Plant Engineer - Confectionery

Job Description:

JOB DESCRIPTION

Plant Engineer / Engineering Manager / Maintenance Manager

Division: Confectionery

Job Overview

To provide engineering leadership through the effective management of maintenance, utilities, reliability, plant assets, and continuous improvement initiatives to ensure safe, efficient, reliable, and cost-effective confectionery manufacturing operations.

The role is responsible for ensuring maximum availability and performance of confectionery processing, production, packaging, and utility equipment while supporting production, quality, food safety, safety, environmental, and business objectives.

Responsibilities & Outcomes

1. Engineering and Maintenance Management

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance programs for all plant equipment.
• Establish machine-specific maintenance schedules and ensure timely execution.
• Ensure availability and reliability of confectionery processing and packaging equipment.
• Monitor equipment performance and implement initiatives to improve plant reliability.
• Coordinate engineering resources to minimize production downtime.
• Ensure maintenance activities comply with engineering, food safety, and GMP standards.
• Provide technical support to production teams during breakdowns, start-ups, and changeovers.

2. Reliability and Equipment Performance

Key Responsibilities

• Monitor and analyze machine breakdowns and equipment failures.
• Lead Root Cause Analysis (RCA) investigations and implement corrective and preventive actions.
• Track and improve MTBF and MTTR.
• Develop reliability-centered maintenance programs for critical confectionery equipment.
• Implement condition-monitoring techniques.
• Identify recurring equipment failures and develop long-term engineering solutions.
• Analyze equipment-related production losses and recommend improvement initiatives.
• Improve the reliability of critical processing and packaging assets.

Relevant Equipment May Include

• Chocolate processing and tempering equipment.
• Chocolate moulding and depositing machines.
• Enrobing machines.
• Candy and toffee cooking systems.
• Batch and continuous cooking systems.
• Mixing and kneading equipment.
• Biscuit/wafer processing equipment, where applicable.
• Cooling tunnels and refrigeration systems.
• Conveyors and material handling systems.
• Wrapping, flow-pack, cartoning and secondary packaging machines.
• Metal detectors, checkweighers and coding equipment.

Outcomes

• Improved equipment reliability.
• Reduced unplanned downtime.
• Improved MTBF and reduced MTTR.
• Reduction in recurring equipment failures.
• Improved OEE of critical production lines.

3. Utilities Management

Key Responsibilities

• Manage all plant utilities required for confectionery manufacturing, including:
• Water treatment systems.
• Boilers and steam systems.
• Air compressors.
• Refrigeration systems.
• Chillers and cooling systems.
• HVAC and air-handling systems.
• Power distribution systems.
• Wastewater treatment facilities.
• Ensure uninterrupted utility services to support production requirements.
• Monitor utility consumption and identify opportunities for optimization.
• Ensure utility systems comply with safety, environmental, food safety, and regulatory requirements.
• Develop preventive and predictive maintenance programs for utility equipment.
• Monitor refrigeration and temperature-controlled systems critical to chocolate and confectionery production.

Outcomes

• Utility availability of ≥98%.
• Reduced utility-related production interruptions.
• Improved water, electricity, steam, compressed-air and refrigeration efficiency.
• Reduced energy consumption per unit of production.
• Reliable temperature and environmental control for sensitive confectionery processes.

4. Spare Parts and Inventory Management

Key Responsibilities

• Ensure availability of critical engineering and maintenance spare parts.
• Monitor spare-part consumption and inventory levels.
• Review weekly and monthly spare-part variances and implement corrective actions.
• Collaborate with procurement to ensure timely acquisition of engineering materials.
• Establish appropriate stock levels for critical production and utility equipment.
• Identify critical spares for imported confectionery processing and packaging machinery.
• Review repair and CAPEX requirements and provide clear technical justification.

Outcomes

• Critical spare-part availability of ≥95%.
• Reduced stock variances.
• Reduced equipment downtime caused by spare-part shortages.
• Improved inventory control.
• Engineering expenditure maintained within approved budget.

