Manufacturing Engineer - Automation

Continental Group Sector ContiTech•Fairlawn, OH

1d•Onsite

About The Position

ContiTech, a division of Continental, is seeking a Senior Automation Manufacturing Equipment Engineer for its Rubber Products Production division. This role is a critical member of the Manufacturing Engineering BA Team, responsible for driving excellence in Production Equipment and Standardization, Machinery and Production Design, Investments definition, Cost Saving Projects, and Automation across the IAM organization. The position ensures the definition of optimal processes and provides support to manufacturing operations for producing high-advanced spiraled and flexible steel cord high-pressure industrial hoses and other related rubber products in a robust and cost-effective manner across multiple manufacturing sites. The role serves as both a regional technical authority and a strategic partner to manufacturing plants, leading complex process revamp design and automation concepts, equipment selection, and industrialization initiatives. It ensures consistent launch readiness and stable production performance by leveraging deep expertise in manufacturing equipment and product-process interactions, including capacity and layout planning. The position is responsible for the technical support and definition of equipment and manufacturing concepts across multiple Hoses, Conveyor Belt, PTS, Air Spring, and PTS plants within IAM, influencing project technical alignment, technical specification creation, investment financial analysis support, capacity increase or cost reduction support projects, and continuous improvement of products representing approximately €300 M in annual revenue.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Mechanical, Mechatronics, Manufacturing, or a related engineering or science field.
More than 7 years of extensive experience in Manufacturing Engineering, with deep expertise in equipment Automation, robotics, vision systems, autonomous material handling equipment, remote control and supervisory system.
Comprehensive knowledge and experience in rubber and plastic production processes and ramp-up projects.
Deep expertise in specifying and executing projects in automation, integration, and supplier and automation vendors administration.
Leading Projects and specific team interaction (multiple plants).
Good Communication skills.
Experienced working with international teams on production topics and understanding foreign cultures.
20 – 40 % travel availability.
Proficient in English is mandatory.

Nice To Haves

Rubber and General Hose manufacturing, Belts technology, including mining belts, industry V belts, rubber air Spring manufacturability.
Production processes & equipment.
Core manufacturing processes (rubber preparation, extrusion, calendaring, curing, cutting, griding, winding up, confection of conveyor belts and similars, testing, inspection, packing, etc.).
Product and process industrialization technologies, systems, standards, and infrastructure.
Industrial engineering fundamentals and methods.
Design and product manufacturing test processes.
Technical requirements definition to support purchasing process.
Advanced Level: Problem-solving and decision-making tools (A3, 8D, DMAIC, SPC, MSA, etc.).
Project management tools, methods, and execution.
Product lifecycle processes.
Quality Core Tools (PFMEA, APQP, MSA, R&R, flowcharting, process control plans).
Lean production / CBS principles, methods, and tools.
Communication and stakeholder engagement.
Intermediate Level: Financial product and process cost understanding.

Responsibilities

Serve as Business Area technical authority for new technologies investment, including rubber hot preparation, confection, curing, cutting, assembly, and finishing equipment, ensuring consistent standards and capability across all sites.
Serve as core expert during end-to-end industrialization of new products from design definition through launch and stable serial production.
Provide expert guidance on manufacturing equipment technologies, materials, and assembly processes, including escalation and problem-solving support.
Define and optimize equipment concepts, Automation, tooling, and layouts to meet safety, quality, cost, scalability, and capability targets.
Support investment initiatives for capital asset selection to manufacture rubber products.
Support plants with cost saving calculations and investment payback justification.
Lead improvement initiatives focused on safety, quality, delivery, and cost.
Support structured problem-solving using Lean and Six Sigma tools (A3, 8D, DMAIC, SPC, MSA).
Deploy and govern manufacturing best practices and technical standards to ensure consistency and long-term equipment robustness, with global teams and under global hose manufacturing standards.
Seek newer technologies for hose manufacturing with a market perspective and global new trends.
Check existing CT group technologies as benchmarking.
Support ME Leadership with reviewing post-launch manufacturing performance to ensure stable serial production and compliance with industrialization standards.
Support ME Leadership with monitoring of KPIs for equipment performance and efficiency and profitability gains.
Identify and assess industrialization equipment risks and coordinate mitigation actions with plant teams.
Analyze trends and deviations to prevent recurrence and drive proactive improvement.
Drive implementation and adherence to global equipment standards across locations.
Define, maintain, and deploy technical guidelines and best practices in alignment with sector and plant teams.
Serve as subject matter expert for CS, PTS, DSS equipment industrialization, providing training, coaching, and technical support to engineers and plant teams.
Support introduction of new technologies, materials, and processes through proper validation, documentation, and standardization.