Gearbox Repair Application Engineer

Location: Cleveland, OH
 

Position Summary

Horsburgh & Scott is seeking an experienced Gearbox Repair Application Engineer to serve as the primary technical liaison between our customers and our repair organization. In this role, you will evaluate industrial gearbox repair opportunities from initial customer inquiry through quotation, engineering, project execution, and final delivery.

This position combines engineering expertise, commercial awareness, and project coordination to develop technically sound, cost-effective repair solutions that maximize equipment reliability while meeting customer expectations, quality standards, and business objectives.

The ideal candidate will have a strong background in industrial gearing, bearings, lubrication systems, rotating equipment, and repair methodologies, along with excellent problem-solving and customer communication skills.

Key Responsibilities

Customer Technical Support

• Serve as the primary technical contact for industrial gearbox repair opportunities.
• Review customer requirements, equipment history, operating conditions, and failure information.
• Participate in customer meetings, conference calls, and onsite equipment inspections.
• Recommend repair versus replacement solutions based on technical and commercial considerations.
• Support emergency breakdowns, planned outages, and critical customer service needs.

Repair Evaluation

• Evaluate industrial gearboxes, gear drives, speed reducers, and other rotating equipment.
• Review inspection reports, disassembly findings, dimensional inspections, and non-destructive testing (NDT) results.
• Analyze gears, shafts, bearings, housings, lubrication systems, seals, and couplings.
• Develop repair scopes based on AGMA standards, OEM specifications, and Horsburgh & Scott repair procedures.
• Identify opportunities to improve equipment reliability and extend service life through upgrades or design enhancements.

Failure Analysis

• Conduct root cause investigations for gearbox and rotating equipment failures.
• Analyze wear patterns, lubrication issues, bearing failures, gear damage, alignment conditions, and installation practices.
• Prepare technical reports documenting findings and corrective recommendations.
• Support warranty investigations and continuous improvement initiatives.

Proposal Development & Estimating

• Develop comprehensive repair scopes of work.
• Prepare labor estimates, material requirements, subcontracted services, and purchased component costs.
• Coordinate with Purchasing, Engineering, Manufacturing, and Sales to ensure accurate, competitive quotations.
• Review delivery schedules, commercial risks, and technical exceptions.
• Support customer presentations and technical proposal reviews.

Engineering & Project Coordination

• Collaborate with Repair Engineering to develop repair drawings, manufacturing documentation, and work instructions.
• Coordinate reverse engineering efforts when original drawings are unavailable.
• Review engineering documentation for technical accuracy and compliance.
• Ensure repair plans meet customer specifications and Horsburgh & Scott quality standards.

Project Execution Support

• Support repair projects from order entry through shipment.
• Participate in project kickoff meetings.
• Resolve technical issues during manufacturing, machining, and assembly.
• Review engineering deviations and recommend corrective actions.
• Support customer witness testing, final inspections, and equipment acceptance.

Qualifications

Education

• B.A. in Mechanical Engineering or BSMET or a related engineering discipline preferred.
• Equivalent industry experience will be considered.

Experience

• Five (5) to ten (10) + years of experience in power transmission, industrial gearing, rotating equipment, or heavy machinery.
• Experience supporting industrial gearbox repair or repair engineering is preferred.
• Experience serving customers within the steel, mining, cement, power generation, marine, pulp and paper, or other heavy industrial markets is highly desirable.

Technical Knowledge

Successful candidates should possess knowledge in many of the following areas:

• Industrial gearboxes and gear drives.
• Ability to produce a detailed customer repair quote
• AGMA standards and gearing principles.
• Bearings and bearing failure analysis.
• Lubrication systems and lubrication failure mechanisms.
• Mechanical power transmission.
• Rotating equipment.
• Reverse engineering.
• Root cause failure analysis (RCFA).
• Precision measurement and inspection techniques.
• Manufacturing and machining processes.
• Welding and repair methodologies.
• Quality systems and continuous improvement.

Core Competencies

• Technical problem solving and analytical thinking.
• Root cause analysis.
• Customer relationship management.
• Cost estimating and commercial awareness.
• Project coordination.
• Strong written and verbal communication.
• Organization and time management.
• Decision making and sound engineering judgment.
• Cross-functional collaboration.

Physical Requirements

• Ability to work in both office and industrial manufacturing environments.
• Occasional lifting of up to 40 pounds.
• Ability to climb ladders, access elevated work areas, and work safely around heavy industrial equipment.
• Ability to wear required personal protective equipment (PPE).
• Occasional travel to customer facilities for inspections, technical support, and project meetings.

Performance Measures

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Accuracy and completeness of repair quotations.
• Gross margin performance.
• On-time completion of quotations.
• Customer satisfaction.
• Technical accuracy and quality of repair solutions.
• Reduction in warranty claims and repeat failures.
• Effectiveness of root cause investigations.
• Successful project execution and customer retention.

What We Offer

• Competitive salary.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits.
• 401(k) with company match.
• Paid vacation and holidays.
• Company-paid life and disability insurance.
• Professional development and career growth opportunities.
• Collaborative, team-oriented work environment.
• Opportunity to work on some of the largest and most complex industrial gearing systems in the world.