Automation Engineer
Grow boldly with Pretium and be a robotics and automation innovator!
About Us:
Pretium Packaging, founded in 1992, is a leading supplier of injection-blow molded plastic containers, known for delivering superior quality, value, and customer service. With 17 manufacturing locations across North America, we provide innovative, high-performance packaging solutions to a diverse portfolio of brand owners in the U.S. and Canada.
What You’ll Be Responsible For:
As an Automation Engineer, you’ll serve as a critical liaison between our manufacturing plants and corporate engineering, leading initiatives that optimize performance, elevate safety standards, and create consistency across our network while designing and supporting innovative automated systems . This is a remote role that will require up to 75% travel. In this role your expertise will shine in the areas of:
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Continuous Improvement : Champion efficiency, safety, and performance across all sites, leading 5S implementations to foster a culture of visual organization and workplace discipline.
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Process Standardization : Partner with local plant teams to standardize tooling, equipment, and operational processes, including building, maintaining, and controlling standardized SOPs (Standard Operating Procedures).
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Automation Design and Support : Design, program, install, and support automated systems across various industrial applications, including PLCs, HMIs, sensors, VFDs, motor controls, safety systems, and communication networks (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, Modbus, etc.).
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Root Cause Analysis and Troubleshooting : Serve as the go-to resource for root cause analysis (RCA), providing hands-on support to plant maintenance teams and delivering solutions for complex technical issues under time-sensitive conditions.
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Operational Enhancements : Guide plants through labor optimization, changeover improvements, and scrap reduction, while developing and championing SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Dies) programs to reduce downtime and improve flexibility.
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Project Leadership : Lead new product projects from initial design through final production validation, owning the process every step of the way.
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Business Development : Support business growth by identifying opportunities, scoping work, assisting with estimates, and recommending value-added solutions to customers.
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Vendor and Customer Relationships : Build and nurture relationships with vendors and contractors to ensure exacting standards and consistent service, while collaborating with customers to translate complex technical concepts effectively.
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Mentorship and Leadership : Mentor and support junior engineers and technicians as departments grow, setting an example that aligns with our core values.
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Compliance and Safety : Ensure all engineering and automation practices meet safety and regulatory compliance standards.
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Continuous Learning : Stay ahead of industry trends by adapting to modern technologies and reverse-engineering solutions for legacy or third-party systems.
What You’ll Bring:
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Education : Bachelor’s degree in engineering (required).
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Experience :
- 3+ years in a manufacturing environment, with 10+ years of hands-on industrial automation experience across manufacturing, material handling, processing, logistics, or related industries.
- Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and projects.
- Deep expertise in automation and controls, including PLC and HMI programming, sensors, VFDs, motor controls, safety systems, integration, and communication networks.
- Prior exposure to the plastics industry is a strong advantage (EBM/IBM).
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Technical Skills :
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- Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
- Experience with Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES).
- Experience with AutoCAD (required); SolidWorks is a plus.
- Experience with Machine Vision.
- Ability to read and interpret electrical and mechanical drawings; design experience is a