Manufacturing Engineer at American Wood Fibers, Inc – Columbia, Maryland

MANUFACTURING ENGINEER

American Wood Fibers (AWF) is a leading manufacturer of consumer and industrial wood-based products serving pet, agricultural, home-heating, and industrial markets. With 350+ employees across 11 locations and over $100M in annual revenue. We are seeking a Manufacturing Engineer to support our continuous-process operations.

OVERALL OBJECTIVE

Design, maintain, and optimize automated control systems to improve equipment reliability, throughput, product consistency, energy efficiency, and dust-hazard mitigation.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Automation & Controls

• Design, program, and maintain PLC, HMI, and SCADA systems for shavings lines, pellet mills, wood flour systems, conveyors, dryers, and packaging equipment.
• Develop closed-loop control strategies for moisture, feed rates, airflow, temperatures, and pellet mill load.
• Support PLC platforms including Rockwell, Siemens, and Schneider Electric.
• Develop operator-friendly HMI screens with clear alarms and diagnostics.

Troubleshooting & Optimization

• Troubleshoot automation, electrical, and instrumentation issues in dusty, continuous manufacturing environments.
• Support commissioning, startup, and optimization of new or modified production lines.
• Collaborate with Operations and Maintenance to reduce downtime and improve reliability.
• Support production data collection and reporting for continuous improvement.

Safety & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with OSHA, NFPA 70/79, and NFPA 652/654 combustible dust standards.

• Implement and maintain safety-rated control systems, including E-stops and interlocks.
• Support dust collection, fire detection, and explosion protection improvements.

Projects & Documentation

• Participate in capital projects including equipment upgrades, dryer retrofits, and new line installations.
• Maintain accurate electrical schematics, PLC programs, and automation documentation.
• Train operators and maintenance personnel on automated systems.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical, Controls, or Automation Engineering (or equivalent experience).
• 3+ years of automation or controls engineering experience, preferably in wood products, pellet manufacturing, or bulk solids processing.
• Hands-on experience with PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, and industrial control systems.
• Strong troubleshooting skills in continuous-process environments.

Preferred

• Experience with pellet mills, hammermills, grinders, dryers, and pneumatic conveying.
• Knowledge of moisture measurement technologies (NIR, microwave, RF).
• Familiarity with dust collection, fire detection, and explosion protection systems.
• Capital project and commissioning experience.

BENEFITS

• 401(k) matching
• Dental insurance
• Employee assistance program
• Employee discount
• Flexible spending account
• Health insurance
• Health savings account
• Life insurance
• Paid time off
• Referral program
• Tuition reimbursement
• Vision insurance

WORK SETTING

• Industrial manufacturing environment with exposure to dust, noise, and heavy equipment.
• Occasional off-shift or weekend support during startups or outages.
• 50% travel possible
  
  Compensation:$100k -$115k

For consideration…

Due to the nature of our business, American Wood Fibers requires a tobacco and smoke-free environment. We offer a competitive package to include health, dental, vision and life insurance, plus profit bonus, paid time off and matching 401(k).  For more company information, please visit our web site www.awf.com. AWF is an EEO employer.