Product Manager - Digital Solutions

Overview

KADANT BLACK CLAWSON LLC is an established leader in equipment and systems for the international pulp and paper process industries. For 150 years, we’ve helped our customers reduce their input costs and improve efficiency through innovative products and technologies. Our sustainability efforts have been nationally recognized, and Kadant is also listed on the New York Stock Exchange (KAI). Our state‑of‑the‑art manufacturing facility is located in Lebanon, OH, where we design and manufacture our products for customers across the globe.

We currently seek to fill the position of Product Manager – Digital Solutions to lead our digital services life cycle management and planning, including sensing technology incorporation into equipment design and application use, in order to meet customer requirements and guarantees through proposal submission. The Product Manager is also responsible for ensuring training, equipment service, start‑ups, erection supervision, check‑outs, inspections, and troubleshooting of assigned digital services are completed to KBC standards, all while advancing KBC’s mission of being a forward‑thinking, collaborative, and ethical business.

• Leads product life cycle planning, development, and market introduction for assigned digital technologies and connected services.
• Collaborates with engineering, R&D, and service teams to drive continuous improvement of digital‑enabled equipment and service offerings.
• Performs application engineering duties and trains others as required to support inquiries for responsible digital services.
• Assists in the direct selling and marketing of Kadant technology by providing customer presentations on capabilities and benefits.
• Conducts market research and analysis to identify customer needs and market trends.
• Provides written reports, including annual offering plans, corrective actions required, any necessary follow‑up for each mill visit, know‑your‑product, and other communications as appropriate.
• Initiates, evaluates, and supports R&D efforts for digital offerings.
• Responsible for product and service improvement and upgrades.
• Responsible for performance tests and warranty claim evaluations.
• Assists with the management of projects as needed.
• Performs both market and competitive analysis to understand pricing models and ROI.
• Performs field studies and evaluations required for marketing, target selling, and guarantee purposes.
• Participates in regular review of field problems with various member personnel and assists in the development/follow‑up on suggested corrective actions.
• Leads system start‑up and process balancing efforts at customer sites as appropriate.
• Responsible for training Kadant personnel and client staff appropriately on digital offerings.
• Authors and presents technical papers at conferences.
• Prepares technical bulletins, videos, and standard presentations for digital offerings using the marketing team.
• Documents and disseminates all relevant information concerning our competitors.

• Strong technical understanding of process equipment and controls; ability to connect equipment data to process improvement opportunities.
• Excellent verbal and written communication, including professional presentation skills.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• Strong interpersonal and customer service skills.
• Ability to function well in a high‑paced and at times stressful environment.
• Proficient with Microsoft Office Suite or related software and other KBC tools such as Salesforce and Tableau.
• Demonstrates KBC values of personal accountability, discipline, trust, and proactive action.
• A bachelor’s degree in Process Control Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Pulp & Paper Science, or related field from an accredited college or university is required.
• Extensive knowledge of digital technology within the industry is also required.
• Minimum of five years’ experience in process engineering, production management, or technical sales support is also required.
• Direct experience in recycling and approach flow systems is preferred.
• Prior experience with digital process technologies, data analytics, or automation systems strongly desired.

Due to frequent visits at customer sites and mills, this position is safety sensitive. In order to ensure a safe work environment for our employees and our customers, all Kadant employees in safety sensitive positions will be subject to random drug testing.

Must be able to handle frequent travel. Approx. 30–50%

All benefits are effective upon hire--including medical, dental, vision, and 401k.