South Africa: Production Technician Plastics

Production Technician Plastics Operations Hands-on, shift-based leadership position in a plastics injection-moulding environment combining strong technical plastics-processing expertise with full shift accountability for output, quality, safety, and people management. Job Purpose Leading and managing the full production shift in a preform and closure manufacturing plant, ensuring the safe, efficient, and high-quality output of PET preforms and plastic closures. Delivers consistent achievement of production targets, minimal downtime, world-class quality standards, and cost control while fostering a culture of safety, teamwork, and continuous improvement. Key Accountabilities and Outputs Production Scheduling: Plan, organise, and execute the entire shift’s production schedule to meet or exceed daily/weekly targets for preform and closure output (volume, efficiency, OEE). Manage lines and machinery: Set up, optimise, and monitor injection-moulding machines, robots, dryers, chillers, conveyors, and ancillary equipment; perform or supervise machine changes, colour/material changes, and start-ups. Troubleshooting: Rapidly diagnose and resolve mechanical, process, and quality issues (short shots, flash, dimensional deviations, sink marks, stringing, etc.) to minimise downtime. Quality Control: Conduct in-process quality checks (weight, wall thickness, thread integrity, leak testing, colour, etc.) and ensure full compliance with customer specifications and ISO/FSSC 22000 standards. Lead the shift team: Assign tasks, train operators and junior technicians, conduct performance feedback, and handle discipline in line with company policies. Continuous improvement: Drive continuous improvement initiatives (lean manufacturing, root-cause analysis, waste reduction, cycle-time optimisation). Key Performance Indicators: rack and report shift KPIs (production output, scrap/reject rates, downtime reasons, energy usage, material yield) via ERP or shift handover reports. Collaboration: Coordinate closely with maintenance, quality, logistics, and stores teams for spares, raw-material supply (PET resin, masterbatch, closures resin), and planned maintenance. Compliance: Ensure compliance with all statutory and company requirements (OHS Act, environmental permits, food-safety regulations). Adherence to the Quality, Food Safety, Health, Safety & Environmental Standards Adherence to Standards: Ensure strict adherence to Quality, Food, Health, Safety and Environmental policies and standards. Enforcement: Enforce all food safety and health regulations, policies, and requirements at all times to guarantee a secure work environment. Personal Hygiene: Maintain exceptional personal hygiene as per the organization’s code of conduct. Contamination Control: Raise awareness about potential physical product contamination and implement control measures to prevent it. Health and Safety Measures: Take reasonable precautions to prevent health and safety hazards. Follow the prescribed incident reporting procedure in case of accidents. Knowledge and Compliance: Stay updated with relevant business information, policies, processes, and procedures. Enforce compliance with legislative and statutory requirements, as well as GMP’s (Good Manufacturing Practices). Training: Attend and enforce the implementation of learnings from training sessions related to Quality, Food Safety, and Health and Safety. Housekeeping: Maintain high levels of cleanliness and orderliness within the work environment. Shift work: Work on rotating shifts to cover production needs, including overtime as required for operational demands. Qualifications and Experienc