Automation & Controls Technician

AMPI owns six Midwest-based manufacturing plants where 10 percent of the nation’s American-type cheese and processed cheese is produced. The cooperative’s award-winning cheese and powdered dairy products are marketed to food service, retail and food ingredient customers. In 2019, the co-op launched its Dinner Bell Creamery brand and accompanying Co-op Crafted promise, highlighting more than 50 years of dairy farm families partnering with skilled cheese makers.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES

This list of duties and responsibilities is not all inclusive and may be expanded to include other duties and responsibilities as management may deem necessary from time to time:

• Serve as the primary site subject matter expert for industrial automation, controls, PLCs, HMIs, and associated control systems.
• Maintain, troubleshoot, modify, and optimize Rockwell/Allen-Bradley PLC-based control systems and HMI applications.
• Diagnose complex automation issues and identify root causes affecting equipment reliability, process performance, and production capability.

• Support automation and controls across fluid processing, milk handling, pasteurization, separation, standardization, cheese making, ingredient systems, CIP, utilities, and packaging operations.
• Troubleshoot and optimize control loops, sensors, transmitters, valves, VFDs, motors, and related control devices.
• Apply controls expertise to improve process stability, equipment performance, yield, quality, and operational consistency.
• Support automation systems associated with fillers, packaging equipment, conveyors, case packing, palletizing, robotics, vision systems, servo/motion systems, and related material handling equipment.
• Troubleshoot communication and controls issues between packaging equipment and upstream/downstream process systems.
• Troubleshoot industrial communication networks and connectivity issues affecting automation and controls systems.
• Support Ethernet/IP and other industrial communication technologies within the plant as required.
• Maintain awareness of network architecture, connected devices, and controls infrastructure that impact plant reliability.

• Provide hands-on technical support to Maintenance and Operations personnel during equipment failures, process interruptions, and other automation-related issues.
• Participate in an on-call rotation to provide technical support to off-shift maintenance personnel.
• Coach and develop maintenance technicians in automation, controls, instrumentation, and troubleshooting techniques.
• Respond with urgency to critical automation failures and work collaboratively to restore safe and reliable operation.

• Analyze equipment and controls failures to identify root causes and implement sustainable solutions.
• Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, improve equipment functionality, reduce variability, and increase operating efficiency.
• Lead or support automation-focused continuous improvement initiatives.

• Provide controls expertise during equipment upgrades, capital projects, and process improvements.
• Participate in controls design reviews, equipment specifications, factory acceptance testing, site acceptance testing, installation, commissioning, and startup activities.
• Review vendor and integrator controls solutions to ensure alignment with plant standards and operational requirements.

• Maintain accurate controls documentation, including PLC backups, HMI configurations, I/O information, control-system documentation, and related records.
• Develop and maintain troubleshooting guides, technical references, and other resources that…