Senior Paint Maintenance Engineer (Automated Paint Operations)

Huf NA, Greeneville (TN) I United States (US)

Senior Paint Maintenance Engineer (Automated Paint Operations)

We are a leading developer and manufacturer of mechanical and electronic locking systems as well as car access and authorization systems for the global automotive industry. Founded in 1908 in Velbert, Germany, we are an independent, family-owned company with around 7,500 employees at locations in Europe, America and Asia and achieved sales of more than EUR 1.2 billion in the financial year 2023.

Your Role (TPS Mindset)

Own and continuously improve equipment reliability in the automated paint shop by building a zero-breakdown, highly stable production environment

This role is not about reacting to failures-it is about eliminating them. We are looking for a senior maintenance leader who takes full ownership of equipment health, drives Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) as a system, and builds a culture where problems are prevented-not managed

• Own equipment stability as a prerequisite for flow

Ensure reliable, repeatable operation of all paint assets (robots, booths, Air Make-Up Units (AMUs), ovens, conveyors) through disciplined maintenance systems

• Build and lead a true TPM system

Implement and sustain preventive and predictive maintenance, with clear ownership between engineering, maintenance, and production (Autonomous + Planned Maintenance)

• Eliminate breakdowns at the root cause

Lead structured problem solving (5 Whys, Ishikawa, Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA)) for chronic equipment losses and ensure permanent countermeasures

• Move from reactive to proactive maintenance

Reduce firefighting by developing standard routines, condition-based monitoring, and early abnormality detection

• Develop people, not dependency

Coach multi-shift maintenance teams to own equipment, follow standards, and identify abnormalities early

• Drive reliability Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) with purpose

Improve Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Mean Time To Repair (MTTR), and Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) through system-based improvements-not individual heroics.

• Standardize and digitize maintenance systems

Build clear, auditable maintenance standards and integrate them into SAP/Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) for transparency and discipline.

• Enable operations, not interrupt them

Partner with production and engineering to ensure equipment is always ready for trials, launches, and stable series production

Your Skills

• Deep paint equipment expertise

• 8+ years in automated paint maintenance (automotive preferred)

• Proven track record improving equipment reliability and uptime

• True TPM leadership

• Hands-on experience implementing TPM pillars, not just maintaining systems

• Strong understanding of Autonomous vs. Planned Maintenance

• Root cause-driven mindset

• Demonstrated ability to eliminate recurring failures-not just repair them

• Strong use of structured problem solving and data

• Technical mastery

• Robots, paint systems, AMUs, ovens, conveyors

• Understanding of failure modes and system interactions in paint environments

• Leadership with ownership

• Experience leading multi-shift teams

• Drives accountability, discipline, and standards across all shifts

• Gemba mindset

• Leads on the shopfloor

• Solves problems where they occur, with the team

• System thinker

• Experience with SAP/CMMS, standardization, and KPI-driven maintenance systems

What we offer

• Significant reduction in unplanned downtime and chronic equipment losses
• Clear and sustained TPM system in place (Autonomous + Planned Maintenance)
• Improved MTBF, MTTR, and OEE performance
• Maintenance team operating with discipline, ownership, and standard work
• Shift from reactive firefighting proactive reliability culture
• Competitive pay
• Full comprehensive health insurance, dental, vision, flexible spending account
• Disability insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid Time Off

Huf celebrates diversity, supports inclusiveness and encourages individual expression in our workplace. We do not tolerate the harassment or discrimination toward any of our applicants or employees. We are an equal opportunity employer.

Huf North America Automotive Parts Manufacturing, Corp.

Michelle Myers