JOB DESCRIPTION
Summary:
The Automation Engineer will identify, develop and industrialize new automation technologies. This will include scouting for opportunities, completing proof of concept projects, developing an industrialization strategy and supporting installation. Experience with AGVs and/or AMRs and/or vision systems and sensors is desired.
Essential Duties and Responsibilities:
- Identify and prioritize new opportunities to automate manual assembly operations.
- Investigate new technologies to understand potential applications and cost/benefit.
- Benchmark competitors and other industries for automation concepts.
- Develop specifications, obtain quotes and write capital appropriation requests to justify and obtain funding for proof of concept projects.
- Complete proof of concept projects to confirm the automation concept and validate its cost and benefit.
- Develop an industrialization strategy for automation considering both internal and external resources. Includes working with external equipment integrators to develop strategy for installation across multiple plants with expedited timing.
- Lead implementation of initial production project to validate process, cost and savings.
- Document specifications, lessons learned, implementation plans, etc. for core projects.
- Lead plant workshops to identify automation opportunities.
- Support the operations team to develop roadmaps and financial forecasts related to automation projects.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor's Degree in Robotics, Automation, Electrical/Controls Engineering, or equivalent
- Expertise in identifying automation opportunities and leading projects from idea to implementation
- Experience installing automated equipment such as robot assembly cells and testing equipment.
- Experience implementing cobots in a collaborative application.
- Software or application development desired.
Technical Skills:
- Experience with AGVs (automated guided vehicles) and/or AMRs (autonomous mobile robots) and/or vision systems and sensors desired
- Familiarity with controls systems and other programming languages such as C++
- Understanding of typical automation technologies – machine vision, sensors, AGCs, etc.
- Robot cell design and programming including various types of end effectors for manipulating different materials
- System specification, ordering, run-off, installation, and qualification
- Capital equipment budget planning and tracking.
- Strong computer skills with ability to quickly learn new software/applications.
- Ability to draw two dimensional layouts in CAD software.
- Analytical problem solving
- Project management - plan development and execution
- Ability to interact with the equipment controls team and IT groups to understand network topology.
PRIMARY LOCATION
Central Tech Unit Plymouth MI
What We Do
Adient is a global leader in automotive seating. With approximately 77,000 employees in 32 countries, Adient operates 202 manufacturing/assembly plants worldwide. We produce and deliver automotive seating for all major OEMs. From complete seating systems to individual components, our expertise spans every step of the automotive seat-making process. Our integrated, in-house skills allow us to take our products from research and design to engineering and manufacturing — and into more than 19 million vehicles every year.
