Controls Engineer

Position Description

Modine Manufacturing Company – Coatings is seeking an Automation and Controls Engineer to lead the organization’s Industry 4.0 and automation journey. Serving as the critical link between strategic vision and tactical execution, this role will drive the corporate automation roadmap, standardize technologies, and integrate smart manufacturing systems. The position will support four global facilities, focusing on continuous plant improvement and the end-to-end execution of Capital automation projects. The ideal candidate will bring strong, hands-on experience in PLC programming, SCADA/Ignition development, complex system troubleshooting, and electrical industry standards.

Key Responsibilities

STRATEGIC:
• Develop and maintain an Automation/Industry 4.0 roadmap aligned with strategic business goals
• Identify components and technologies to standardize across facilities
• Develop engineering specifications for electrical control systems and equipment modifications.
• Recommend and initiate improvements or replacement of equipment which fails to meet operating standards.
• Partner with the IT department to ensure OT networks and connected manufacturing equipment are secure and adhere to corporate cybersecurity policies.
TACTICAL:
PLANT SUPPORT
• Drive continuous improvement by modifying existing PLC logic, optimizing vision-guided robotics and motion control systems, and developing within Ignition to visualize plant data.
• Act as the technical escalation point for plant maintenance to diagnose and resolve complex electrical and programming malfunctions.
• Apply Industry 4.0 and predictive maintenance techniques to enhance real-time monitoring, machine learning diagnostics, and overall equipment uptime.
• Oversee machine safety risk assessments and ensure all control systems comply with industry and company safety standards.
• Maintain accurate electrical drawings, schematics, and documentation for all production and plant equipment.
• Guide the electrical spare parts inventory to ensure maximum machine utilization.
• Assist in installing new electrical control equipment and provide ongoing training to maintenance teams on machine control and motor controller diagnostics.
CAPEX
• Assist in developing cost estimates, calculating ROI, and preparing funding requests for automation projects.
• Create comprehensive electrical and control system specifications (PLC, HMI, SCADA, instrumentation) for new equipment.
• Manage third-party system integrators and equipment vendors, including conducting Factory Acceptance Testing (FAT) and Site Acceptance Testing (SAT).
• Facilitate the end-to-end execution of automation projects, encompassing sequence of operations, schematic design, logic programming, installation, onsite commissioning, and validation.
• Integrate new smart manufacturing systems, including robotic arms, motion control, and machine vision systems.

Required Education & Qualifications

• BSEE required
• 3-5 years of experience as Automation and Controls Engineer in Manufacturing Environment
• Experience with AutoCAD Electrical
• Experience with troubleshooting and program modifications on PLCs, specifically Allen Bradley, Emerson, and Siemens
• Experience with development within Ignition (e.g. setting up tags, dashboards, historizing data, communication between equipment and MES)
• Experience with IT/OT communication protocols and best practices
• Strong project management and cross-functional leadership skills. Ability to communicate complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders (Operations, EHS, Management).
• Desired - Familiar with Industry Standards UL and CE
• Desired - experience with Vision System programming, Robot programming (e.g. Fanuc), and with SQL