Production Engineer

Job description

Solvay is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristics.

Solvay is a science company whose technologies bring benefits to many aspects of daily life. With more than 24,100 employees in 64 countries, Solvay bonds people, ideas and elements to reinvent progress. The Group seeks to create sustainable shared value for all, notably through its Solvay One Planet plan crafted around three pillars: protecting the climate, preserving resources and fostering better life. The Group’s innovative solutions contribute to safer, cleaner, and more sustainable products found in homes, food and consumer goods, planes, cars, batteries, smart devices, health care applications, water and air purification systems. Founded in 1863, Solvay today ranks among the world’s top three companies for the vast majority of its activities and delivered net sales of €10.2 billion in 2019. Solvay is listed on Euronext Brussels (SOLB) and Paris and in the United States, where its shares (SOLVY) are traded through a Level I ADR program. Solvay is a market leader in hydrogen peroxide, both in market share and technology. Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used mainly by the paper industry to bleach pulp. Its properties are also of interest to many markets, such as chemicals, food, textiles, and the environment.

The Deer Park production engineer will work closely with 1 or 2 other production engineers and the manufacturing team to ensure daily that the various processes are running optimally, and to continually improve in areas of safety, environmental performance, cost, and quality. DCS capability is preferred. This is an indoor/outdoor job that also requires some coordination with other corporate US and global entities. Production engineers play a key role in the PSM processes, particularly in leading hazard reviews. The role is a good mix of diligent detail work, such as OEE, plant chemistry, and Interlock tests, and thoughtful work such as leading temporary teams, championing new initiatives, and identifying improvements. It is a typical salaried day worker schedule, not shift work.

Job Overview and Responsibilities:

Mission:
To analyze and improve current processes, to manage the industrial and manufacturing excellence projects, and to ensure process safety and product quality within the units, in order to ensure the competitiveness and sustainability of the production processes of the units.

Main Output:
• Safe operations and compliance with Solvay Life Saving Rules and Site Safety Rules
• Production process improvement 
• Manufacturing excellence projects
• Investments projects 
• Process safety studies

Performance Criteria:
• HSE and compliance
• OEE, cost, and quality improvements
• Identify capital improvements for the project group and represent the Manufacturing perspective
• Respect the forecasted expenditures
• Meet excellence programs performance objectives

Key Responsibilities:

• Comply with HSE regulations, quality standards and company policies
?Participate in incident investigations
?Implement assigned HSE and quality incident action items
?Lead PHA studies (HazOp and LOPA)
?Support the manager regarding the compliance with HSE rules, regulations and policies
?Ensure that own activities and initiatives respect the HSE rules, regulations and policies
• Production Process
?Assist the manager at critical moments in order to realize the production plans, and ensure troubleshooting when necessary
?Execute on demand of his/her manager specific studies about plant performance and the effectiveness of process improvement projects
?Contribute to the development of proposals and projects 
?Coordinate and follow up process improvement projects
?Propose the most optimal production conditions, taking into account cost and quality
?Interact with maintenance to ensure equipment maintenance is scheduled appropriately to ensure safe and proper operation of the plant
?Contribute to the daily orders as needed and write the daily orders as delegated
?Perform month-end reconciliation of raw materials and utilities for the manufacturing areas

?Perform DCS support (process control and configuration) as needed
?Monitor the IP.21 database daily, troubleshoot problems as needed, and configure requests for modifications to the system
• Manufacturing Excellence, continuous improvement and innovation
?Support and lead assigned task within the Manufacturing Excellence programs
?Participate and/or lead the determination of the feasibility and economic value of a project or study using stage gate techniques such as FEL (which include cost estimates, project/study schedule, etc)
?Manage assigned projects or sub-projects under supervision of the manager which include workflow or system improvements, CAPEX, process improvement, OEE improvement, etc
?Lead and implement testing of new technologies, methods and/or products on a pilot scale or directly in the Industrial plant
?Follow up on production performance and propose initiatives to improve competitiveness
• Manage internal and external interaction and collaboration
?Act as a liaison regarding technological matters towards other departments, suppliers and customers
?Develop documentation about the production process and facility
?Compile all kinds of documents and data which can be technical, technological or process information and prepare reports under the supervision of the manager.
?Work with lab to follow analytical results and to help lab with any technical interface problems, ie entry of data into IP21

Education and Experience:

•Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering from a four year accredited college or university.  Other engineering disciplines can be considered.  

•Ability to work effectively with relevant computer software such as Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Visio, Access, SAP, SRM7 Aspen Process Explorer, Aspen Calc, IP.21, Yokogawa CentumVP DCS, SQLplus, Visual Basic, Visio, AutoCad and eB director 

•Must be able to manage multiple tasks at once and work in an independent and autonomous manner.

Skills:

Physical/Mental Requirements

•Constant, concise and accurate use of the English language when communicating orally and in writing

•Perform under stress when confronted with emergency or critical deadlines in which working speed and accuracy, along with sustained attention, are critical to success

•Near acute vision allowing an individual to read normal size type within 20 inches with or without corrective lenses.  Additionally, the ability to identify and distinguish color

•Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. 

•Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form

•Remain in the normal seated position while working for extended periods or remain standing for extended periods of time

•Continual ascending and descending of stairways and ladders to heights in excess of 100 ft. under exterior weather conditions.  May be required to perform this task several times during a day

•Ability to perform arithmetic calculations accurately

•Must be able to use respiratory protective equipment in examination of equipment or process

•Ability to read, analyze and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, codes, drawings and governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence and procedure manuals

•Flexibility in work schedule to meet the needs of the plant and meet target completion dates