Process Engineer for our plant in
Aurora, Illinois.What You'll Do:The Process Engineer is the plant technical authority for establishing, optimizing, and sustaining capable molding processes. Approximately 80% of the role is focused on hands-on technical process engineering, including process development, SPC and capability analysis, molding trials and validation, cycle-time and part-weight optimization, defect elimination, tooling and cavity performance, equipment troubleshooting, and new-product or new-mold launch support. The remaining approximately 20% applies structured continuous improvement methods to prioritize technical losses, lead focused improvement work, sustain gains, and connect validated engineering results to plant performance.
Responsibilities:Process Development, Capability, and Control:- Establish, document, and maintain robust molding process windows, setup standards, centerline settings, and operating limits for assigned equipment, molds, materials, and products.
- Apply statistical process control, control charts, process capability analysis, and trend analysis to evaluate stability and performance of critical process and product characteristics.
- Lead capability studies, process trials, designed experiments, first-article runs, and production validations; document conclusions and translate findings into approved standards and control plans.
- Diagnose sources of variation related to machine conditions, mold performance, resin, colorant, drying, temperature, pressure, velocity, cooling, environment, and operator methods.
- Partner with Quality to define critical-to-quality characteristics, sampling plans, measurement methods, reaction plans, and acceptance criteria; support measurement-system evaluation when needed.
- Use data to distinguish common-cause from special-cause variation and implement corrective actions that improve repeatability, first-pass yield, and customer performance.
- Molding Process Optimization and Material Efficiency
- Optimize cycle time across mold close, fill, pack/hold, cooling, recovery, mold open, ejection, trimming, and part handling while protecting quality, tooling, and equipment.
- Improve part-weight consistency and identify safe lightweighting opportunities through controlled trials, dimensional and functional verification, resin-behavior understanding, and documented approval.
- Analyze actual part weight against specification and BOM standards; support correction of standards when validated data shows a gap.
- Optimize injection, injection blow molding, and stretch blow molding parameters as applicable, including temperature profiles, pressures, speeds, timing, cooling, air systems, material conditioning, and downstream equipment settings.
- Reduce scrap and recurring defects through technical root-cause analysis of conditions such as flash, short shots, sink, warp, burns, contamination, dimensional variation, wall-distribution issues, gate or neck defects, and trim-related defects.
- Improve mold and cavity performance by identifying blocked or unstable cavities, cavity-to-cavity variation, cooling imbalance, venting issues, wear, alignment problems, and tooling conditions requiring maintenance or engineering support.
Technical Troubleshooting and Production Support:- Provide hands-on support for startups, changeovers, process interruptions, chronic performance losses, and difficult quality problems; restore the process to validated conditions before optimizing.
- Set up and adjust molding machines, trimmers, labelers, reamers, inspection systems, conveyors, auxiliaries, and related automation; verify safe and correct sequence timing.
- Troubleshoot equipment and control-system issues in partnership with Maintenance and Controls resources, including sensors, heaters, pneumatics, hydraulics, water systems, drives, and machine interfaces.
- Review daily process checks, setup sheets, alarms, downtime, scrap, cavity status, and quality data to identify deviations requiring immediate containment or deeper technical investigation.
- Develop clear technical countermeasures and escalation criteria when permanent resolution requires tooling repair, equipment modification, capital, supplier support, or product-design review.
New Products, Tooling, and Engineering Change:- Process new molds, tooling, materials, and products from initial trial through production release, establishing validated parameters and documented operating ranges.
- Participate in technical reviews for part design, manufacturability, resin selection, tooling concepts, cooling, venting, automation, inspection, and production readiness.
- Plan and execute engineering trials with defined objectives, variables, sample requirements, quality checks, risks, and approval criteria.
- Ensure approved process changes are reflected in setup sheets, control plans, work instructions, training, BOM or routing standards, and other controlled documentation before release.
- Support installation and qualification of new or modified equipment and systems, including specification review, safety compliance, commissioning, loop checks, and performance verification.
Reliability, Standards, and Technical Capability Building:- Partner with Maintenance and Tooling to connect process symptoms with equipment or mold condition and to define preventive actions that improve reliability.
- Develop troubleshooting guides, parameter standards, reaction plans, and technical training for process technicians, mold setters, operators, quality personnel, and supervisors.
- Coach plant teams on disciplined process adjustment, data collection, defect recognition, and escalation so changes are controlled and repeatable.
- Maintain accurate technical records and communicate process risks, trial results, capability gaps, and recommendations to plant leadership and cross-functional partners.
Process Optimization and Continuous Improvement (Supporting Scope):- Lead or support focused improvement projects when validated technical process losses are constraining safety, quality, delivery, cost, material usage, or capacity.
- Use structured problem-solving methods, including PDCA, DMAIC, A3, 5 Why, fishbone analysis, and corrective-action methods, selectively and in proportion to the technical problem. Sustain technically validated improvements through controlled settings, process controls, standardized work, documented ownership, training, and routine verification.
- Quantify operational impact and, when applicable, coordinate financial validation of completed engineering improvements with plant and Finance partners.
What You'll Bring:Required Qualifications:- Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Plastics Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Packaging Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline; equivalent directly relevant experience may be considered to preserve access to strong hands-on molding talent.
- Hands-on experience developing, troubleshooting, and optimizing plastic molding processes in a manufacturing environment.
- Working knowledge of SPC, control charts, process capability, dimensional and weight data, process windows, root-cause analysis, and production validation.
- Ability to connect machine and mold parameters to part quality, dimensional performance, cycle time, material behavior, and process repeatability.
- Experience with molding equipment and automation relevant to the site; familiarity with Aoki, Uniloy, Zhongya, or comparable platforms is beneficial.
- Ability to lead structured trials, document technical findings, communicate recommendations, and work effectively across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Tooling, and Engineering.
- Strong floor presence, troubleshooting discipline, organization, attention to detail, and follow-through.
- Ability to travel and provide technical support or training within the region as needed.
Preferred Qualifications:- Experience with injection molding, injection blow molding, and/or injection stretch blow molding, including oven or temperature-profile optimization where applicable.
- Experience with material drying, resin processing, hot runners, cooling systems, cavity balance, lightweighting, BOM or part-weight validation, and secondary or downstream equipment.
- Experience with DOE, PFMEA, control plans, measurement-system analysis, first-article qualification, process change control, and corrective-action systems.
- Experience improving cycle time, scrap, process capability, blocked-cavity performance, mold changeovers, and equipment utilization.
- Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or equivalent structured problem-solving experience preferred but not required.
How Success Will Be Measured:- Stable and capable processes for critical product and process characteristics.
- Reduced recurring defects, scrap, material variance, blocked-cavity losses, and process-related downtime.
- Validated cycle-time and part-weight improvements that maintain safety, quality, dimensional, and functional requirements.
- Accurate and sustained process standards, control plans, setup sheets, and reaction plans.
- Effective mold, material, product, equipment, and engineering-change launches that transition into capable and repeatable production performance.
- Improved technical capability of plant process technicians, operators, and cross-functional partners.
This role offers the opportunity to serve as a hands-on technical leader in plastic molding, with primary accountability for process capability, product quality, material efficiency, equipment performance, and stable production. Candidates will solve complex manufacturing problems, develop and validate robust molding processes, support tooling and equipment improvements, and use focused continuous improvement methods to sustain technical results and strengthen plant performance.
