Equipment Reliability Engineer

Equipment Reliability EngineerThe Reliability Engineer is responsible for improving the reliability, maintainability, operational performance, food safety integrity, and lifecycle management of manufacturing assets across the facility. This role serves as the technical leader for failure elimination, asset health management, equipment-based food safety risk reduction, startup excellence, preventive maintenance optimization, and reliability improvement initiatives.The Reliability Engineer works closely with Operations, Maintenance, Controls, FSQ, Sanitation, and Operational Excellence to improve asset performance, reduce losses, eliminate repeat failures, and increase operational stability. The Reliability Engineer is expected to spend significant time in production areas identifying equipment losses, validating root causes, and implementing sustainable corrective actions.Primary ResponsibilitiesAsset Reliability Management Lead reliability efforts for critical manufacturing assetsOvensPackaging EquipmentMaterial Handling SystemsDetection SystemsUtilitiesResponsibilities include:Asset health monitoringReliability strategy developmentFailure trend analysisLife cycle managementEquipment criticality assessmentsFailure Elimination Lead structured problem-solving for recurring failures.Responsible for:Root Cause Analysis (RCA)Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA)Repeat failure investigationsCorrective action implementationExpected Results:Reduced downtimeIncreased MTBFElimination of repeat failuresAsset Criticality Program Develop and maintain criticality rankings for all plant assets.Identify: Critical AssetsEquipment impacting:Food safetyThroughputSafetyRegulatory complianceDevelop risk-based maintenance strategies based on asset criticality.Preventive Maintenance Optimization Evaluate and improve PM effectiveness.Responsibilities include:PM optimizationPM frequency evaluationCondition-based maintenance developmentPredictive maintenance deploymentEnsure PMs address actual failure modes.Food Safety & Quality Reliability Partner with FSQ to develop and maintain an Equipment-Based FSQ Prevention Program. Focus Areas:Product Contact EquipmentBeltsConveyorsRollersGuidesPackaging SystemsSeal systemsVacuum systemsDetection systemsEnvironmental SystemsRefrigerationAir handlingCondensation controlDevelop controls that prevent food safety risks from equipment deterioration.Startup Excellence ProgramSupport and improve startup performance across all assets. Responsibilities include:Startup readiness auditsStartup failure analysisStartup loss trackingStartup standardizationTarget:Right First Time Startup >95%Reliability Data AnalysisAnalyze equipment performance data. Monitor:MTBFMTTROEE lossesDowntime driversPM compliancePM effectivenessFailure frequencyGenerate actionable recommendations based on data analysis.Predictive Maintenance Program Support development and expansion of predictive maintenance initiatives.Technologies may include:Vibration analysisThermographyUltrasonicsOil analysisMotor circuit testingAssist in identifying deteriorating equipment before failure occurs.Asset Team Participation Serve as technical reliability leader on Asset Teams.Provide:Failure analysisReliability planningEquipment risk assessmentCapital recommendationsCapital Planning Support Support Engineering and Maintenance leadership in developing capital plans.Identify opportunities related to:Reliability improvementsObsolescence risksCapacity constraintsFSQ risk reductionDevelop business cases and ROI analyses.Controls and Automation Reliability Partner with Controls Engineering to improve automation reliability.Focus Areas:Sensor failure reductionNetwork reliabilityPLC stabilityDetection systemsStartup controlsContinuous Improvement: Support TPM and Operational Excellence initiatives.Lead improvements in:Reliability systemsEquipment performanceLoss eliminationEquipment ownershipLeadership Expectations: Although not a direct supervisory role, the Reliability Engineer is expected to influence and lead through technical expertise.Expected to:Drive accountabilityChallenge ineffective practicesInfluence cross-functional teamsFacilitate technical decision makingLead reliability initiativesKey Performance Indicators (KPIs) Reliability MetricsMTBF improvementMTTR reductionDowntime reductionRepeat failure eliminationAsset PerformanceOEE improvementThroughput improvementStartup reliabilityMaintenance PerformancePM effectivenessPredictive maintenance effectivenessPlanned maintenance percentageFood SafetyEquipment-related FSQ incidentsForeign material eventsEquipment-related quality deviationsFinancialMaintenance cost reductionReliability project ROICapital project effectivenessQualificationsRequired Qualifications:Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Reliability Engineering, or a related technical discipline3 + years manufacturing reliability experienceExperience with industrial production equipmentExperience leading root cause investigationsExperience with PM optimizationRoot Cause AnalysisFMEAReliability Centered Maintenance (RCM)Asset Criticality AnalysisCMMS SystemsReliability MetricsPreferred Qualifications:7 + years manufacturing reliability experienceFood manufacturing experienceRTE manufacturing experienceTPM implementation experiencePM/PdM development experienceSAP PM, MMFiixEAM SystemsPower BI