Seamer Technician/Mechanic

About the Role:

The Seamer Mechanic is responsible for installing, maintaining, troubleshooting, and optimizing can seaming equipment used in the production of cheese sauce, pudding, and other packaged food products. This role is critical to ensuring package integrity, food safety, and line efficiency in a high-speed manufacturing environment.

Minimum Qualifications:

• 10+ years of industrial maintenance experience with direct can seamer experience
• Expert knowledge of double-seam formation, inspection, and defect analysis
• Strong mechanical troubleshooting skills in high-speed packaging equipment
• Experience with precision measurement tools (micrometers, seam scopes, gauges)
• Ability to read mechanical drawings, manuals, and setup specifications
• Strong understanding of mechanical timing, alignment, and tolerances

Responsibilities:

• Perform preventive, predictive, and corrective maintenance on can seamers, fillers, aseptic tunnels, conveyors, and related packaging equipment.
• Set up, adjust, and troubleshoot can seaming machines to maintain proper seam integrity during production and changeovers.
• Perform major and minor repairs, rebuilds, and complete overhauls of can seamers and related equipment.
• Disassemble, inspect, rebuild, and replace critical seamer components including seaming rolls, chucks, lifters, spindles, bearings, gears, cams, drive components, motors, and gear reducers.
• Diagnose seam defects, mechanical failures, pneumatic and hydraulic issues, and perform electrical troubleshooting and repairs.
• Inspect double seams by conducting teardown evaluations and measuring body hook, cover hook, overlap, thickness, tightness, and other seam specifications to ensure compliance with quality standards.
• Adjust seamers for various can sizes, materials, heights, and product requirements using precision measuring devices including micrometers, calipers, feeder gauges, and other inspection tools.
• Maintain lubrication systems, grease seamers and aseptic equipment, and replace worn or damaged tooling and wear components as needed.
• Support line startups, shutdowns, and product changeovers while minimizing downtime and maximizing production efficiency.
• Maintain and troubleshoot high-speed rotary and inline seamers, fillers, conveyors, can handling systems, pneumatic systems, and basic electrical components.
• Verify proper timing, alignment, synchronization, and performance of packaging equipment and supporting systems.
• Perform equipment modifications, upgrades, and improvements to enhance reliability, efficiency, and product quality.
• Inspect, test, repair, and fabricate components using hand tools, power tools, welders, grinders, multimeters, drill presses, saws, and other maintenance equipment.
• Operate forklifts, hoists, and other material handling equipment to move, rig, and install machinery safely.
• Support installation, commissioning, and upgrading of packaging and aseptic processing equipment.
• Collaborate with production, quality, and maintenance teams to ensure packaging quality, throughput, and food safety requirements are met.
• Complete maintenance logs, seam inspection records, work orders, and other required documentation.
• Record, monitor, and analyze seam measurements and equipment performance data to identify trends and implement corrective actions.
• Track wear parts inventory and recommend spare parts requirements to support equipment reliability.
• Follow all plant safety rules, GMPs, HACCP requirements, sanitation standards, and food safety procedures.
• Maintain clean, sanitary, and organized work areas and use approved food-grade materials and lubricants.
• Assist with general plant maintenance activities and perform other duties as assigned.
• Work overtime, weekends, and emergency call-ins as required.

Skills:

• Strong mechanical aptitude with expertise in can seamers, double-seam integrity, and food packaging equipment.
• Proven ability to troubleshoot and resolve complex mechanical issues, seam defects, and equipment failures in a timely manner.
• Detail-oriented with a strong commitment to food safety, product quality, and packaging reliability.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and respond effectively in a fast-paced, high-volume manufacturing environment.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to maintain accurate maintenance records and documentation.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills, working closely with maintenance, production, quality, and engineering teams.
• Proactive in identifying opportunities for equipment improvements, preventive maintenance, and operational efficiency.
• Commitment to maintaining high standards of safety, sanitation, and regulatory compliance in all aspects of work.

Work Environment:

• Food manufacturing facility producing cheese sauce and pudding (wet and fast-paced environment)
• Exposure to moving machinery, noise, and production line conditions
• Must be able to:
• Lift up to 50 lbs
• Stand, walk, bend, and perform fine mechanical adjustments for extended periods
• Work overtime, weekends, or off-shifts as needed