Maintenance Supervisor (Food and Beverage Manufacturing) in Rockford, Ohio at The Fremont Company

The Maintenance Supervisor is a working floor leader — the primary technical resource for a three-line food manufacturing operation. This role is built for someone who leads from the front: troubleshooting alongside technicians, solving complex equipment problems in real time, and building the systems, skills, and culture that drive long-term reliability.

The Maintenance Supervisor is expected to be present and active on the production floor, serving as the go-to technical expert for mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems across all three lines. In addition to hands-on leadership, this role owns the development and execution of the plant's PM program, escalation framework, changeover improvement initiatives, and technician training and development program.

Previous experience in food and beverage manufacturing is required. This experience should include reliability/maintenance, installation, repair/troubleshooting on the following types of machinery: homogenizers, rotary fillers and cappers, pick and place cappers, rotary labelers, continuous case packing equipment, and PLC’s (Allen-Bradley).

ESSENTIAL DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES

Floor Leadership & Hands-On Technical Expertise

• Serve as the primary technical expert on the production floor and the last line of defense before escalation to outside resources

• Work side-by-side with maintenance technicians to troubleshoot and resolve mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic failures on all three production lines

• Provide real-time guidance and technical direction during breakdowns, minimizing downtime and coaching techs through complex repairs

• Perform hands-on diagnostics and repairs as needed — this role is expected to get hands dirty alongside the team, not just direct from a distance

• Maintain a strong floor presence during all production shifts; be visible, accessible, and engaged with both maintenance and production personnel

• Read, interpret, and apply blueprints, P&IDs, schematics, wiring diagrams, and OEM equipment manuals to guide repairs and modifications

Escalation Model Development & Management

• Design and implement a structured maintenance escalation framework that defines clear response levels — from technician self-resolution through supervisor support to outside contractor or OEM engagement

• Establish escalation triggers, response time expectations, and decision criteria for each tier so technicians know exactly when and how to escalate issues

• Own Tier 1 and Tier 2 escalations personally — be the technical resource technicians escalate to before external support is engaged

• Track and analyze escalation patterns to identify recurring failure modes, skill gaps, or equipment reliability issues requiring systemic solutions

• Continuously refine the escalation model based on outcomes, feedback, and changes in equipment or team capability

Changeover Task Force & Line Efficiency

• Lead a cross-functional changeover task force in partnership with production, quality, and scheduling to identify, measure, and reduce changeover time across all three lines

• Apply SMED (Single-Minute Exchange of Die) methodology or equivalent structured approach to separate internal and external changeover tasks and streamline execution

• Develop standardized changeover procedures, tooling strategies, and pre-staged parts protocols to reduce variability and lost production time

• Train and certify maintenance technicians and production operators on optimized changeover procedures; drive accountability to changeover standards

• Track changeover performance metrics and report progress to plant leadership; set and achieve measurable time-reduction targets

Preventive Maintenance & Reliability Program

• Own the design, implementation, and continuous improvement of the plant-wide Preventive Maintenance (PM) program across all three production lines and facility systems

• Utilize the CMMS to manage work orders, track PM completions, capture equipment history, and generate reliability reports

• Introduce basic predictive maintenance techniques (vibration monitoring, thermal imaging, oil analysis) where applicable to get ahead of failures before they occur

• Collaborate with Maintenance Planner to schedule PM activity with minimal impact on output — build PM into the production cadence, not around it

Technician Training, Development & Team Building

• Build and execute a structured skills development program for the maintenance team — assess individual capability gaps and create development plans for each technician

• Develop and maintain a technical competency matrix covering all critical skills (electrical, mechanical, pneumatic, hydraulic, PLC, food safety) to track team capability and identify training priorities

• Conduct formal and informal on-the-floor training sessions; use real equipment and real breakdowns as training opportunities whenever possible

• Mentor technicians through hands-on side-by-side coaching — not just classroom instruction — so skills are built in context and retained

• Develop and maintain Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for all critical maintenance tasks to ensure consistency, safety, and knowledge transfer

• Build a team culture of curiosity, ownership, and continuous improvement — where technicians take pride in equipment reliability and proactively identify potential problems

• Conduct regular one-on-ones, performance check-ins, and annual reviews; recognize high performance and address performance issues directly and constructively

Food Safety & Regulatory Compliance

• Ensure all maintenance activities comply with SQF, HACCP, GMP, FDA/USDA, and applicable food safety standards — food safety is a non-negotiable part of every repair and modification

• Apply sanitary design principles to all equipment repairs, modifications, and new installations; ensure no maintenance activity creates a food safety risk

• Support internal audits, customer audits, and third-party inspections; own corrective actions related to the maintenance function

• Maintain allergen control integrity during maintenance activities — follow lockout, cleaning, and verification protocols before returning equipment to service

Safety Leadership

• Model and enforce a safety-first mindset on the floor every day — zero tolerance for unsafe practices, regardless of production pressure

• Own LOTO (Lockout/Tagout) program execution and compliance within the maintenance team; conduct periodic audits and retraining as needed

• Lead or participate in root cause analysis for all maintenance-related safety incidents; implement corrective actions that prevent recurrence

• Ensure proper handling, storage, and SDS documentation for all maintenance chemicals and materials

Parts, Inventory & Vendor Management

• Manage MRO parts inventory to ensure critical spares are on hand without excess carrying cost; establish min/max levels and reorder triggers in the CMMS

• Develop and manage relationships with key vendors and outside contractors; ensure they meet plant quality, safety, and food safety requirements before working on site

• Control maintenance spending within approved budgets; identify opportunities to reduce cost through reliability improvements, vendor consolidation, or rebuild-vs-replace decisions

Required

• 5+ years of hands-on industrial maintenance experience in a manufacturing environment — must be technically strong, not just managerially experienced

• 2+ years of supervisory or lead experience directly overseeing maintenance technicians

• Proven troubleshooting expertise across mechanical, electrical, pneumatic, and hydraulic systems

• Experience building or owning a Preventive Maintenance program — from task development to compliance tracking

• Familiarity with food safety standards: GMP, HACCP, SQF or equivalent

• CMMS experience (UpKeep, Fiix, MP2, or similar)

• Working knowledge of LOTO and OSHA safety requirements

• Ability to read blueprints, wiring diagrams, P&IDs, and equipment schematics

• Strong floor presence and communication skills — able to lead, teach, and hold people accountable while maintaining trust and respect

Preferred

• PLC troubleshooting experience, Allen Bradley preferred

• Exposure to SMED, TPM, or reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) methodologies

• Experience leading changeover improvement or OEE-focused initiatives

• Associate degree or technical certification in Industrial Maintenance, Electrical, or Mechanical Technology

• Experience with welding, fabrication, or sanitary piping systems

• Familiarity with SQF, FSMA, or AIB audit requirements

• Predictive maintenance experience (vibration analysis, thermography, ultrasound)

WORKING CONDITIONS

• Active plant floor role — significant time spent standing, walking, and working alongside maintenance technicians in a food manufacturing environment

• Exposure to varying temperatures, noise levels, and food processing conditions; PPE required (hairnet, safety glasses, hearing protection, steel-toed boots)

• Frequent physical activity including bending, climbing, and lifting up to 50 lbs.

• Availability required for off-shift support and escalation calls; occasional weekends or holidays based on production needs