Setup Technician, 1st Shift

At Apex International, we pride ourselves on being a high-quality manufacturer of OTC, personal care, and household products. We create collaborative partnerships with customers ranging from global Fortune 100 companies to entrepreneurial start-ups.

We are currently seeking a 1st Shift Production Set Up Technician to support our Eden Prairie. This hourly role works Monday through Friday, 6:00AM - 2:00PM, with overtime depending on business needs.

To contribute to the success of our customers (Production Lines) by ensuring that our production line Change Overs (CO) are done in an expedient manner and when completed, they produce product that meets or exceeds the product specifications.

Job Responsibilities and Duties:

• Effectively disassemble, re-assemble, adjust, program, and set up equipment as needed to produce the customers' products within the desired specifications as called out on the Apex Product Specifications.

• Equipment such as: cappers, fillers, torquers, sleevers, unscramblers, conveyors, labelers, tapers, sorters, sensors, coders, PLCs, pumps, rails and transfer systems.

• Effectively coordinate and perform tasks as they relate to productions needs for change parts.

• Clean, sanitize kit and stage parts and equipment (overheads, pumps, etc.) as production needs to perform product changeover and set up in a timely manner.

• Organize and stage non-sanitized parts for production changeover in a timely manner.

• Ensure that parts and equipment are inspected after sanitation and prior to staging.

• Follow all established GMP and safety standards, as taught and measured by Apex International.

• Efficiently and safely follow and adhere to sanitation procedures as defined by Apex International.

• Ensure accurate completion of sanitation forms and logs as required.

• Perform light maintenance duties as needed to perform the sanitation job.

• Coordinate clean parts room and help maintain the tank farm and sanitation room in a clean and organized manner.

• Hook up totes and tanks to ensure fill gets to the production line.

• Maintain and coordinate the clean parts room.

• Assist in keeping the sanitation room clean and organized on a daily basis.

• Assist in keeping the tank farm clean and organized on a daily basis.

• Ensure communication, training, and process improvements are taking place.

• Participate in shift hand-offs with your counterparts from other shifts to ensure a smooth transition from shift to shift.

• Communicate with team leads, line leads, and maintenance to coordinate transition to another product on the line.

• Understand and maintain a culture of "lean action" within the department so that we live lean better than any organization.

• Implement and maintain standards and processes that eliminate waste throughout the department.

• Apply and utilize "lean tools" to permanently implement improvements.

• Institutionalize 5-S in all aspects of the department. (Sort, Straighten, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain)

• Perform other work as assigned.

Prior Experience & Technical Skills/Competencies:

• Requires a minimum of 3-5 years prior manufacturing experience, preferably on high speed conveyorized packaging lines.
• Prefer 1-2 years experience in a maintenance/repair/set up position, ideally with high speed mechanical or electromechanical equipment and systems.
• Demonstrated mechanical and electromechanical skills.
• Has demonstrated working knowledge of how to recall, run, and store existing PLC programs (e.g. REB machine and Shorewood) or possesses the skills to learn this task.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of all hand tools in both metric and English.
• Demonstrated working knowledge of all fasteners, metric and English or possesses the skills to learn this task.
• Must possess solid communication skills and read and write at the 6th grade level, 12th grade level preferred.
• High School Diploma or Equivalent preferred.

Knowledge Requirements:

• To be effective, this position requires an ability to follow directions and written processes and procedures. Basic math skills including addition, subtraction, multiplication, division and able to work with fractions and decimals is a plus.

Licenses and Certifications:

• Prefer 1-2 years Vo-tech or equivalent in an associated field (mechanics, auto repair, machine repair, etc.)

Technical Competencies:

• Must have passed the Apex MCP CNS training.
• Can read and write at a 6th grade level and follow procedures, processes and specifications written in English.
• Demonstrates good documentation practices.
• Can demonstrate attention to detail.
• Can follow directions accurately and safely.
• Understands and can do basic math and measurements.

Work Requirement:

This position may require significant work hours beyond the normal workday based on the demands of the business cycle, customer volume of business, and specific sales efforts underway. It requires reliable transportation. It has a moderate to high demand for tight deadlines. This position entails work of a cyclical nature. This position will experience moderate interruption in workflow for product changeovers. It has no requirement for overnight or day travel.

Physical Requirements:

This position requires:

• Continuous (6 or more hours per day) bending, pushing, pulling, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting and grasping.
• Continuous (6 or more hours per day) standing and walking.
• Continuous (6 or more hours per day) talking, communicating, and repetitive hand/wrist movement.
• Sensory requirements: Good eyesight and normal hearing.

Working Conditions:

• Indoors, seasonally hot and humid.
• Will be working in a wet environment frequently.
• Will be exposed to various fragrances which at times may be at elevated levels.
• Moving and lifting objects, sometimes 50 lbs. frequently.
• This job involves working with FDA approved substances which may have allergic potential in some people.

Benefits:

• $22 - $25 per hour base pay depending on experience
• Medical, Rx, Dental and vision benefits
• Company paid Short term & Long-term Disability
• Company paid Life Insurance
• Optional Life Insurance for employee, spouse and children
• Flexible Spending Account options for child and health care
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with company match
• Employee Assistance Program