Sander Operator / Grader

About the Role

At States Industries, our Sander Operators/Graders play an important role in making sure our hardwood plywood panels meet the quality and finish standards our customers expect.

This is a hands-on, skilled production position responsible for operating our industrial sanding equipment, grading finished and unfinished panels, monitoring quality, and helping continuously improve the sanding operation.

We’re especially interested in candidates with previous industrial sander, woodworking, plywood, or wood products manufacturing experience. Experience operating production sanding equipment or grading wood products is highly valued.

Bilingual English/Spanish candidates are encouraged to apply.

If you have experience around industrial sanding equipment, understand wood quality and defects, or have a strong mechanical aptitude and want to continue developing your skills, we want to hear from you.

What You’ll Do

As a Sander Operator/Grader, you will:

• Operate and grade on the #1 and #2 Sanders as a primary responsibility.
• Safely operate industrial sanding equipment while meeting established production and quality standards.
• Inspect and grade finished and unfinished hardwood plywood panels.
• Read, understand, and consistently apply grade rules for face and back veneers.
• Monitor sanding quality and make minor operating adjustments as needed.
• Identify sanding, surface, veneer, and other quality defects and take appropriate action.
• Maintain established quality and audit standards, including a 98% grading audit target.
• Perform routine preventative maintenance and help identify equipment issues before they impact production.
• Use Microsoft Dynamics 365 (D-365) and other production systems as required.
• Work closely with other Sander Operators, Graders, Quality, Maintenance, and production leadership to resolve quality and production issues.
• Support testing of new products, materials, equipment settings, and processes.
• Assist with new customer requirements and product specifications as needed.
• Help train and support other Sander Operators and Graders using TWI and established work standards.
• Help maintain and improve standard operating procedures and work instructions.
• Complete required training, JSAs, and certifications for the Sander and Putty areas.
• Participate in grader meetings, team meetings, and continuous improvement activities.
• Maintain a clean and organized machine and surrounding work area.
• Support the team in achieving safety, quality, production, and Lean goals.
• Work across shifts as needed for training, testing, or communication.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the team and operation.