Enjoy a career, packaged with care, whilst helping protect food, people and the planet  

We are a key global provider of sustainable packaging solutions. We’re on a mission to make all packaging recyclable, reusable, or compostable. Every day, we ensure the hygiene and safety of food and drink for people around the world. We are Huhtamaki.   

You could be part of our vision. Because it’s our talented people that make it happen. Our people on the shop floor producing innovative, sustainable products. Our people in our offices delivering excellence for our customers every day. It’s every one of us working together.  

We offer a place where you can feel safe, be supported, and make an impact so we can all focus on the future together.   

Job Summary

Operates the extruder, chrome/chill rolls, and immediate support equipment in a safe and efficient manner to produce a high-quality sheet with minimal scrap and downtime.

Essential Functions

This list is not all encompassing and other duties may be assigned.

Works safely and applies safe practices at all times. Set-up blenders, mixers, die, chill rolls, and immediate support equipment to approved, documented settings. Verifies and documents the setup and line inspection prior to start up. Starts up the extruder and support equipment in a safe, efficient manner. Operates extruder adhering to predetermined parameter settings for the specific job. Monitors material levels and requisitions raw materials from the warehouse. Troubleshoots the process by identifying, analyzing, and correcting process problems related to the materials and extrusion equipment, in a timely manner. Immediately notifies Forming Operator of defective sheet and/or process problems. Inspects sheet routinely for compliance to specification including color, width, thickness, and visual defects and inspects finished product and records inspections. Accurately records process downtime, etc. on daily shift reports and/or project reports and forwards reports to the Supervisor. Communicates and coordinates activities with appropriate personnel, both inside and outside of the department, including Maintenance, Warehouse, QA, Grinders, Etc. Performs purging and shutdown in a manner to minimize material loss and time loss. Perform general housekeeping tasks throughout the plant as assigned. Performs Line Clearance at the end of each production run and prior to initiating the following set up. Adheres to and complies to all General Manufacturing Practices (GMP’s) Identifies and labels materials, including regrind, colorants, additives, accurately. Disassembles, cleans, and reassembles extrusion equipment including adapters, dies, feed blocks, and other immediate extrusion support equipment. Cleans extruder, sheetline, hoppers, blenders, and immediate support equipment and maintains a clean, organized, safe work area continuously throughout the shift. Applies knowledge to improve production processes and procedures within set standards.

Job Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.  The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and or ability required.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. 

Required

• Valid forklift license or, ability to obtain and maintain a forklift license.
• Valid aerial lift license, excluding boom lift.

Education and/or Experience

• High school graduate or GED equivalent preferred but not required.
• Six months of previous grinder experience helpful, Paulson training completion, or one-year previous related extrusion operator experience is required.  Possess a valid State of Michigan drivers license.  Previous fork lift driving experience helpful.

Communication/Language Skills

• Ability to read and interpret documents including, but not limited to, safety rules, policies, procedures, quality specifications, and written reports or correspondence.
• Ability to communicate effectively with others.

Mathematical Skills

• Ability to add, subtract, multiply and divide in small units of measure using whole numbers, fractions and decimals.

Reasoning Ability

• Ability to apply common sense and understanding to carry out instructions furnished in written, oral and diagram form.  Ability to deal with problems involving several concrete variables in a standardized situation.

Physical Demands

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by the employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of the position.
• While performing the duties of this job the employee must be able to:

- stand in a designated area for long periods of time.

- lift 30 pounds on a regular basis with no assistance and heavier weights with assistance.

- occasionally lift 30 pounds above shoulder height.

- stand, walk, bend, kneel, stoop, squat, and crouch.

- reach above, at, below, and to the side, while twisting body and twisting at

- climb stairs and ladders on an occasional basis.

- pull non-powered pallet jacks while loaded with up to 1000 lbs of material.

- work on platforms at various heights.

- grip small pieces/parts

- twist hands at wrist while gripping and/or carrying items

• Employee must have vision abilities required by this job which include:

- close vision- peripheral vision

- distance vision- depth perception

- color vision- ability to adjust focus

• Employee must have sufficient hearing to be aware of sirens and horns which alert people to danger
• While performing this job, the employee must wear PPE, follow GMP's, be trained in knife safety. 

Environment

While performing the duties of this job the employee will work in an environment with:

-  above normal heat conditions

-  noise levels exceeding 90 decibels

-  light dust in the air

-  flashing lights

-  sirens and horns

-  powered moving equipment passing nearby

Join us. Help protect food, people and the planet.