The RFID Technical Application Engineer serves as the technical link between customers, Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Research and Development, Operations, Quality, and manufacturing.
This role translates customer product, packaging, process, and RFID requirements into technically sound, manufacturable, and commercially viable RFID label and smart-packaging solutions. The position requires expertise in pressure-sensitive label materials, adhesive science, RFID inlays, packaging development, printing and converting, and RFID testing.
The engineer will work directly with customers throughout application discovery, solution development, testing, technical presentations, manufacturing trials, troubleshooting, and commercialization.
This position reports to the Director of Sales and Marketing
Job Duties
- Serve as the primary technical resource for RFID labels, smart labels, and RFID-enabled packaging opportunities.
- Participate in customer meetings, sales calls, technical reviews, plant visits, product demonstrations, and packaging-line evaluations.
- Gather application requirements and translate them into label constructions, RFID inlay recommendations, technical specifications, test plans, and commercialization requirements.
- Recommend facestocks, films, adhesives, liners, coatings, laminates, and specialty label constructions based on package materials, application conditions, and performance needs.
- Select RFID inlays, chips, antennas, and tag constructions based on product characteristics, package geometry, reader environment, encoding requirements, and performance expectations.
- Evaluate the impact of liquids, metals, foils, dense products, orientation, stacking, and reader placement on RFID performance.
- Determine proper RFID label placement and orientation through laboratory testing, package mapping, reader testing, and field validation.
- Support product development from concept through commercial launch, including prototypes, samples, press trials, converting trials, packaging-line trials, RFID validation, and production scale-up.
- Develop and execute test plans for adhesion, durability, package compatibility, RFID performance, encoding, and production-line operation.
- Troubleshoot adhesive failures, label lifting, print and converting defects, encoding issues, weak reads, tag damage, package interference, and application-line problems.
- Document technical findings, risks, conclusions, and recommendations in clear reports and presentations.
- Train Sales, Marketing, Operations, Quality, manufacturing teams, partners, and customers on RFID fundamentals, inlay selection, label construction, adhesives, encoding, testing, and application methods.
- Collaborate with internal teams, suppliers, inlay manufacturers, laboratories, hardware providers, and converter partners.
- Support product standardization, material consolidation, inlay rationalization, cost reduction, and continuous improvement.
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Materials Science, Polymer Science, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Packaging Science, Packaging Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field.
Experience
- Seven to ten years of experience in applications engineering, technical service, product development, packaging development, label engineering, material development, RFID engineering, or a related role.
- Experience in pressure-sensitive labels, adhesives, RFID inlays, packaging, printing, or converting.
- Demonstrated customer-facing experience in technical sales support, product qualification, troubleshooting, application development, or commercialization.
- Experience managing technical projects from customer discovery through testing, validation, scale-up, and launch.
- Experience with RFID applications in retail, consumer packaged goods, healthcare, food, logistics, industrial manufacturing, automotive, or reusable transport items.
- Experience with ARC testing, retailer RFID specifications, and RFID compliance programs.
- Familiarity with automatic label applicators, RFID printer-encoders, inspection systems, packaging-line equipment, and validation tools.
- Experience with design of experiments, failure-mode analysis, Lean, Six Sigma, or stage-gate development.
Knowledge, Skills, & Abilities (KSA's)
- Strong customer-facing communication, presentation, training, and technical-writing skills.
- Excellent troubleshooting, analytical thinking, experimentation, and root-cause analysis.
- Ability to manage multiple customer and development projects.
- Strong organization, project management, prioritization, and follow-through.
- Commercial awareness and the ability to balance performance, cost, timing, manufacturability, margin, and customer value.
- Ability to work independently and collaborate across global, cross-functional teams.
Technical Knowledge:- Pressure-sensitive label materials, facestocks, films, adhesives, liners, coatings, laminates, inks, and converting processes.
- Adhesive chemistry, surface energy, peel, tack, shear, environmental aging, and failure analysis.
- RAIN RFID and UHF RFID inlays, chips, antennas, tag sensitivity, orientation, detuning, encoding, serialization, and reader systems.
- RFID testing using handheld and fixed readers, portals, tunnels, conveyors, printer-encoders, cases, pallets, and package-placement studies.
- Flexographic and digital printing, coating, lamination, die-cutting, slitting, inspection, encoding, and finishing.
- GS1 standards, EPC encoding, EPC Tag Data Standards, RAIN RFID, and ISO/IEC 18000-63.
BENEFITS:
401 (k)
401 (k) Matching
Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Life Insurance
Employee Assistance Program
Employee Discount
Paid Time Off
Tuition Reimbursement
Flexible Spending Account
Health Savings Account
JOB TYPE: Full-Time
PAY: $115,000.00 - $135,000.00
SCHEDULE: Monday to Friday
WORK LOCATION: Office located 1180 Turner Ave NW Ste A, Grand Rapids MI
