PLC Automation Specialist

TQR Consultancy Ltd is seeking an experienced PLC Automation Specialist to join its team in Plymouth. The successful candidate will have a minimum of 5 years experience in fault finding using ladder logic and root cause analysis within a high-volume manufacturing environment.

This role offers a competitive salary of £65,000-£85,000 per annum, depending on experience. The successful candidate will also receive a comprehensive benefits package, including a matched contribution pension scheme up to 10% of salary, life assurance and critical illness cover, private medical insurance, and a share save scheme – matched up to £150 per month.

The PLC Automation Specialist will be responsible for implementing improvements to TPM processes to increase OEE, liaising with department representatives to ensure that PM is successfully initiated and completed within the time frame. They will also provide support to set-up and maintain pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical systems on production equipment, and read electrical drawings, analyse, troubleshoot, and perform maintenance and repairs of any plant electrical systems.

The successful candidate will have strong technical skills and demonstrated proficiency in working with a wide variety of production equipment. They will also be able to work effectively in multi-disciplined teams with excellent inter-personal skills, and have a working knowledge of mechanical, electro-mechanical and electronic equipment and the ability to recognise, define and correct equipment deficiencies in a timely fashion.

Key Responsibilities:

• Implement improvements to TPM processes to increase OEE, liaise with department representatives to ensure that PM is successfully initiated and completed within the time frame.
• Provide support to set-up and maintain pneumatic, hydraulic, and mechanical systems on production equipment.
• Read electrical drawings, analyse, troubleshoot, and perform maintenance and repairs of any plant electrical systems (including, but not limited to, programmable controllers, servo motors, AC motors, contactors, etc.).
• Provides leadership in assisting asset care team with the installation, debugging, and start-up of all production equipment.
• Maintain equipment logs on assigned equipment, recording pertinent information about downtime and maintenance problems. Documents all process changes using a methodical problem-solving approach.
• Support engineering in the maintenance and adjustment of vision systems within defined parameters to ensure the quality of our products while keeping cost at or below budgeted levels.
• Ensure all safety and environmental procedures and quality system requirements are maintained.
• Provide relevant information on equipment and process performance, to include production and waste information while proactively driving continuous improvement activities through the shift teams.
• Monitors production machinery as needed to ensure top performance and takes a proactive approach to resolve concerns after efficiently comparing the financial impact of intervention versus current state in any given situation.
• Participates in the design and installation of modifications to production machinery and equipment to improve quality and costs aligned with the asset care team.
• Provide proactive leadership, associate mentoring, and proficient technical execution that drives the business unit to meet or exceed budgeted expectations.
• Attend Production Analysis Board (PAB) meetings providing engineering status of line and agree resource deployment to Support Shift Technicians in Investigation of losses (Breakdowns, Waste, Speed) to ensure countermeasure is effective.
• Coach and Mentor Technicians in quality and effectiveness of problem-solving tools and robustness of countermeasures.
• Connect to PLC machinery to help diagnose complex faults and make minor software changes, when required under the guidance of the process engineering team.

Benefits:

• Matched contribution Pension scheme up to 10% of salary.
• Life assurance and critical illness cover.
• Private Medical Insurance.
• Share save scheme – matched up to £150 per month.
• Reward & recognition scheme linked to Health and Safety and Continuous Improvement.
• Employee Assistance Program, supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
• Flexible benefits including cycle to work scheme.
• Subsidised canteen.
• Free on site car parking.
• 24 days holiday (Rising to 25 days after 5 years).