Process Technician

Ingrain is seeking a technically skilled and results-driven Process Technician to take ownership of the performance reliability compliance and continuous improvement of refinery purification systems including ion exchange units adsorption columns the Granular Activated Carbon (GAC) plant and the demineralisation plant.

• Monitor and optimise ion exchange adsorption activated carbon and demineralisation processes.
• Analyse plant performance data and drive corrective actions to prevent downtime and quality deviations.
• Manage resin and activated carbon life cycles regeneration processes and change-outs.
• Lead troubleshooting and root cause analysis of process upsets and equipment failures.
• Ensure compliance with food safety environmental quality and statutory requirements.
• Support operator training SOP development and continuous improvement initiatives.
• Drive operational excellence through proactive process monitoring and performance optimisation.

Business Process Plant Performance

Ion exchange units

Review IX performance daily trend throughput conductivity/ash pH colour and pressure drop; identify problems and act.

Analyse and trend sweeten-on sweeten-off and rinses; maintain a performance database for problem solving.

Optimise regeneration cycles (chemical strength dosing flows contact time rinse endpoints) and verify regeneration efficacy after every cycle.

Manage resin loss and vessel top-ups.

Resin life management

Maintain a resin life register per vessel: install date volume treated capacity trend top-ups and analysis results.

Coordinate external resin analysis and run lab-scale activity tests; recommend change-out based on data.

Plan and manage resin change-outs (lead times contractors shutdown window) and inspect lining and internals at every change-out.

Adsorption columns DE3 & DE4

Monitor outlet colour and cumulative load on each column; track the exhaustion profile against capacity.

Schedule column changeover or regeneration ahead of exhaustion so colour breakthrough never occurs.

Set early-warning trigger limits with a clear operator response and verify adherence every shift.

Granular activated carbon (GAC) plant

Monitor reactivation conditions (furnace temperature residence time steam/atmosphere) and carbon feed rate.

Measure reactivation efficacy reactivated carbon activity (e.g. iodine number / decolourisation) apparent density and ash against virgin carbon benchmarks.

Track carbon losses per cycle manage make-up carbon additions and keep carbon inventory sufficient for uninterrupted operation.

Demineralisation plant

Ensure demin water quality (conductivity silica pH) and volume meet demand.

Manage cation/anion regeneration cycles efficacy and resin condition.

Instrumentation downtime & troubleshooting

Ensure calibration of conductivity pH colour flow and level instruments across all purification plants.

Record and analyse downtime; lead root cause analysis (5-Why fishbone) and close out corrective actions.

Lead troubleshooting on plant upsets.

Minimum Requirements

• National Diploma in Chemical Engineering (Required).
• BTech in Chemical Engineering (Advantageous).
• Minimum 2 years experience in a manufacturing or FMCG environment.
• Experience in ion exchange adsorption activated carbon water treatment or demineralisation processes will be advantageous.

• Strong understanding of chemistry and chemical engineering principles.
• Advanced knowledge of ion exchange adsorption technology activated carbon reactivation and water treatment processes.
• Root cause analysis and process improvement expertise.
• Knowledge of OHS Act requirements HACCP GMP ISO 22000 ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 standards.
• Proficiency in MS Office and industrial reporting systems

The ideal candidate will demonstrate:

• Strong problem-solving and analytical skills
• Accountability and attention to detail
• Operational excellence mindset
• Team leadership and coaching ability
• Customer focus and relationship management
• Critical thinking and continuous improvement orientation