Controls Engineer

DUTIES

• Design, develop, and implement advanced controls and automation systems for automotive body shop manufacturing operations, ensuring system reliability, efficiency, and compliance with established engineering standards.
• Develop and document system requirements, functional specifications, and control strategies for automated manufacturing systems, including robotics, machine vision, and conveyance technologies.
• Program, configure, and troubleshoot Allen Bradley PLCs (including Safety Logic) and Siemens TIA Portal HMIs, ensuring seamless integration with plant wide automation systems.
• Design, implement, and maintain industrial communication networks—including Ether Net/IP, TCP/IP, and Device Net—to support real time communication across PLCs, robots, vision systems, and peripheral devices.
• Integrate, program, and optimize FANUC industrial robots for material handling, spot welding, dispensing, and vision guided operations.
• Develop, configure, and troubleshoot machine vision systems (Matrox, SICK, Keyence, Photoneo, FANUC Vision) for inspection, error proofing, and bin picking applications.
• Maintain and enhance vision guided bin picking solutions utilizing 3D vision technologies to increase automation efficiency and reduce manual handling.
• Support, maintain, and optimize conveyance systems, including Power & Free conveyors, Geo Pallet systems, skid conveyors, and Automated Guided Carts (AGCs), ensuring continuous and reliable production flow.
• Configure and troubleshoot Allen Bradley Variable Frequency Drives (Power Flex, Armor Start) and related motion control systems.
• Develop and implement error proofing systems such as torque verification (Atlas Copco), barcode readers (SICK, Matrox), RFID based tracking, and automated bin pick validation.
• Create and interpret electrical schematics using EPLAN to support system design, integration, commissioning, and troubleshooting.
• Perform root cause analysis of automation and controls failures using empirical data, trend analysis, diagnostic tools, and structured problem solving methodologies to drive corrective and preventive actions.
• Analyze manufacturing and operational data using DLA and Power BI (TBIA) to identify inefficiencies, improve throughput, and reduce downtime.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives focused on cycle time reduction, downtime elimination, and quality improvements (e.g., DRR reduction).
• Provide real time production support, including troubleshooting, maintenance assistance, and system optimization for high volume manufacturing lines.
• Develop and maintain custom engineering tools and applications to support automation systems, data analytics, and production performance monitoring.
• Ensure standardization, scalability, and reuse of automation components across new installations, upgrades, and major projects.
• Identify system vulnerabilities and implement mitigation strategies to improve system reliability, robustness, and safety.
• Track, document, and report corrective actions, ensuring full closure and compliance with engineering and quality standards.
• Collaborate with cross functional partners—including manufacturing, quality, and maintenance—to support system integration, launch readiness, and production goals.
• Stay current with emerging technologies, industry trends, and best practices in industrial automation, robotics, and smart manufacturing.

Hybrid Work Policy – 3 days In-Office, 2 Days Remote – Must be able to report to local office.

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, or related field of study and Two (2) years of experience as an Automation Engineer, Controls Engineer, or related occupation.
• Two (2) years of experience with the following:
  Designing, programming, and troubleshooting…