Production Engineer

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Bottleless Nation is a purpose-driven water solutions company dedicated to eliminating plastic waste in workplaces across the U.S. We provide sustainable, bottleless water and ice systems to businesses in a variety of industries, including healthcare, hospitality, and education. By offering environmentally friendly alternatives to single-use plastics, we help organizations reduce costs, improve hydration, and minimize their environmental footprint. Uniquely, we recycle used water filters as part of our commitment to sustainability. Through our Bottleless Nation Charitable Foundation, we support initiatives that reduce plastic waste, promote environmental cleanup, and improve access to clean drinking water in underserved communities.

Position Summary

The Production Engineer owns the technical readiness and ongoing performance of manufacturing processes, from R&D handoff through stable, scalable production. This hands-on role develops assembly methods, tooling, standard work, and automation improvements that deliver safe operations, reliable throughput, and consistent product quality.

The engineer is expected to independently diagnose production problems, program and troubleshoot PLC-controlled equipment, and drive permanent corrective actions. Success requires disciplined execution on the production floor, clear communication, and verified, sustained results.

Core Responsibilities

Production readiness and new product introduction

· Own manufacturing readiness for new products and process changes, including process flows, capacity, staffing assumptions, tooling, test methods, operator training, and launch risks.

· Partner with R&D to improve design for manufacturability and assembly; resolve build issues before release and maintain a documented readiness checklist with accountable owners.

· Lead pilot builds and process validation. Establish acceptance criteria, capture defects and constraints, close critical issues, and demonstrate repeatable performance before recommending production release.

· Coordinate with Supply Chain and Quality on purchased-part readiness, supplier defects, packaging, labeling, revision control, and kitting requirements.

Process engineering and production data

· Develop and maintain controlled work instructions, standard work, assembly and test procedures, workstation layouts, and tooling specifications that operators can use accurately.

· Maintain manufacturing BOM accuracy and revision alignment with controlled product definitions; develop and maintain routings, measured cycle times, and labor standards in coordination with system owners.

· Implement approved ECOs with documented effectivity, material disposition, training, and verification; prevent obsolete instructions, incorrect components, or unapproved changes from reaching production.

· Use time studies and observed production data to balance stations to takt, identify bottlenecks, validate capacity, and support realistic staffing and production plans.

PLC Programming and Automation

Hands-on PLC programming competence is required. This role owns troubleshooting and controlled improvements to existing production equipment and works with qualified integrators or specialists on major automation projects.

· Independently read, develop, modify, and troubleshoot PLC programs on at least one major industrial platform. Diagnose sequence logic, timers, interlocks, alarms, I/O states, and equipment handshakes; use ladder logic and additional supported languages as appropriate.

· Trace faults across PLC logic, HMI indications, sensors, actuators, industrial communications, and connected devices. Identify root causes using controller diagnostics, fault histories, signal states, and observed machine behavior.

· Troubleshoot automated assembly and test sequences, including RFID read/write confirmation, station permissives, timeout handling, and fault recovery. Verify both normal operation and abnormal conditions.

· Develop or coordinate HMI updates that clearly show equipment state, actionable alarms, and recovery instructions; maintain alignment between HMI displays and PLC behavior.

· Execute controls changes through documented review, approval, program backups, version control, test plans, and rollback provisions. Validate changes before release and maintain current programs, settings, and technical records.

· Commission and verify approved improvements with Production and Quality, including I/O checks, functional tests, fault recovery, operator training, and documented acceptance results.

· Preserve machine safeguarding and safety interlocks. Escalate safety-related changes to qualified personnel and follow applicable site procedures for electrical work, energy isolation, and equipment testing.

· Define technical requirements and acceptance criteria for integrator work; verify performance and obtain maintainable programs, backups, documentation, and knowledge transfer.

Daily Production Support and Improvement

· Respond to production constraints with urgency, establish safe containment, communicate impact and recovery plans, and drive issues to verified closure.

· Resolve work-order and build discrepancies involving BOMs, routings, parts, fixtures, test methods, and documentation; correct the underlying process or system error.

· Use downtime, first-pass yield, rework, scrap, and cycle-time data to prioritize improvements. Lead root cause analysis and confirm that corrective actions prevent recurrence.

· Design, specify, and improve fixtures, gauges, test stations, and error-proofing devices; document settings, maintenance needs, and acceptance criteria.

· Apply Lean principles to improve flow, ergonomics, changeovers, and process stability. Justify investments using capacity, quality, labor, and cost benefits.

· Coordinate work across Production, Quality, R&D, Supply Chain, and external suppliers. Maintain priorities, owners, due dates, and concise status updates; train operators and technicians on released changes.

Required Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Manufacturing, Mechanical, Industrial, Electrical, or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent demonstrated technical experience.

· At least five years of manufacturing or production engineering experience, with demonstrated ownership of assembly processes, production improvements, and new product or process launches.

· Demonstrated hands-on PLC programming and troubleshooting competence on a major industrial platform. Must be able to explain personally implemented logic changes, diagnostic methods, validation, and production results.

· Ability to interpret electrical schematics and diagnose controls, I/O, HMI, and industrial communication issues within training and authorization limits.

· Experience creating controlled manufacturing documentation, maintaining BOMs, implementing engineering changes, and establishing routings or labor standards in ERP/MRP and PLM environments.

· Proven use of structured root cause analysis, time studies, line balancing, process validation, and corrective-action effectiveness checks.

· Ability to work independently on the production floor, manage competing priorities, communicate clearly, train others, and complete projects with measurable outcomes.

Preferred Qualifications

· Allen-Bradley PLC programming experience, including Studio 5000 or the applicable Rockwell development environment; FactoryTalk Optix HMI and SICK RFID integration experience.

· Electromechanical product assembly, automated assembly and test equipment, and coordination with automation integrators.

· Lean manufacturing or Toyota Production System experience; practical application of standard work, error-proofing, and waste reduction.

· Fixture and tooling design; SolidWorks or similar CAD experience.

· Experience with Arena PLM, Fishbowl, Odoo, or comparable manufacturing systems; data analysis that connects process changes to operating and financial results.

Performance Expectations

Targets will be established with the General Manager using baseline performance and business priorities. The engineer is accountable for verified improvements and sustained process control in the following areas:

· Production readiness: Launch milestones met, critical risks closed, and validated processes, tooling, documentation, and training in place before release.

· Reliability and capacity: Reduced recurring downtime and bottlenecks; improved throughput and cycle-time consistency against agreed production requirements.

· Quality and cost: Improved first-pass yield and reduced rework, scrap, and avoidable labor cost, with documented before-and-after results.

· Change control: Accurate BOMs and routings, timely approved ECO implementation, and complete records for controls changes and validation.

· Execution: Corrective actions closed on time, effectiveness verified, risks escalated promptly, and clear handoff to Production and maintenance resources.

If you are a person that defines good character, strong work ethic, and a willingness to hold yourself accountable, we want to hear from you!

Thank you for considering Bottleless Nation!

Learn more about our mission to reduce plastic, commitment to promote environmental responsibility, and our investment in service here: