Instrumentation Technician

Supervisor’s Title:             Maintenance Team Lead

Department:                        Maintenance

Exempt Status:                   Non-Exempt

MWC is a state of the art cheese and whey production facility in St. Johns, MI. MWC is a joint venture between Glanbia Nutritionals, Dairy Farmers of America (DFA) and Select Milk Producers Inc. (Select).

Under general supervision of the Controls Manager installs, tests, repairs, inspects and maintains metering and recording instruments, controlling devices, data logging and display equipment, communications, and telemetry systems; and performs related work as required.

This is a skill level based position, requiring the incumbent to be fully competent to install, maintain, troubleshoot, document and repair a wide variety of industrial instrumentations which include, electronic monitoring, metering, controlling and signaling devices used in the processing and distribution of milk, cheese, whey powder, water, steam, air and other related supporting utilities. The work covers the entire industrial instrumentation and telemetry trade, and the incumbent is expected to often work independently due to the diverse nature of the work. The Controls Technician requires a higher level of knowledge, skills, and abilities, including the ability to troubleshoot telemetry, Supervisory Control, and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system and programmable logic control (PLC) software. The incumbent will be expected to participate in the department’s on-call rotation.

• Installs, maintains, repairs, overhauls, calibrates and tests a wide variety of industrial instrumentation that record, indicate, control and regulate level, flow, pressure, temperature, position and process analysis.
• Makes periodic preventative maintenance inspections of all metering control instruments, diagnosing existing or potential trouble; cleans, lubricates, calibrates and adjusts as conditions indicate.
• Lays out, install and place into service new metering, controlling and recording devices, calibrating as required; may extend or connect related electrical circuits.
• Reads and interprets wiring diagrams, mechanical drawings, and specifications in making installations or performing major repair work.
• May make estimates of labor, materials, and supplies as necessary for the performance of specific assignments.
• Keeps records; makes verbal and written reports of work performed.
• Supports Maintenance team members on instrumentation troubleshooting as requested/required by maintenance team members.
• Follows up on work completed to assure customers’ needs are being met.
• Troubleshoots telemetry, SCADA, and PLC software and hardware, make recommendations and performs software changes, maintains documentation of changes to the software and hardware.
• Makes changes and updates to drawings, schematics, and other supporting documentation and may be required to assume responsibility for process document control.
• Performs the repairs and testing work requiring higher-level knowledge, skills, and abilities than level 1, and serves as a technical resource to others.
• Supports maintenance technicians by providing hands-on training on field instruments, and troubleshooting.
• Provides support for the development and planning of projects and facility upgrades.
• Performs the repairs and testing work requiring higher-level knowledge, skills, and abilities than level 1 or 2, and serves as a technical resource to others.
• Supports the I&E team by providing in-house advanced training to maintenance technicians as well as controls team members on instrumentation and troubleshooting as well as reading technical drawings.
• May direct the work of the Controls Technician 1 and 2 or others on specific projects, and coaches and trains less-experienced Instrument Technicians and others on the procedures of the work.
• Utilizes GPS processes, driving zero losses and upholds the culture of Southwest Cheese non-negotiables.
• Utilizes GPS processes, driving zero losses and upholds the culture of Southwest Cheese non-negotiables.
• Each employee shall comply with occupational safety and health standards and all rules, regulations, and orders issued pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health  Act which are applicable to his/her own actions and conduct.
• Complies with all applicable food safety regulations and mandates (Safe Quality Foods, Food and Drug Admin, Pasteurized Milk Ordinance)

Delivering on Glanbia’s Values:

• “Showing Respect” - Research issues & incidents with internal teams, business partners and customers in a collaborative manner that includes professional, honest and transparent communication.
• “Find a Better Way” - Work with internal and external teams to implement process improvements and/or procedural changes that eliminate non-value added activities and drive more business value.
• “Winning Together” - Assist with training of new team members.  Facilitate or oversee training and standard operating procedure reviews to ensure new hires develop proficiency of role.
• “The Customer’s Champion” – Proactively engage to support our customer needs on an end to end basis and strive to meet or exceed SLA timelines.  Take ownership of customer requests and engage with internal teams as needed and within a timely manner.
• “Performance Matters” – Meet or exceed all key metrics in line with expectations for role.  Continually update knowledge of products, product changes, processes and services offered to deliver a dynamic customer experience.

• Perform other duties as assigned.

• Associates Degree or equivalent technical training and 4 years of experience as an Instrument Technician.
• Must be skilled in both mechanical and electromechanical repairs and electronic circuitry repair. 
• 2 years experience working on industrial instrumentation and control.
• Knowledge of: The safe use of a wide variety of hand and power tools, electronic and electric test equipment as related to field and shop work; and safe work practices.
• Skill in: Inspecting, testing, repairing, installing industrial instrumentation and controls according to established procedures and standards, reading instruments accurately; working from and interpreting wiring and mechanical drawings; use of hand and power tools and equipment to test and calibrate instrumentation and controls.
• Making estimates of labor and materials.
• Ability to: Communicate effectively and establish and maintain effective working relationships. Keep accurate, complete records and prepare reports.
• Knowledge of: The theory of programmable logic controllers and man-machine interface software and hardware.
• Skill in: Diagnosing and making changes to PLC and SCADA software and hardware.
• Coaching and training less-experienced technicians and others on the procedures of the work
• Directing less-experienced technicians and others on the specific procedures of the work.
• Ability to: Be a resource to others on the technical aspects of the work.

Physical Demands

• Regularly involves, talking or listening, sitting, and the use of hands and fingers.
• Frequently involves reaching with hands and arms, standing and walking.
• Occasionally involves crouching, stooping, kneeling and/or climbing or balancing.

Physical Requirements

• Must be able to lift and carry items weighing up to 50 pounds.
• Manual dexterity sufficient to reach/handle items, works with the fingers, and perceive attributes of objects and materials.
• Involves moderate physical activity performing strenuous day activities of a primarily productive/technical nature.
• Should be able to identify and distinguish colors, see clearly at 20 inches or closer and 20 feet or more, observe an area that can be seen up and down or to the left and right while eyes are fixed on a given point, judge distances and spatial relationships, and adjust the eye to bring an object into sharp focus.

• May be exposed to moderate noise levels (i.e. office equipment and light traffic).
• May work near mechanical moving parts and in cold temperatures.

• Minimal travel limited within the local area.

Must perform the essential duties and responsibilities with or without reasonable accommodation efficiently and accurately without causing significant safety threat to self or others.  The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification.  They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and/or skills required of all personnel so classified.

Are you someone who likes to make it happen, make it better and make it fun? If so, our company offers you an excellent opportunity to do really interesting work and develop a career in a dynamic and innovative environment that is all about making you and our business successful.