Powder Coating Lead

Title: Powder Coating Lead 

Department: Manufacturing

Location: Fort Mill, SC

Job Summary: The Powder Coating Lead oversees daily operations of both the automatic powder coating line and manual powder coating processes. This role ensures consistent quality, efficient throughput, proper equipment operation, and adherence to safety and production standards. The ideal candidate is a hands on technical expert who can coach team members, troubleshoot complex coating issues, and maintain a high performance finishing operation. 

Roles and Responsibilities:

Production & Process Leadership 

• Coordinate      daily workflow for automatic and manual powder coating operations. 
• Ensure      production schedules are met while maintaining quality and      efficiency. 
• Train,      mentor, and support coating technicians and line operators. 
• Monitor      process parameters and adjust equipment settings to optimize      performance. 
• Lead      color changes, booth cleaning, and line resets with minimal      downtime. 

Automatic Booth & Line Operation 

• Operate      and adjust PLC/HMI controls, interpret alarms, and manage system      restarts. 
• Program      and finetune automatic guns, including KV, microamps, powder      flow, and air settings. 
• Manage      coating recipes for different part types and colors. 
• Control      conveyor speed, part spacing, and racking strategies to meet film      build and cure requirements. 
• Oversee      reclaim system performance, including cyclone/separator efficiency.

Manual Powder Coating 

• Perform high      quality manual spraying on complex geometries and touchup      areas. 
• Apply      proper gun techniques to achieve consistent film thickness and      coverage. 
• Troubleshoot      Faraday cage issues, back ionization, and other manual coating      challenges. 

Pretreatment & Surface Preparation 

• Oversee      chemical pretreatment systems, including titration, pH checks, temperature      control, and nozzle maintenance. 
• Ensure      proper surface preparation through washing, blasting, or other      methods. 
• Maintain      documentation for chemical concentrations and washer performance. 

Oven & Curing Control 

• Verify      cure schedules and ensures parts meet required time temperature. 
• Conduct      oven profiling and identify hot/cold zones. 
• Recognize      and troubleshoot issues with burners, airflow, or temperature      uniformity. 

Quality Assurance 

• Perform      and document film thickness checks, adhesion tests, and cure      tests. 
• Inspect      coated parts for defects such as pinholes, fisheyes, orange peel, or      contamination. 
• Lead root      cause analysis and corrective actions for quality issues. 
• Maintain      compliance with internal quality standards and customer      specifications. 

Equipment Maintenance & Troubleshooting 

• Maintain      powder guns, pumps, hoses, electrodes, and fluidizing equipment. 
• Monitor booth airflow,      filters, and overall system performance. 
• Support      conveyor maintenance, including lubrication, chain tension, and hanger      optimization. 
• Troubleshoot      powder feed issues such as pulsing, poor fluidization, or inconsistent      flow. 
• Manage      department cleanliness and organization, especially in powder      rooms/booths 

Material Handling & Inventory 

• Manage      powder inventory, including storage conditions and FIFO rotation. 
• Ensure      proper grounding of racks, hooks, and parts for optimal transfer      efficiency. 
• Optimize racking      to maximize throughput and minimize touch points. 

Documentation & Continuous Improvement 

• Maintain accurate logs      of process parameters, oven temps, washer chemistry, and production      data. 
• Develop      and update SOPs for coating processes and equipment operation. 
• Identify opportunities      for process improvements to reduce defects and increase efficiency. 

Qualifications/Requirements:  

• 3–5+      years of powder coating experience, including both automatic and manual      processes. 
• Strong      understanding of electrostatic coating principles and curing      science. 
• Experience      with PLC/HMI interfaces and automated coating systems. 
• Ability      to read technical data sheets, cure schedules, and quality      specifications. 
• Strong      mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills. 
• Leadership      experience in a manufacturing or finishing environment preferred 
• Ability      to lift, bend, stand, and work in a production environment. 

Key Competencies 

• Technical expertise in      powder coating processes 
• Strong problem      solving and root cause analysis 
• Leadership      and team development 
• Attention      to detail and quality focus 
• Ability      to work in a fast paced, high mix production      environment 
• Clear      communication and documentation skills 

Eastern Wholesale Fence, LLC is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, national or ethnic origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, disability, protected veteran status or other characteristics protected by law

Disclaimer:

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by people assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.