Controls Engineering Technician

We are seeking a Controls Engineering Technician in Chicago, IL . The primary purpose of this role is to troubleshoot and maintain controls components and systems for production and associated utility equipment to ensure the highest reliability, proper line performance, and safe operation. Using advanced training, skills, and experience, this role provides training for other control technicians, coordinates electrical PM programs, and makes complex changes in PLC, HMI, Servo Drive Programming, and AC and DC Drives.

Job responsibilities include:

• Observes all OSHA and company safety rules and uses the proper safety equipment at all times. Notifies Supervisor of potentially dangerous electrical hazards and takes immediate corrective action. Demonstrates basic National Electrical Code understanding. Follows Lock-Out /Tag-Out procedures.

• Troubleshoots machine breakdowns and malfunctions utilizing a working knowledge of programs and tools required to troubleshoot PLC’s, DCS’s, HMI’s and servo systems including electrical schematics, meters, oscilloscopes, etc.

• Trains and assists technicians to troubleshoot, repair, replace and calibrate all electrical sensing devices including: photoelectric, inductive, capacitive, magnetic, pressure, temperature, weight and position sensors, flow, and analytical instruments.

• Trains and assists technicians to troubleshoot, repair, replace and commission a) all electrical control devices including: AC drives, DC drives, Servo Controllers, contactors, motors, breakers, solenoids power supplies and indicator lights, and b) all DCS/PLC/HMI hardware including: processors, discrete and analog I/O cards, power supplies, network adapters, distributed I/O, operator interfaces such as Panelview, PC based interfaces, and message displays such as Rsview.

• Based on extensive experience of the machine processes and controls systems, makes critical decisions to proactively avoid downtime, quality, scrap, and safety problems.

• Makes complex program modifications in PLC’s logic, HMI’s programs and servo controller logic to improve equipment performance. Also works with the Controls Engineers to implement changes on DCS systems. This may also require significant changes to the control equipment and wiring on the machines.

• Coordinates the electrical preventative maintenance program by identifying items that need regular inspection and replacement, scheduling the tasks and task frequencies required, and following up to ensure the completion and effectiveness of each task.

• Manages all PLC, Servo and HMI programs and changes as well as electrical documentation. Ensures that they are all accurate, updated, available to the technicians and archived at regular intervals. Works with Controls Engineers to do the same on DCS systems.

• Assists Production, Maintenance, and Process & Project Engineers to meet daily priorities, coverage, and special projects.

• Provides extensive support during machine installations and upgrades including: interfacing auxiliary equipment, identifying and correcting errors in programming and wiring and ensuring vendors and contractors are meeting our needs and expectations. Support to include off-campus remote locations through both remote access and travel to other locations.

Education and experience requirements include:

• Associates Degree in electronics, computer science or related field plus 5 years industrial electrical experience. Or, a Bachelors degree in electronics or computer science with at least 3 years industrial experience.

• Personal Computer skills including specific controls programming software and basic e-mail, word processing, and spreadsheet applications.

• Has excellent analytical skills, including Identifying machine problems and potential causes, devising and performing tests to identify the root cause of problems, analyzing data from multiple sources to identify trends and anomalies, identifying possible causes of future downtime and taking preventative steps, and using strong mathematical skills with numeric analysis software.

• Has excellent communication skills, including Providing effective training to other Controls Technicians, communicating procedures for preventive maintenance, communicating with production staff to identify machine problems and possible causes, and communicating with OEM’s to resolve machine problems.

• Has advanced knowledge of electrical theory and principles of operation, including solid knowledge of three phase, single phase and DC power, application of NEC and standard wiring practices, utilizing meters and oscilloscopes to identify electrical problems, and reading and creating electrical schematics where needed.

• Advanced knowledge of all PLC (and DCS if required) based hardware and software, including excellent PLC programming skills, assisting in DCS changes, good servo and HMI programming skills, interface between multiple controllers over various networking platforms.

• Ability to make quick and accurate electrical repairs and program changes.

• Standard knowledge of product specifications, quality requirements, production goals, efficiency and waste.

• Knowledge of products specifications and the processes that affect them.

• Understands impact of downtime and waste on production efficiency.

• Ability to work well in a team environment. Provides leadership to resolve problems within own workgroups.