehandlers. This modern, technology-driven facility will integrate automation, robotics, digital production systems, and advanced logistics capabilities to improve safety, quality, and operational performance. Employees will contribute to building essential products while developing skills in advanced manufacturing and supporting the growth of Caterpillar’s Cat Compact℠ business. As a Logistics Engineer, you will be instrumental in designing and optimizing material flow, warehousing, line-side delivery, and replenishment processes for this new facility. Your role will be crucial for ensuring launch readiness, supporting production ramp-up, and achieving long-term operational excellence. This position is suited for individuals who excel at managing complex design and implementation challenges, proactively identifying risks, making informed decisions, and driving solutions from launch through stabilization. You will collaborate with engineering, manufacturing, supply chain, operations, maintenance, and digital teams to eliminate obstacles and implement robust logistics systems that enhance flow, reliability, and execution. The Logistics Engineer is responsible for the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of logistics processes that prioritize safety, efficient flow, optimal space utilization, productivity, inventory accuracy, and delivery performance. This role leverages lean manufacturing principles, industrial engineering methodologies, automation technologies, and data analysis to establish scalable material-flow processes for a new operation. With a focus on integrated automation, you will identify opportunities for automation, select appropriate solutions, integrate equipment with ERP and shop-floor systems, and optimize material-handling equipment to ensure reliable throughput, availability, and a strong return on investment. The ideal candidate will translate production requirements into practical logistics designs and effectively collaborate with both technical and non-technical teams for implementation. Success in this role requires strong analytical skills, a collaborative approach with shop-floor personnel, meticulous attention to detail, excellent communication abilities, adaptability, and the capacity to link physical material flow with data, systems, and advanced manufacturing technologies.

Requirements

Analytical thinking: Ability to break complex challenges into manageable components, identify inconsistencies, compare alternatives, and recommend practical solutions.
Decision making and critical thinking: Ability to gather relevant information, clarify priorities, assess risks and benefits, and contribute to sound decisions.
Logistics management: Working knowledge of material movement, process flow, warehouse operations, line-side delivery, lead-time tracking, cost assessment, and operational performance.
Automation and advanced manufacturing: Ability to identify high-value automation opportunities, compare technical and financial alternatives, select fit-for-purpose solutions, integrate equipment with ERP and shop-floor systems, and optimize performance after implementation.
Problem solving, ownership, and accountability: Ability to anticipate design and launch challenges, define issues clearly, evaluate options, make timely decisions, drive cross-functional actions to closure, and remain accountable for measurable results.

Nice To Haves

Degree or equivalent relevant experience desired.
Experience designing manufacturing logistics or material-flow processes for a greenfield facility, major production launch, or significant layout change.
Experience with logistics automation and material-handling technologies such as autonomous mobile robots, automated guided vehicles, conveyance, automated storage and retrieval, barcode/RFID, or connected equipment.
Experience integrating logistics equipment and processes with ERP, warehouse-management, manufacturing execution, fleet-management, or shop-floor systems.
Practical experience with lean manufacturing, industrial engineering, data analysis, capacity modeling, and flow optimization.
Experience evaluating suppliers or system integrators and supporting equipment implementation, commissioning, validation, and operational handoff.

Responsibilities

Design end-to-end material-flow processes for receiving, warehousing, kitting, line-side delivery, point-of-use replenishment, packaging, and outbound movement, including critical handoff points to and from production.
Develop new logistics layouts, flow paths, storage strategies, replenishment models, material-presentation methods, equipment interfaces, and standard work for launch readiness.
Develop functional requirements, equipment specifications, capacity models, risk assessments, and acceptance criteria for automated logistics systems.
Evaluate material-handling technologies, connected systems, suppliers, and system integrators; recommend solutions based on safety, process fit, velocity, cost, scalability, and operating requirements.
Build business cases and implementation plans for logistics equipment, systems, layouts, and process controls, aligning manufacturing, supply chain, facilities, maintenance, and digital partners.
Lead testing, commissioning, validation, go-live, ramp-up, and handoff to operations and maintenance.
Use performance data to optimize equipment utilization, throughput, availability, reliability, maintainability, system recovery, and future scalability.
Own design and implementation challenges through resolution by evaluating alternatives, aligning stakeholders, removing barriers, managing actions to closure, and verifying results.
Establish and sustain logistics standards, process maps, layouts, work instructions, material-flow analyses, and performance measures.
Communicate recommendations, decisions, project status, and risks clearly to technical and nontechnical stakeholders.