Manufacturing Controls Engineer

Posted 4 Days Ago
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Novi, MI, USA
In-Office
Senior level
Energy
The Role
Design, program, and commission PLC-based control systems and HMI/SCADA for automated manufacturing. Integrate robotics, vision, drives, and MES interfaces; troubleshoot production equipment; lead equipment installations, FAT/SAT, and controls documentation; ensure machine safety and compliance; analyze performance data to drive process improvements and support continuous improvement initiatives.
Summary Generated by Built In

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

Automation & Controls Development 

  • Design, program, and troubleshoot PLC-based control systems for automated manufacturing equipment. 
  • Develop and maintain control logic using platforms such as Rockwell (Allen Bradley), Siemens, or similar PLC systems. 
  • Configure HMI / SCADA systems for machine monitoring, diagnostics, and operator interface. 
  • Develop and maintain automated production data collection, reporting, and diagnostic tools to support manufacturing performance. 
  • Support manufacturing execution systems (MES), production traceability, and automation interfaces between PLCs and enterprise systems. 
  • Integrate, troubleshoot, and optimize robotics, vision systems, and automated material handling equipment for high-volume production environments. 

Equipment Integration & Commissioning 

  • Lead controls design, installation, and commissioning of new manufacturing equipment. 
  • Collaborate with equipment vendors and integrators during factory acceptance testing (FAT) and site acceptance testing (SAT). 
  • Develop controls standards and documentation for plant automation systems. 

Manufacturing Support 

  • Provide technical troubleshooting support for production equipment downtime related to controls, sensors, drives, vision, PLC, robotics, and automation. 
  • Work closely with maintenance and production teams to diagnose, resolve, and improve automation system performance.  
  • Optimize control strategies to improve cycle time, reliability, and equipment uptime. 

Safety & Compliance 

  • Design and validate machine safety systems including safety PLCs, interlocks, emergency stops, and safeguarding systems. 
  • Ensure equipment complies with OSHA, NFPA, and relevant machine safety standards. 
  • Support high-voltage and lithium-ion manufacturing safety requirements. 

Process Optimization 

  • Analyze equipment performance data to identify automation improvements and efficiency gains. 
  • Implement process automation improvements to increase throughput and reduce scrap. 
  • Support continuous improvement initiatives and plant automation roadmaps. 
  • Lead root cause investigations for automation-related production issues and implement sustainable corrective actions. 

Documentation & Standards 

  • Support, maintain, and enforce plant automation standards including programming architecture, documentation, naming conventions, and commissioning procedures 
  • Maintain detailed documentation including: 
  • PLC/HMI code change management revisions 
  • Open issues management 
  • Automation standardization 
  • Electrical schematics redlines 

QUALIFICATIONS:

Education   

  • Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical EngineeringSoftware Engineering, Mechatronics, or Automation Engineering

 

Experience 

  • 5+ years of controls engineering experience in a manufacturing environment 
  • Experience supporting automated production lines or industrial equipment 
  • Experience with PLC programming, Robotics, and industrial automation systems 

    Technical Skills:  

    • PLC programming 
    • Allen Bradley (Studio 5000 / RSLogix) 
    • Siemens (TIA Portal) 
    • HMI/SCADA systems 
    • Industrial networking (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IO-link, Modbus, OPC) 
    • Servo systems and VFD drives 
    • Robotics integration (Fanuc, ABB, Kuka, or similar) 
    • Machine vision systems (Keyence, Cognex) 
    • Electrical schematics and panel design 
    • Industrial sensors and instrumentation 

     

    Preferred Experience  

    • EV battery, Automotive, Lithium-ion, Semiconductor, or High-tech manufacturing 
    • Dry-room or clean-room manufacturing environments 
    • High-speed automated production lines 
    • Safety PLCs and machine safety standards (ISO 13849 / NFPA) 
    • Automation troubleshooting and problem solving 
    • Systems integration and commissioning 
    • Cross-functional collaboration 
    • Continuous improvement mindset 
    • Strong technical documentation skills 
    • Ability to support a fast-paced manufacturing environment 

       

      Equal Opportunity Employer
      This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws. For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.

      Skills Required

      • Bachelor's degree in Electrical, Mechanical, Software, Mechatronics, or Automation Engineering
      • 5+ years of controls engineering experience in a manufacturing environment
      • PLC programming experience
      • Allen Bradley Studio 5000 / RSLogix
      • Siemens TIA Portal
      • HMI/SCADA system configuration and development
      • Industrial networking (Ethernet/IP, Profinet, IO-Link, Modbus, OPC)
      • Servo systems and VFD drives experience
      • Robotics integration (Fanuc, ABB, Kuka or similar)
      • Machine vision systems (Keyence, Cognex)
      • Electrical schematics and panel design skills
      • Experience with MES, production traceability, and PLC-enterprise integration
      • Experience in EV battery, Automotive, Lithium-ion, Semiconductor, or High-tech manufacturing
      • Familiarity with safety PLCs and machine safety standards (ISO 13849, NFPA)
      • Experience with dry-room or clean-room manufacturing environments
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      The Company
      HQ: Novi, MI
      223 Employees
      Year Founded: 2020

      What We Do

      Our Next Energy (ONE) is paving the way for an electric future, innovating energy storage technologies that will rapidly expand the world’s ability to access sustainable power. We are showing the world what’s possible, rapidly clearing hurdles that stand in the way of mass clean energy adoption: extending range, increasing safety, lowering cost and, of course, using the cleanest chemistries.

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