Blow Mold Process Engineer

Blow Mold Process Engineer – Ayer, MA

Catania Oils, a fourth-generation, family-owned business with 125 years of excellence in the edible oils industry, is looking for a passionate and driven Blow Mold Process Engineer to join our team.

• Own blow molding process performance across all assigned equipment and bottle platforms.
• Establish, validate, document, and maintain machine settings, recipes, and process windows for current and new bottle formats.
• Optimize blow molding processes for:
  • bottle quality
  • material efficiency
  • line efficiency
  • uptime
  • scrap reduction
  • changeover performance
  • throughput
• Provide direct technical support and hands-on troubleshooting for preform heating, stretch/blow timing, pressure profiles, oven settings, transfer issues, bottle defects, dimensional variation, and top load and performance issues.
• Lead startup, commissioning, qualification, and ramp-up support for new blow molding equipment.
• Develop standard work for startup, shutdown, changeovers, center lining, recipe control, and abnormal condition response.
• Partner with Operations, Maintenance, Quality, Packaging, and Continuous Improvement teams to improve reliability and process capability.
• Analyze performance data and trends to identify chronic losses and drive corrective actions.
• Reduce bottle and process variation through disciplined experimentation, root cause analysis, and control of critical process parameters.
• Support mold trials, preform trials, bottle design changes, and new package launches.
• Define and sustain best practices for recipe governance, parameter management, and process change control.
• Train operators, mechanics, and technicians on blow molding process fundamentals, defect identification, machine interaction, and standard settings discipline.
• Support troubleshooting across downstream packaging lines when blow mold performance affects filler, capper, labeler, conveyance, or palletizing performance.
• Work with OEMs, tooling suppliers, and internal teams to improve machine capability and bottle performance.
• Ensure all work supports plant standards for safety, food quality, reliability, and operational excellence.

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering (BSME), Plastics Engineering, or related discipline.
• 8-10 years of hands-on experience in PET stretch blow molding process engineering.
• Strong experience with rotary blow mold machines.
• Krones, Kosme, Sipa, or similar high-speed blow molding platforms strongly preferred.
• Proven ability to develop and optimize settings/recipes for multiple bottle sizes & formats.
• Strong knowledge of PET processing, preform behavior, heating profiles, stretch ratios, pressure settings, and bottle defect mechanisms.
• Demonstrated success improving process stability, scrap, bottle performance, and machine efficiency.
• Experience supporting new equipment startup, commissioning, SAT/FAT, or process validation preferred.
• Strong troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to work independently as the plant’s technical subject matter expert for blow molding.
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced manufacturing environment with significant time spent on the production floor.

• Hands-on, floor-based, and action-oriented.
• Strong technical ownership mindset.
• Disciplined around standards, documentation, and recipe control.
• Collaborative with operators, maintenance, quality, and engineering.
• Calm and effective under production pressure.
• Focused on long-term process stability, not one-time adjustments.

• Stable, documented, and controlled blow mold recipes across all bottle platforms.
• Reduced scrap, defects, and unplanned downtime.
• Improved bottle consistency and downstream line performance.
• Faster, cleaner changeovers and startups.
• Successful integration of new blow molding assets into production.
• Strong operator and technician capability built through training and standards.
• Blow molding becomes a controlled process, not a daily firefight.

• Competitive pay ($-$).
• Competitive benefits package.
• Opportunities for career development in a tradition-and-innovation culture.
• Commitment to sustainability and quality.