5. Engineering Budget and Cost Management

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare and manage the Engineering and Maintenance budget.
• Monitor maintenance expenditure against approved budgets.
• Identify opportunities to reduce maintenance and utility costs.
• Evaluate repair-versus-replacement decisions.
• Develop technical and financial justifications for CAPEX proposals.
• Monitor contractor and service-provider costs.

Outcomes

• Maintenance spending controlled within budget.
• Cost savings through improved equipment reliability and energy efficiency.
• Investment decisions supported by clear technical and operational justification.

6. Engineering Projects and Capital Expenditure

Key Responsibilities

• Plan, coordinate and implement engineering projects.
• Lead equipment installation, modification, commissioning and plant expansion projects.
• Develop technical specifications for new confectionery production and packaging equipment.
• Evaluate new technologies and equipment to improve capacity, quality and efficiency.
• Manage engineering projects within approved budgets and timelines.
• Coordinate contractors, OEMs and service providers.
• Lead commissioning and performance verification of new equipment.
• Support line automation, modernization and capacity expansion projects.

Outcomes

• Engineering projects completed within budget and approved timelines.
• Successful installation and commissioning of new equipment.
• Improved production capacity and efficiency.
• Successful integration of new processing and packaging technologies.

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Academic and Professional Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in:

• Mechanical Engineering
• Electrical Engineering
• Mechatronics Engineering
• Industrial Engineering
• or an equivalent engineering discipline from a recognized institution.

Professional Qualifications

• Registration with the relevant engineering professional body will be an added advantage.
• Relevant professional certifications in maintenance, reliability, TPM or Lean Manufacturing will be an advantage.

Minimum Experience

• 7–10 years of engineering/maintenance experience within an FMCG manufacturing environment.
• At least 5 years of experience in confectionery, chocolate, bakery, biscuits, candy, snacks or related food manufacturing.
• Experience managing high-speed confectionery production and packaging lines.
• Experience in a supervisory/management-level engineering or maintenance position.

Relevant Skills, Experience & Attributes

• Hands-on experience with confectionery manufacturing equipment.
• Experience with chocolate processing, tempering, moulding, depositing, enrobing, cooking, cooling and/or related confectionery processes.
• Experience with high-speed packaging machinery.
• Strong knowledge of mechanical and electrical systems.
• Knowledge of PLCs, automation, sensors, drives and control systems.
• Knowledge of preventive, predictive and reliability-centered maintenance.
• Strong utilities-management experience.
• Experience with refrigeration, chillers, boilers, compressed air and HVAC systems.
• Experience with SAP maintenance modules or equivalent CMMS.
• Strong troubleshooting and Root Cause Analysis skills.
• Knowledge of TPM, Lean Manufacturing and 5S methodologies.
• Ability to interpret mechanical drawings and electrical schematics.
• Strong understanding of food safety, GMP and HACCP requirements.
• Ability to manage contractors, OEMs and technical service providers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.

Team Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, coach and develop the Engineering and Maintenance team.
• Develop and maintain an Engineering Skill Matrix.
• Conduct competency assessments and identify technical skill gaps.
• Coordinate OEM and internal technical training programs.
• Ensure effective shift coverage and timely maintenance support.
• Develop a strong culture of ownership, discipline, safety and continuous improvement.
• Mentor technicians and supervisors in advanced troubleshooting and reliability practices.

Key Competencies

• Hands-on technical and problem-solving ability.
• Strong mechanical and electrical troubleshooting skills.
• Analytical and data-driven decision making.
• Strong planning, execution and follow-up.
• RCA and continuous improvement mindset.
• Cost and business awareness.
• Effective communication and stakeholder management.
• Ability to work under pressure and manage priorities.
• Strong safety, quality and food-safety mindset.
• Ability to coach and develop engineering talent.
• Strong understanding of production, maintenance and engineering KPIs.
• Ability to manage multiple engineering priorities in a fast-paced FMCG environment.