C

creative werks

Turnkey food co-packing and manufacturing

Industrial Maintenance Supervisor

Full-Time
$60k - $90k/yr
Junior, Mid
Bartlett, IL, USA
In Person
General Maintenance & RepairEquipment Maintenance

About the job

Requirements
  • A high school diploma or GED is required.
  • At least 2 years of experience in production maintenance or a related area, including some supervisory or lead experience.
  • Familiarity with the field's concepts, practices, procedures, and the proper use and care of tools and equipment.
  • General Microsoft Office skills and experience with maintenance management software systems for preventive maintenance, project tasks, and corrective action.
  • Proficiency with Excel, including sorting data, adding or removing columns, updating data, and making calculations.
  • Ability to investigate and diagnose causes of breakdowns using a proactive rather than reactive approach.
  • Sound technical skills, logical ability, and strong problem analysis and resolution skills with an operational focus.
  • Ability to work independently on daily projects and thrive in a constantly changing environment.
  • Ability to gather and analyze data, identify relationships between data, anticipate business directions, and recommend fact-based decisions.
  • Ability to prioritize and successfully manage multiple projects simultaneously with aggressive deadlines.
  • Ability to perform mechanic duties and step in when necessary.
  • Ability to comply with safety requirements, including wearing a bump cap or hard hat, safety eyewear, hearing protection, and disposable masks.
  • Ability to operate standard office equipment, reach with hands and arms, and lift up to 25 pounds.
Responsibilities
  • Compare delegated tasks and end-of-shift reports with hours worked, and reconcile hours with mechanics to ensure full utilization.
  • Schedule mechanics for weekend and vacation coverage.
  • Manage and control overtime usage.
  • Track the effectiveness of preventive maintenance tasks and adjust them as needed.
  • Provide administrative support using ManagerPlus, including reviewing preventive maintenance work and work orders assigned to the shift and delegating them to mechanics.
  • Audit mechanic entries in ManagerPlus to ensure data accuracy.
  • Work with the preventive maintenance coordinator to review and edit maintenance plans in ManagerPlus.
  • Work with the parts coordinator to manage inventory, order parts, and adjust minimum and maximum inventory levels.
  • Maintain the organization and cleanliness of the maintenance shop.
  • Develop and prepare work schedules for crew members and contractors; review maintenance reports and work orders; and prioritize and coordinate duties and assignments to maintain effective workflow.
  • Publish daily mechanic tasks based on priorities set by Operations Management.
  • Ensure mechanics support production personnel and provide effective service.
  • Enforce line inspections to identify maintenance and repair needs and assess work quality.
  • Identify and report opportunities for improvement, and complete special projects as assigned.
  • Enforce company rules, policies, and procedures, including safety, discipline, cooperation, and teamwork.
  • Provide mechanics with the tools and support needed to succeed, including morale support, training, and tool access.
  • Enforce a safety-first and quality-always culture, avoiding temporary equipment fixes; when a temporary fix is necessary, ensure a permanent solution is implemented within 24 hours.
  • Monitor and approve mechanics' timecards.
  • Enforce the shift attendance policy, including administering coaching and points under the company's CoC system.
  • Evaluate mechanics' skills, maintain a documented training matrix, and take ownership of team performance.
  • Participate in performance evaluations, disciplinary actions, and one-on-one coaching.
  • Participate in interviewing, hiring, and terminating mechanics on the shift.
  • Work with the Maintenance Manager and/or Process Improvement leads to develop root cause analyses and complete assigned actions.
  • Communicate with other shift supervisors during handoffs and generate shift-performance reports.
  • Escalate issues in accordance with the escalation policy.
  • Attend all food safety training sessions, including Good Manufacturing Practices, Safe Quality Food, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points, allergen, food facility security, and foodborne illness prevention training.
  • Participate in company Good Manufacturing Practices walks and enforce company food-safety and monitoring rules.
  • Perform work in an office and warehouse environment, generally between 55 and 80 degrees, with some tasks near localized heat sources.

About the company

Creative werks provides contract packaging and manufacturing services for food and beverage brands, offering turnkey design, manufacturing, and co-packing to move from concept to final retail distribution. It uses the Werkshop Design Group for in-house R&D and packaging development and operates over 70 production lines in a climate-controlled facility with more than 1,000,000 square feet. It can design, produce, fill, and package at scale in formats like bags, cartons, and thermoformed packaging, including candy cane tubes, serving high-volume programs and seasonal launches. Its goals are to streamline production, lower costs, and scale operations with strong quality and safety standards (SQF Excellent, ISO 14001), while positively impacting employees and the community as a family-owned business.

Company Size

201-500

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Founded

1999

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • Website updates in 2026 highlight fresh capability additions and active capacity investment.
  • The company keeps posting packaging content through February 2026, signaling ongoing customer engagement.
  • SQF and ISO14001 credentials remain visible, supporting food-brand vendor qualification.

What critics are saying

  • Creative Werks faces a 2023 federal discrimination suit; judgment entered March 9, 2026.
  • 2026 workforce data shows headcount slipped to 332, signaling limited scale expansion.
  • Family ownership concentrates control with Steve Schroeder, increasing key-person dependency.

What makes creative werks unique

  • 2026 website lists 70 lines across 1 million square feet in Chicago.
  • Creative Werks added enrobing, bag-in-box, thermoforming, and high-speed small pouching capabilities.
  • Its vertically integrated candy cane operation still supplies over 95% of U.S. tubes.

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Benefits

  • Flexible Work Hours