Mechanical Engineer

Essential Functions

• Provide solid leadership that lives our Core Values of: Safety Integrity Openness & Trust Teamwork Entrepreneurship and Social Responsibility.
• Be a safety leader with solid safety behaviors and demonstrated leadership. Working with others to perform against the plant site safety plan with the goal of being a zero-injury workplace.
• Lead the effort with others to maintain a clean and safe production environment.
• Assist with management of the CMMS (SAP-HANA) to assure data availability accuracy and integrity.
• Assist with the development management and maintenance of facility preventative predictive and condition-based monitoring programs (lubrication vibration and thermography rounds etc.) to minimize mechanical downtime.
• Develop manage and maintain a Root Cause Analysis program for both Production and Maintenance issues including maintaining Equipment Reliability data and logs.
• Produce reports KPIs and presentations showing the health and improvement of the reliability programs and maintenance in general. Assist the Maintenance Manager in justifying program and asset costs.
• Contribute to improvement of work practices and execution to achieve the highest level of plant productivity and minimal mechanical downtime through training written procedures and maintaining equipment documentation (drawings and manuals).
• Analyze problems in the manufacturing process and provide solutions to mechanical issues through design changes and improvements to the mechanical hydraulic pneumatic and automated controls areas of the sugar beet process.
• Collaborate with other plant personnel to develop the best possible solutions.
• Participate in the maintenance budget development to ensure the highest return on budget and asset investments based on equipment and program data.
• Identify potential for cost reduction through extended asset life reduce labor cost and other asset/practices-related improvement techniques.
• Work closely with the Maintenance Manager and property risk consultants to assure applicable code compliance fire system maintenance equipment reliability and inspections are scheduled and complete with minimal risk of mechanical or system failures.
• Ensure health and safety standards are included and adhered to in written procedures and training.
• Active involvement in the plant safety and quality effort and the assurance of all plant safety housekeeping regulatory and policies within the assigned area.
• Stay current in maintenance reliability technologies and best practices through trade magazines seminars and facility reliability conventions.
• Lead Capital Equipment Improvement projects as needed in support of on-going Reliability and Mechanical improvements.
• Assist with on-going efforts to create and maintain equipment bill of materials (BOM).
• Other duties assigned by the Maintenance Manager.
• To be successful this position often requires more than 40 hours per week and occasional weekend work.

Skill & Experience Requirements

• Bachelors degree in Mechanical or Maintenance Engineering is required. Will consider candidates with other engineering disciplines along with commensurate mechanical experience.
• A minimum of 5 years as a mechanical engineer. Sugar beet processing sugar refining food processing or similar industrial process experience is preferred.
• Solid understanding of core concepts including mechanics pneumatics hydraulics automation controls etc.
• Demonstrated experience with equipment reliability as well as preventive and predictive maintenance including lubrication oil analysis vibration analysis thermography etc.
• Experience using continuous improvement tools like Lean Six Sigma and Root Cause Analysis.
• Proficiency in evaluation of machine or component failure analysis selection of maintenance materials processes and development of ongoing improvement of maintenance systems practices and efficiencies.
• Experience managing improvement projects is preferred.
• Hands-on experience with 2D and 3D engineering design and manufacturing tools (e.g. AutoCAD ProE or other).
• Mathematical computing and analysis tools (MATLAB Excel Power Bi Python LabView etc.).
• Hands-on experience with computer-aided engineering (CAE) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM).
• Adequate knowledge of engineering analysis tools (ANSYS PROMECHNICA or other).
• Ability to communicate technical knowledge with all levels of staff including hourly workforce and senior management.
• Demonstrated experience with improvements in safety productivity and quality.
• Excellent computer competence (Outlook Word PowerPoint Excel). SAP-HANA experience is preferred.
• Knowledge of computerized maintenance management systems (CMMS) and materials management is preferred.
• Strong customer focus mind-set.
• Solid leadership skills independent thinking strong organizational and planning abilities and excellent analytical and problem-solving skills are essential.
• Must be able to handle several priorities at one time.
• Friendly results-oriented high level of energy and collaborative.