Automation Engineer

Automation Engineer role in Fall River, MA (onsite) with Avance Cabinetry Inc, focused on commissioning, operating, and continuously improving a fully automated frameless cabinet manufacturing facility. You will help drive measurable manufacturing performance by owning OEE, ensuring reliable traceability from raw panels to final assembly, and building systems that support quality, efficiency, and safer machine operation.

What You’ll Do

• Lead startup, commissioning, and acceptance testing for automated production cells including CNC panel saws, robotic transfer systems, edge banding, drilling, and automated staging and sorting equipment.
• Integrate machines into the plant MES/WMS using QR code, barcode, or RFID to ensure part traceability from raw panel to assembly hand-off.
• Define and validate communication protocols between PLCs, HMIs, robotic controllers, and plant-level software (ERP/MES).
• Own OEE KPIs for all automated cells, leading root cause analysis and corrective actions for losses in availability, performance, and quality.
• Develop and maintain PLC/robot programs, motion profiles, part program libraries, and edge and drill specification databases.
• Identify and implement automation improvement projects to reduce cycle time, scrap, and rework.
• Create and maintain preventive maintenance schedules for automated equipment, conveyors, robotics, and control hardware.
• Develop MTTR/MTBF targets, establish spare parts strategy, and manage critical spares inventory.
• Train and support maintenance technicians on troubleshooting PLCs, servo drives, pneumatics, and vision systems.
• Define automated quality checkpoints, including dimension verification, edge quality inspection, and drill position validation.
• Partner with Product Development to ensure tolerance stacks and part programs are achievable on installed equipment, and to onboard new cabinet lines into the automated production flow.
• Work with Purchasing to qualify new equipment vendors and manage FAT (Factory Acceptance Testing) at supplier facilities.
• Collaborate with IT to maintain cybersecurity posture of OT/SCADA systems and enforce change management on production software.
• Ensure automation systems comply with OSHA, NFPA 79, and applicable electrical and machine safety standards.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or related engineering discipline.
• Associate’s degree with 7+ years of direct automation engineering experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of hands-on automation engineering experience in a high-volume discrete manufacturing environment.
• Demonstrated experience commissioning and maintaining CNC woodworking or panel processing machinery, including panel saws and edge banders, plus CNC drilling/boring centers.
• Hands-on experience programming and maintaining industrial robots (FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, or equivalent).
• PLC programming proficiency in Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley (Studio 5000/RSLogix), or Beckhoff TwinCAT.
• Experience with automated conveyor systems, sorters, and material handling equipment.
• Experience with QR code/barcode-driven MES or WMS production tracking systems.
• Strong understanding of servo motion control, pneumatics, and machine safety systems (Safety PLC, light curtains, two-hand controls).
• Proficiency reading and creating electrical schematics and pneumatic diagrams.
• Familiarity with OPC-UA, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, or PROFINET industrial communication standards.
• Experience with SCADA/HMI development (Ignition, WonderWare, FactoryTalk, or equivalent).

Skills & Tools You’ll Use

PLCs, robotics, servo systems, conveyors, MES/WMS, QR code, barcode, RFID, ERP/MES, Siemens TIA Portal, Allen-Bradley (Studio 5000/RSLogix), Beckhoff TwinCAT, FANUC, KUKA, ABB, Universal Robots, OPC-UA, Modbus, EtherNet/IP, PROFINET, SCADA, HMI, Ignition, WonderWare, FactoryTalk, Safety PLC, light curtains, and OT/SCADA cybersecurity, with OSHA and NFPA 79 standards.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in cabinet, furniture, or wood products manufacturing with exposure to frameless (European-style) construction methods.
• Knowledge of nesting software and cutting optimization tools (e.g., Microvellum, Cabinet Vision, eCabinet, or similar).
• Six Sigma Green Belt or Lean Manufacturing certification.
• Experience with machine vision systems for automated quality inspection.
• Working knowledge of ISO 9001 quality management systems.
• Experience with automated kitting, order picking, or e-commerce fulfillment automation.