Manufacturing Engineering Technician - Operations & Reliability

Description

The Manufacturing Engineering Technician – Operations & Reliability advances equipment performance, process stability, and facility reliability across EPS bean and shredded foam operations. Moving beyond routine maintenance, this role focuses on data-driven problem solving, root cause analysis, continuous improvement, and technical system optimization. The technician partners closely with Operations, Engineering, and external vendors to improve uptime, reduce cost, and enhance overall equipment effectiveness (OEE). 

POSITION DETAILS

• Shift Times: 7am to 3:30pm
• Pay Schedule: Weekly

HERE'S WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Demonstrate the Core Values of Comfort Research in daily actions, execution of tasks, and interactions with others.
• Lead root cause analysis on equipment failures and recurring downtime issues, and develop and implement reliability improvement strategies for EPS and foam systems.
• Track and improve key reliability metrics, including downtime and OEE.
• Identify and implement improvements to machine performance, cycle time, and waste reduction.
• Partner with Engineering on process changes, upgrades, and new equipment integration.
• Optimize extrusion and foam processing parameters for consistency and efficiency.
• Diagnose complex mechanical, electrical, and controls-related issues, including PLC-based systems.
• Modify or support updates to control systems and machine logic
• Serve as the plant's technical escalation point for critical equipment issues.
• Design and evolve preventive maintenance programs into predictive/condition-based maintenance systems.
• Drive continuous improvement of maintenance standards and procedures.
• Train Operations and Maintenance teams on key daily, weekly, and monthly tasks to enhance reliability.
• Support equipment upgrades, installations, and commissioning, and interface with contractors on technical requirements.
• Maintain working knowledge of critical facilities equipment and support capital planning and lifecycle management of facility assets.
• HAVE FUN!
• Other duties as assigned by leadership.

OUR AWESOME BENEFITS

Here at Comfort Research, we believe that the health and well-being of our Ambassadors and their families is critical to their success in the workplace. Comfort Research offers a generous benefits program that includes:

• Generous Paid Time Off (PTO) plan that begins accruing upon hire for eligible Ambassadors
• Culture Awards program with opportunities to win cash prizes or extra PTO in addition to company-wide recognition
• Several paid holidays throughout the year
• Employee Assistance Program
• Growing family bonus & extra PTO for new parents
• Referral Bonus program
• 401(k) program with a generous company match
• A variety of health insurance plans to choose from with company contributions to premiums
• Dental, vision, and other ancillary insurance coverages available
• Company-paid Short-Term Disability coverage
• Company-paid Life Insurance policy
• Free product allowances & product discounts

WHO WE ARE

Comfort Research is leading the furniture industry in innovative and affordable design and manufacturing. We’ve listened to the growing demand for quality, modern, leading-edge furniture and have responded with a bang! Today, you can find our products at all your favorite retailers, like Walmart, Meijer, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and Amazon (to name a few). But that’s just the beginning. We’re on our way to realizing our dream of becoming the "Best Known Brand in Furniture” and we’re pretty excited about it.

As we’ve grown, we’ve continued to be recognized as a Great Place to Work—and we’ve remained committed to building a positive culture and creating dynamic, fun atmosphere. We believe in hard work and we live by our core values of: Finding A Better Way, Doing the Right Thing, and Expecting the Best from Each Other and Ourselves. At Comfort Research, the pace is fast, the work is anything but boring, and the result is always more Comfort for All.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in senior operations maintenance, engineering tech, or reliability engineering (engineering tech experience preferred)
• Strong expertise in mechanical, electrical, and pneumatic systems
• Welding capability
• PLC troubleshooting
• Extrusion/foam processing experience (strongly preferred)
• Demonstrated experience in root cause analysis
• Demonstrated experience applying continuous improvement, Lean, or Six Sigma principles
• Demonstrated experience in equipment reliability or process optimization
• Ability to read and interpret schematics, control diagrams, and technical documentation
• Strong analytical mindset focused on eliminating repeat failures rather than fixing symptoms