Manufacturing Technical Service Leader

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

We are seeking a Manufacturing Technical Service Leader for our First Quality Tissue SE, LLC facility located in Anderson, SC.   This position will manage FQT fabric design technology that supports tissue paper machine daily and annual operations in achieving targets for base sheet quality tests, machine uptime, energy performance, fabric lifetime.

Primary responsibilities include:

- Fabric inventory, orders, reqs. – advise fabric design for use for each machine; communicate with PM Team
- Fabric vendors – lead time and delivery; planning with our strategic partner
- Fabric spec and finished fabric test results - vender COA data and trends.
- Paper machine technical support – centerlines, troubleshooting, data tracking, continuous improvement trials
- Availability – be responsive to PM Team for answers, data, direction, support regarding fabrics
- Paper machine design support – synergies/differences per machine – press, vacuum, dewatering, drying, wet end
- Fabric trials – sponsor, lead along with PM Process Engineer, provide coverage for install, start-up, run tracking
- Fabric installation – assist PM team with engineered and procedural improvements across sites
- Fabric sharepoint and run records – overview and accuracy with fabric numbers and run summary comments
- Manage FQT fabric aging and design obsolescence – communicate with PM Team and finance
- Manage vendor fabric design obsolescence – new design, prove, consume inventory, convert
- New successful fabric technology conversion
- Vendor qualification – target two qualified suppliers and designs for fabric positions
- Fabric treatment offerings – for stickie prevention or minimization
- Establish fabric fingerprint – during the run – ie. seam mark; bulk, drying; S/W drips/ buildup/ fugitive paper
- Establish fabric fingerprint / direction – post-run FFA – Fabric Forensics Analysis – ie. final tensile/perm/CA
- Assist with on machine measurements / pit stops – when needed
- Assist with proprietary fabric disposal (control of IP) and vendor relationship
- Fabric Cost Savings – share with Procurement and Finance – quarterly

The ideal candidate should possess the following:

- Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering and/or Paper Science
- 5 years in Tissue Manufacturing
- 5 years in Fabric Design and Manufacturing
- Tissue TAD manufacturing – base sheet and finished product test results and machine equipment and operations
- Operations knowledge – skilled in process troubleshooting – ATS – Analytical Troubleshooting, Parc View
- Responsive / Team Player
- Fabric materials, design, and operation
- Market knowledge for fabric vendors, locations and tissue producers and locations
- Project and product management skills
- Leader of cross-functional teams
- Relationship builder – internal and external
- Charismatic, driven, excellent communication skills

What We Offer You

We believe that by continuously improving the quality of our benefits, we can help to raise the quality of life for our team members and their families. At First Quality you will receive:

- Competitive base salary and bonus opportunities
- Paid time off (three-week minimum)
- Medical, dental and vision starting day one
- 401(k) with employer match
- Paid parental leave
- Child and family care assistance (dependent care FSA with employer match up to $3750)
- Bundle of joy benefit (years’ worth of free diapers to all team members with a new baby)
- Tuition assistance
- Wellness program with savings of up to $4,000 per year on insurance premiums
- ...and more!

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations.  As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.