Senior Process Technologist – BOPP Films

Senior Process Technologist – BOPP Films

Department: Manufacturing / Technology

Reports To: Head of Operations

The Senior Process Technologist is responsible for providing technical leadership to optimize the BOPP film manufacturing process, improve product quality, increase production efficiency, and support new product commercialization. This role serves as the plant's subject matter expert on resin behavior, extrusion, machine direction (MD) and transverse direction (TD) orientation, heat setting, winding, and film performance.

Working closely with Operations, Quality, Engineering, Maintenance, R&D, Product Management, and Sales, the position drives continuous improvement, solves complex process issues, and supports manufacturing excellence across the BOPP production lines. Senior technologists are typically expected to lead process optimization, mentor technical staff, and drive innovation.

• Optimize extrusion and biaxial orientation processes to maximize productivity and profitability.
• Improve machine throughput while maintaining product quality.
• Develop and standardize process parameters for various film grades.
• Analyze production data to identify process improvement opportunities.
• Lead troubleshooting during production upsets and quality deviations.

• Ensure consistent achievement of product specifications including:
• Thickness variation
• Haze
• Gloss
• COF
• Tensile strength
• Seal performance
• Optical clarity
• Reduce customer complaints through root cause analysis and corrective actions.
• Support internal and external quality audits.

• Support commercialization of new BOPP products.
• Conduct production trials and industrial scale-ups.
• Collaborate with R&D on new resin formulations and additive packages.
• Validate process capability for new products.

• Serve as the plant expert on:
• Polypropylene resin technology
• Additives
• Extrusion
• Stretching
• Annealing
• Surface treatment (Corona)
• Winding
• Mentor Process Engineers and Production Engineers.
• Develop technical training materials for operators and engineers.

• Lead Lean Manufacturing and Six Sigma initiatives.
• Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
• Reduce:
• Waste
• Scrap
• Downtime
• Improve startup efficiency and grade change performance.

• Gauge instability
• Wrinkles
• Telescoping rolls
• Gels
• Static
• Customer complaints

• 5 Why
• Fishbone
• FMEA
• SPC
• DOE
• Statistical analysis

Work closely with:

• Manufacturing
• Quality Assurance
• Maintenance
• Supply Chain
• Product Management
• Technical Service

Support customer visits and technical discussions when required.

• Ensure compliance with EHS policies.
• Support Process Safety Management initiatives.
• Participate in risk assessments and process hazard reviews.
• Promote safe operating practices.

• Bachelor's degree in:
• Chemical Engineering
• Polymer Engineering
• Master's degree preferred.

• 10-15+ years in BOPP film manufacturing.
• Minimum 5 years in process technology or manufacturing engineering.
• Extensive hands-on experience with high-speed BOPP lines.
• Experience commissioning or optimizing new production lines is preferred.
• International manufacturing experience is advantageous.

Strong knowledge of:

• Polypropylene resins
• Homo and co-polymer grades
• Additive technology
• Extrusion
• Casting
• Machine Direction Orientation (MDO)
• Heat setting
• Winding systems
• Film characterization
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Lean Manufacturing
• Six Sigma
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills