Material Technician

Department: Manufacturing / Production Reports To: Production Supervisor Classification: Hourly, Non-Exempt Work Schedule: Assigned shift; overtime, weekends, and holidays may be required Position Summary The Material Technician is responsible for safely receiving, identifying, preparing, blending, staging, moving, and supplying plastic materials throughout the production process. This position ensures that extrusion lines receive the correct material, additives, colorants, and regrind according to production orders and approved formulations. The Material Technician plays a critical role in preventing contamination, maintaining material traceability, supporting continuous production, and ensuring accurate inventory and production records. Essential Duties And Responsibilities Review production schedules, work orders, formulas, and material requirements. Verify the correct resin, regrind, additives, colorants, and other materials before releasing them to production. Inspect incoming materials for contamination, moisture, damage, incorrect labeling, or other quality concerns. Prepare, weigh, blend, and stage materials according to approved formulas and production instructions. Supply extrusion lines, grinders, blenders, hoppers, silos, and other production equipment with the correct materials. Monitor material levels to prevent production interruptions or unnecessary downtime. Operate approved material-handling equipment, including forklifts, pallet jacks, scales, blenders, grinders, vacuum systems, and material-transfer systems. Maintain accurate material identification, including product descriptions, lot numbers, weights, labels, locations, and production assignments. Properly label and segregate raw material, work-in-process material, finished goods, regrind, scrap, hold material, and nonconforming material. Prevent material mixing and cross-contamination during staging, transfers, blending, cleanouts, and changeovers. Complete required equipment and material cleanouts between products, colors, or resin types. Return unused material to the correct designated location with accurate labels and quantities. Record material usage, scrap, regrind, inventory movements, weights, lot numbers, and production information accurately. Assist with inventory counts and investigate material discrepancies when requested. Collect material samples and deliver them to Quality Control or the laboratory when required. Immediately report material shortages, incorrect materials, contamination, damaged packaging, inventory discrepancies, spills, or quality concerns. Assist Production, Quality, Warehouse, and Maintenance personnel as needed. Maintain clean, organized, and safe material storage, blending, staging, and production-support areas. Complete shift handoffs by communicating material levels, staged orders, shortages, quality concerns, and unfinished assignments. Perform other duties assigned by management. Safety Responsibilities Follow all company safety policies, procedures, and work instructions. Wear required personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, gloves, hearing protection, high-visibility clothing, safety shoes, and task-specific protection. Complete required pre-use inspections before operating forklifts or other powered equipment. Follow all forklift, pedestrian, aisle, traffic-flow, and speed-limit requirements. Follow Lockout/Tagout procedures before cleaning, entering, adjusting, or servicing hazardous equipment. Never remove machine guards or bypass safety devices. Use approved lifting methods and obtain assistance for materials that cannot be safely handled alone. Clean up spills promptly using approved procedures and report significant spills immediately. Keep emergency exits, electrical panels, fire equipment, aisles, and walkways clear. Immediately report injuries, near misses, unsafe conditions, equipment damage, and environmental concerns. Participate in required safety meetings, inspections, training, and incident-prevention activities. Quality and Material-Control Responsibilities Confirm material identity before blending, transferring, staging, or loading it into production equipment. Follow approved formulas, specifications, and mixing instructions without unauthorized substitutions. Maintain lot traceability throughout the material-handling and production processes. Prevent contamination by using clean equipment, containers, tools, and staging areas. Place questionable or nonconforming material in the designated hold area. Notify the Supervisor and Quality Control before using any questionable, unidentified, or incorrectly labeled material. Verify that containers, gaylords, bags, bins, pallets, and finished products are properly labeled. Maintain accurate weights and material-usage documentation. Never use held or rejected material without documented Quality or management approval. Minimum Qualifications High school diploma or GED preferred. Previous manufacturing, warehouse, plastics, recycling, inventory, or material-handling experience preferred. Ability to read and follow production orders, formulas, labels, safety instructions, and material specifications. Ability to perform basic math, including addition, subtraction, multiplication, percentages, and weight calculations. Ability to use scales and accurately document material weights and quantities. Basic computer, scanner, or production-system skills preferred. Strong attention to detail and commitment to material accuracy. Ability to communicate effectively with Production, Quality, Warehouse, Maintenance, and supervisory personnel. Ability to work independently and manage multiple production priorities. Forklift certification preferred or ability to obtain company certification. Ability to work assigned shifts, overtime, weekends, and holidays when operationally required. Preferred Experience Plastic resin, recycled plastic, polyethylene, or polypropylene materials. Material blending, weighing, mixing, and formula preparation. Regrind, scrap, colorant, and additive management. Extrusion or pelletizing production support. Forklift and powered industrial truck operation. Inventory control, barcode scanning, lot tracking, or warehouse management systems. Grinders, blenders, vacuum systems, silos, hoppers, and material-transfer equipment. Contamination prevention and production changeover procedures. Physical Requirements Regularly stand and walk for extended periods. Frequently bend, reach, climb stairs, squat, push, pull, and use hand tools. Lift and carry up to 50 pounds, with assistance or lifting equipment when required. Safely climb onto approved platforms or equipment-access areas when required. Work around heat, noise, dust, odors, moving equipment, and plastic-processing materials. Use required personal protective equipment throughout the assigned work area. Maintain sufficient vision, hearing, coordination, and mobility to identify materials and operate equipment safely. Performance Expectations and KPIs Compliance with safety procedures and PPE requirements. Accuracy of materials supplied to production. Adherence to approved formulas and blending instructions. Material traceability and labeling accuracy. Prevention of cross-contamination and material mixing. Timely staging and delivery of materials to production lines. Reduction of downtime caused by material shortages or incorrect staging. Accuracy of material weights, usage records, and inventory transactions. Scrap, waste, spillage, and unexplained material-loss levels. Completion of required cleanouts and changeovers. Housekeeping and organization of assigned areas. Forklift and material-handling safety. Attendance, punctuality, and reliability. Communication and effectiveness of shift handoffs. Teamwork with Production, Quality, Warehouse, and Maintenance personnel. Success in This Role A successful Material Technician ensures that the correct material reaches the correct production line at the correct time. The employee protects product quality by preventing contamination, maintaining accurate material records, following established formulas, operating equipment safely, and taking ownership of assigned material and production-support areas. Management reserves the right to modify duties, responsibilities, schedules, and performance expectations based on operational needs. This job description does not constitute an employment contract. #J-18808-Ljbffr