Automation Engineer – Warehouse Automation

JOB DESCRIPTION Summary: The Automation Engineer serves as the central technical expert responsible for identifying automation opportunities across manufacturing and intralogistics operations. The role evaluates feasibility, leads industrialization, and develops scalable automation standards. This individual provides technical leadership to ensure automation systems deployed in JIT, seat structure assembly, warehouse distribution, and fulfillment operations support Adient’s safety, quality, delivery, and financial objectives, including solutions such as autonomous forklifts, autonomous mobile robots, and emerging humanoid robotic applications.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Identify automation opportunities that can be standardized and scaled across multiple processes and plants. Assess the technical feasibility of proposed automation projects. Develop industrialization strategies for automation solutions using the appropriate mix of internal and external resources. Develop, maintain, and enforce equipment and process standards, including specifications, sourcing, design reviews, validation, and installation.

Serve as the primary interface with Adient central and business unit IT teams. Provide technical support for automation-related issues across JIT and seat structures plants. Identify, qualify, and develop equipment suppliers while building strong partnerships to ensure consistent execution of standards. Drive supplier performance reviews, provide feedback, and improve execution.

Coach AME teams on equipment standards, processes, and execution expectations. Define requirements for refurbishment and redeployment of used equipment. Provide equipment cost estimating for new program quoting and strategic projects. Identify, evaluate, and test emerging technologies for assembly and material handling applications, including robotics, vision systems, augmented reality, and artificial intelligence.

Lead the evaluation, specification, testing, and deployment of autonomous warehouse distribution and fulfillment technologies including autonomous forklifts, autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), goods-to-person systems, robotic picking, and humanoid robots, ensuring safe integration with plant material flow, warehouse management systems, and operating processes.

Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field. Minimum of five years of industry experience; automotive interiors experience preferred. Proven ability to identify automation opportunities and lead projects from concept through implementation. Experience installing and commissioning automated equipment, including robotic assembly cells and test systems.

Experience with warehouse distribution and fulfillment automation is strongly preferred, including autonomous forklifts, autonomous mobile robots, robotic material handling, and integration with warehouse execution or warehouse management systems. Software or application development desired Experience with seating products desired Technical Skills: Knowledge of PLC programming and troubleshooting (Allen Bradley preferred) Familiarity with controls systems and other programming languages such as C++ HMI programming Robot cell design and programming Industrial networking System specification, ordering, run-off, installation, and qualification Capital equipment budget planning and tracking.

Strong computer skills with ability to quickly learn new software/applications. Ability to draw two dimensional layouts in CAD software. Analytical problem solving Project management, including plan development and execution. Ability to interact with the equipment controls team and IT groups to understand network topology.

Knowledge of autonomous material handling systems including autonomous forklifts, AMRs/AGVs, and robotic pallet movement in warehouse and distribution environments. Experience integrating mobile robotics and fulfillment automation with WMS/WES/MES platforms, fleet management software, barcode/RFID systems, and plant IT infrastructure.

Understanding of navigation, traffic management, safety zoning, and risk assessment for robots operating in dynamic environments shared with people and industrial vehicles. Ability to evaluate emerging robotics platforms, including humanoid robots, for material handling, kitting, picking, line-side delivery, and other fulfillment use cases.

PRIMARY LOCATION Central Tech Unit Plymouth MI