Manufacturing Engineer

Job Description:

Brooks Instrument (www.brooksinstrument.com), an industry leader in flow and pressure instrumentation for critical applications, is seeking candidates for Operations Administrator position that will be based at the company headquarters in Hatfield, Pennsylvania (suburban Philadelphia). The company has manufacturing locations in Pennsylvania, Hungary, Malaysia and Korea, and also maintains sales and service offices throughout the world. Our high-tech products are used in laboratory and process applications in end markets such as: oil & gas, petrochemical, medical devices, waste water, life sciences, and analytical instruments. 

Brooks is a division of ITW (Illinois Tool Works), a fortune 200 company. ITW is one of the world’s leading diversified manufacturers of specialized industrial equipment, consumables, and related service businesses. The company has operations in 56 countries and employs over 50,000 employees. These talented employees, many of whom have specialized engineering or scientific expertise, contribute to ITW’s global leadership in innovation. The company is proud of its broad portfolio of nearly 10,000 active patents, and is focused on fully leveraging its highly differentiated business model to deliver solid growth with consistent best-in-class margins and return on capital.

Basic Function

The Manufacturing Engineer provides engineering support for the production processes, equipment, tooling, and documentation used to manufacture Vacuum and Pressure products at the Brooks Instrument facility in Hatfield, Pennsylvania. The position supports daily operations and new product introductions by developing and improving manufacturing methods that achieve safety, quality, delivery, cost, capacity, and productivity objectives.

Working closely with Production Operations, Manufacturing Engineering, Product and Design Engineering, Quality, Materials, Supply Chain, and other partners, the Manufacturing Engineer resolves technical issues, implements approved product and process changes, and uses the ITW Toolbox, Lean Manufacturing, and structured problem-solving methods to improve performance in accordance with the Brooks Quality Management System and ISO 9001 requirements.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

•       Provide responsive day-to-day engineering support for Vacuum and Pressure production processes, equipment, tooling, fixtures, test systems, and manufacturing documentation.

•       Partner with Production Supervisors, engineering technicians, team leads, and operators to identify, prioritize, troubleshoot, and resolve safety, quality, equipment, material, yield, and delivery issues.

•       Develop and improve manufacturing processes and process instructions by studying product requirements; researching, designing, modifying, and testing methods and equipment; and collaborating with equipment and tooling suppliers.

•       Create, revise, and maintain manufacturing documentation, including operating method sheets, work instructions, process specifications, layouts, standard work, control plans, and troubleshooting guides.

•       Provide technical expertise related to manufacturing and production equipment, respond promptly to assigned support requests, and coordinate repairs or vendor assistance when needed.

•       Design or support the design of fixtures, tooling, gauges, and error-proofing solutions that improve safety, quality, repeatability, ergonomics, efficiency, and operator effectiveness.

•       Lead structured problem-solving and root-cause analysis for manufacturing problems; develop, implement, document, and verify sustainable corrective actions.

•       Analyze manufacturing performance data and trends, including yield, scrap, rework, labor efficiency, cycle time, equipment uptime, process capability, and cost, to identify and implement improvements.

•       Apply Lean Manufacturing, ITW Toolbox, standard work, flow, waste reduction, mistake-proofing, and other continuous improvement methods within assigned value streams.

•       Interface with Product, Design, and Sustaining Engineering on new product designs and product changes to ensure manufacturability, cost effectiveness, quality, capacity, serviceability, and productivity are considered.

•       Support new product introduction and manufacturing readiness activities, including process development, tooling and equipment requirements, work instructions, training, capacity analysis, pilot builds, and production release.

•       Lead or support Gate 5 pre-pilot and pilot activities, including manufacturing plans, build coordination, data collection, reports, recommendations, PFMEAs, control plans, and closure of assigned actions.

•       Plan and execute hardware, software, equipment, and process validations before release to Operations and ensure applicable documentation and approvals are completed.

•       Review, communicate, and implement engineering change orders affecting Vacuum and Pressure products, manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, test systems, documentation, cost, quality, yield, or capacity.

•       Support process capability studies, statistical process control, measurement-system evaluation, designed experiments, and other data-based engineering activities as appropriate.

•       Identify production equipment, tooling, automation, and technology needs; assist with technical specifications, vendor evaluations, business cases, capital requests, installation, validation, and operational handoff.

•       Support equipment maintenance and calibration strategies by identifying recurring issues, recommending preventive actions, and maintaining appropriate technical documentation.

•       Partner with Quality on nonconformance investigations, corrective and preventive actions, customer complaints, internal and external audits, and other quality-system activities.

•       Ensure manufacturing processes and documentation conform to applicable safety requirements, the Brooks Quality Management System, ISO 9001 standards, and approved engineering requirements.

•       Provide technical guidance and training to engineering technicians, Production Supervisors, team leads, and operators on new or revised processes, equipment, tooling, and work instructions.

•       Coordinate assigned activities with Operations, Quality, Materials, Supply Chain, Service, Engineering, Environmental Health and Safety, Information Technology, suppliers, and other Brooks locations.

•       Manage assigned projects, priorities, actions, schedules, and documentation with limited supervision and communicate risks, status, and results to appropriate stakeholders.

•       Support company continuous improvement initiatives and perform other duties as assigned. Marginal functions not listed among the essential duties may also be required.

Education and Experience

•       Bachelor's degree in mechanical, electrical, industrial, manufacturing, or a related engineering discipline required.

•       Two or more years of manufacturing engineering, process engineering, production engineering, or related technical manufacturing experience preferred.

•       Experience with vacuum, pressure, flow-control, instrumentation, semiconductor, electromechanical, or other complex technical products preferred.

•       Experience with manufacturing process development, tooling and fixtures, equipment support, process validation, engineering changes, or new product introduction preferred.

•       Experience working within an ISO 9001 or similarly regulated quality-system environment preferred.

•       Experience with Lean Manufacturing, root-cause analysis, PFMEA, statistical process control, process capability, or continuous improvement methods preferred.

Knowledge Skills and Abilities

•       Strong mechanical and technical aptitude with the ability to understand manufacturing processes, equipment, tooling, drawings, specifications, and electromechanical products.

•       Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including the ability to collect and interpret data, identify root causes, assess risk, and implement practical solutions.

•       Ability to balance urgent production-support needs with longer-term engineering projects and improvement priorities.

•       Effective project-management, time-management, organizational, and follow-through skills.

•       Ability to exercise discretion and independent judgment within the scope of assigned responsibilities.

•       Strong interpersonal and communication skills with the ability to collaborate effectively with production employees, technicians, engineers, supervisors, managers, and suppliers.

•       Proficiency with Microsoft Office applications; experience with ERP, manufacturing execution, product lifecycle management, CAD, statistical, quality, or data-reporting systems preferred.

•       Ability to work onsite in Hatfield and provide production support across shifts as business needs require.

Benefits

Our employees enjoy competitive, merit-based salary plus excellent benefits including:

• Health and dental insurance
• Company Paid Life Insurance
• Short and Long Term Disability
• 401K plan with generous company match
• Vacation, personal days and holidays
• Continuing education reimbursement program
• Flexible spending accounts 

The opportunity to join a well established (80 years in business) yet dynamically changing organization that works together as a team to meet the challenges of satisfying customers’ needs and managing rapid growth to better compete in a global marketplace.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential. 

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship. 

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.