Position: Manufacturing Equipment Engineer (Bilingual Mandarin & English)
Location: Bowling Green, Ohio
Reports To: Plant Manager
Experience: 3-5 Years
Position Summary
The Manufacturing Equipment Engineer is a hands-on engineering role within the Maintenance Team responsible for equipment reliability, troubleshooting, equipment improvements, automation support, and new equipment implementation.
Key Responsibilities
Equipment Engineering & Development
- Assist in the design, development, modification, and improvement of existing and new manufacturing equipment, tooling, fixtures, and automation systems.
- Create and modify equipment drawings using AutoCAD.
- Support equipment installation, commissioning, startup, and qualification activities.
- Drive improvements in equipment safety, reliability, quality, productivity, and throughput.
- Support automation and equipment improvement projects.
- Own equipment performance throughout its lifecycle, including installation, commissioning, maintenance support, upgrades, and reliability improvements.
Equipment Reliability & Troubleshooting
- Serve as a key member of the Maintenance Team, providing hands-on support for troubleshooting equipment, repair, and reliability improvements.
- Independently diagnose equipment failures and perform repairs.
- Work side-by-side with maintenance technicians to restore equipment safely and efficiently.
- Perform equipment repairs, component replacement, fabrication, welding, modifications, and upgrades as required.
- Lead root cause analysis and implement corrective actions to eliminate recurring failures.
- Improve equipment uptime, reliability, maintainability, and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
- Develop troubleshooting & maintenance procedures, and reliability improvements for critical equipment.
Process Improvement & Spare Parts Management
- Troubleshoot manufacturing process issues affecting safety, quality, productivity, and throughput.
- Support Lean Manufacturing and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Develop and maintain equipment BOMs and critical spare parts inventories.
- Improve spare parts availability and equipment maintainability.
Vendor & Supplier Support
- Work closely with equipment suppliers, contractors, and service providers in the United States and China.
- Communicate with Vendors in China and engineering teams in Mandarin and English.
- Support equipment installation, troubleshooting, upgrades, commissioning, warranty support, and spare parts sourcing.
- Coordinate technical issue resolution with suppliers and contractors to minimize downtime.
- Serve as a technical liaison between Operations, Maintenance, suppliers, contractors, and global engineering teams.
Travel Requirements
- Regular travel between company facilities in the Bowling Green area
- Occasional travel to supplier or customer locations may be required
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Manufacturing Engineering or a related field.
- 3-5 years of experience in manufacturing equipment engineering, maintenance engineering
- Proficiency in AutoCAD 2D/3D.
- Strong hands-on mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills.
- Working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, sensors, VFDs, motors, machine safety systems
- Bilingual in Mandarin Chinese and English.
- Strong understanding of Lockout/Tagout (LOTO) requirements and machine safety practices.
- Ability to read engineering drawings, electrical schematics, and technical documentation.
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Root Cause Analysis, and Continuous Improvement methodologies.
Preferred
- Experience with automated manufacturing equipment and material handling systems.
- Experience with conveyors, smart warehouse systems, Industrial automation, sand blasting equipment, plasma coating equipment, or similar industrial equipment.
- Experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled equipment.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to work in a manufacturing environment.
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and lift to 50 pounds.
- Comfortable working around industrial equipment and wearing required PPE.
- Ability to spend most of the workday on the production floor
Pay Range & Total Compensation
The base pay range reflects the good-faith estimate of the salary/wage range for this position at the time of posting. Actual placement within the range is determined based on factors including key skills, relevant experience, internal equity, education, certifications, and geography/market differentials.
Additional Compensation & Benefits:
In addition to base pay, this role is eligible for:
- Annual Performance Bonus
- Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance coverage
- 401(k) matching program
- Paid Time Off (PTO), paid holidays, and sick leave
Note: Variable pay and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable plan documents.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, manufacturing engineering, or a related field
- 3-5 years of experience in manufacturing equipment engineering or maintenance engineering
- Proficiency in AutoCAD 2D/3D
- Strong hands-on mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills
- Working knowledge of PLCs, HMIs, sensors, VFDs, motors, and machine safety systems
- Bilingual Mandarin Chinese and English proficiency
- Strong understanding of Lockout/Tagout requirements and machine safety practices
- Ability to read engineering drawings, electrical schematics, and technical documentation
- Knowledge of Lean Manufacturing, TPM, Root Cause Analysis, and Continuous Improvement methodologies
- Experience with automated manufacturing equipment and material handling systems
- Experience with conveyors, smart warehouse systems, industrial automation, sand blasting equipment, plasma coating equipment, or similar industrial equipment
- Experience troubleshooting PLC-controlled equipment
- Ability to work in a manufacturing environment and spend most of the workday on the production floor
- Ability to stand, walk, bend, climb, and lift up to 50 pounds
- Ability to work around industrial equipment while wearing required PPE
What We Do
Vital Chemicals USA LLC is a global leader in materials technology and a leading provider of high-quality chemical solutions in the United States. The company specializes in the production and distribution of specialty chemicals and rare-metals-based materials, employing a 'Source to Solutions' approach. Its capabilities support diverse sectors including semiconductors, energy, automotive, electronics, and optics, with a strong commitment to innovation and sustainability.
