Senior Process Technologist – BOPP Films

Senior Process Technologist – BOPP Films

Department: Manufacturing / Technology

Location: Manufacturing Plant – Terre Haute, Indiana

Reports To: Head of Operations

Position Summary

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.

Key Responsibilities

Process Optimization

• 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.

Product Quality

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

New Product Development

• 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.

Technical Leadership

• 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.

Manufacturing Excellence

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

Root Cause Analysis

Lead investigations involving:

• Film breaks
• Gauge instability
• Wrinkles
• Telescoping rolls
• Surface defects
• Gels
• Contamination
• Static
• Winding defects
• Customer complaints

Apply structured problem-solving methodologies including:

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

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Work closely with:

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

Support customer visits and technical discussions when required.

Safety & Compliance

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

Qualifications

Education

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

Experience

• 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.

Technical Knowledge

Strong knowledge of:

• Polypropylene resins
• Homo and co-polymer grades
• Metallocene technology
• Additive technology
• Extrusion
• Die systems
• Casting
• Machine Direction Orientation (MDO)
• Transverse Direction Orientation (TDO)
• Heat setting
• Corona treatment
• Winding systems
• Slitting
• Film characterization
• Statistical Process Control (SPC)
• Design of Experiments (DOE)
• Lean Manufacturing
• Six Sigma

Key Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Data-driven decision making
• Excellent troubleshooting capability
• Leadership and coaching
• Effective communication
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Project management
• Continuous improvement mindset
• Customer focus
• Results orientation

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE)
• Production yield
• Scrap reduction
• Customer complaint reduction
• Right First Time (RFT)
• Process capability (Cp/Cpk)
• Downtime reduction
• Energy consumption per metric ton
• New product commercialization success
• Trial success rate
• Safety performance
• Cost savings from process improvements