Encapsulation Technician

• Week 1: Friday - Sunday
• Week 2: Thursday - Sunday
• Hours: 5:00am - 5:30pm 

Key Responsibilities

• Pays attention to detail. Completes paperwork accurately, neatly and fully. Maintains work areas in a neat and efficient manner. Returns all tools to their proper location when work is completed. 
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of hand tools and maintains those tools in clean, good working order
• Supports the Encapsulation Department including repair of encapsulation equipment as required. Contacts Maintenance for assistance. 
• Demonstrates a working knowledge of encapsulation equipment and demonstrates ability to attend to equipment requirements (tear downs, set-ups, dry runs…etc.) quickly and proficiently. 
• Works alongside and receives training from maintenance and/or production training personnel.
• Performs encapsulation equipment morning greases and checks. Maintains a set of sliders clean, greased and ready.
• Checks for damage and verifies good working condition.
• Organizes weekly spare parts list for purchase and keeps spare parts inventory organized. Works with Maintenance to ensure spare parts are ordered on time and in correct quantities. Ensures the supply room is kept clean and organized.
• Checks segment & disc bores with the applicable precision pin, repairs as required. Alerts Maintenance if major damage needs to be repaired.
• Checks capsule forks, closing pins, ejection pins, hollow clean pins, and separation pins for damage and tolerance.
• Alerts Maintenance if major damage needs to be repaired.
• Checks tamping pins for straightness; alerts Maintenance of major damage or out-of tolerance conditions.
• Checks all rectifier parts for damage; verifies parts are in good working condition.
• Checks all segment carriers for proper level and aligns any segment carrier out of level tolerance. Either way sliders are to be changed to segment carriers.
• Checks capsule polishers for damage; verifies in good working condition.
• Checks Qualifill ring bores with the applicable precision pin; makes repairs as necessary. Alerts Maintenance if major damage or out of tolerance conditions exist.
• Ensures 3 clean change over parts are always ready for a 3clean. Notifies supporting departments of any change over parts problems to allow fixes during the next 3clean.
• Maintains 3 clean parts (cleaned, greased and in good working condition) ready for use.
• Supports Quality Assurance & Maintenance department personnel during investigations and during incidents of high defects.
• Evaluates condition of machine parts to determine potential causes of quality issues and/or machine issues; follows through in communicating with supervisors and operators as needed.
• After every run, inspects for damage and ensures all changeover tooling (machine parts) are in good working order. 

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Minimum High school diploma or GED is required. 
• Prior manufacturing experience preferred.
• Ability to work overtime as required.
• Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists. Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.
•  Ability to perform minor mechanical machine troubleshooting. Ability to recognize fastener size and differentiate if standard or metric and, if required, torque to proper level per SOP and/or instruction manual. Ability to recognize bearing and or shaft failure. 
• Ability to add, subtract, multiply, and divide in all units of measure used in the Maintenance Department, using whole numbers and decimals 
• Must be able to safely work with ingredients and products that are derived from possibly allergenic sources including, but not limited to, nuts, soy, dairy, fish, and shellfish.  

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

• Must be able to work an entire 8 hour shift, when necessary, in an enclosed room.
• Must be medically qualified to work while using a half-mask respirator or a full-air respirator for up to six hours at a time and be able to follow Thorne Research’s Respiratory Protection Program guidelines.
• Must be able to work in a stationary position as well as move about unassisted.
• Must be able to safely and carefully operate and use assigned production equipment and machinery.
• Must be able to stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl as circumstances arise during the course of a shift as well as climb a ladder unassisted.
• Must be able to operate, activate, use, prepare, and clean production equipment, occasionally grasping with force and using twisting wrist movements, as well as climb a ladder unassisted.
• Must have sufficient range of motion with arms and hands to reach overhead and to the side, often repetitively, during an 8-hour shift.
• Must be able to ascend/descend a ladder while carrying up to 20 pounds of material.
• Must be able to print in a legible manner.
• Must be able to work in a moderate noise level environment.
• Must be able to move or lift items weighing up to 50 pounds from floor to table and from table to floor, often repetitively, during an 8-hour shift.

Benefits

• Competitive compensation
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage for employees
• Company-paid short- and long-term disability insurance
• Company- paid life insurance
• 401k plan with employer matching contributions up to 4%
• Gym membership reimbursement
• Monthly allowance of Thorne supplements
• Paid time off, volunteer time off and holiday leave
• Training, professional development, and career growth opportunities