Senior Automation Technician

Description Samsill Corp is hiring a Senior Automation Technician to own the electrical, controls, and PLC health of nine production lines at our Fort Worth, TX plant. Samsill is a 70-person manufacturer of binders and office products, selling through Amazon and major retailers from a single two-floor, ~100,000 sq ft facility.

We are modernizing our equipment by migrating legacy GE Fanuc 90-30 controls to Siemens S7-1500. This is a hands-on, senior individual-contributor role reporting to the Production and Maintenance Manager, with direct exposure to the VP of Operations. You will be the plant's go-to expert for anything involving a PLC, drive, sensor, or control panel.

If you want to keep a plant running and lead its controls upgrades, rather than be one of twenty technicians, this is the job.

Requirements

What you'll do

Electrical and controls repair (about 75% of the role) Troubleshoot and repair electrical, controls, and pneumatic faults on riveting machines, case erectors, L-sealers, conveyors, and packaging equipment, from 24V I/O to 480V three-phase. Diagnose component-level failures in PLCs, HMIs, VFDs, servo drives, sensors, safety relays, contactors, and wiring.

Respond to line-down calls as the plant's senior escalation point and get equipment running safely with minimal downtime. Lead root-cause analysis on repeat failures and implement permanent fixes, not patches. Maintain and improve electrical drawings, panel layouts, and I/O documentation so they match what is on the floor.

PLC programming and troubleshooting (about 5%) Read, modify, and write ladder logic and structured text in Siemens TIA Portal (S7-1500/1200) and GE Fanuc / Emerson PAC (90-30). Serve as the hands-on technical lead on our GE 90-30 to Siemens S7-1500 migrations, working alongside our integrator and Process Improvement Engineer.

Configure and troubleshoot HMIs, VFDs, and PROFINET / Ethernet/IP networks. Back up, version, and document all PLC and HMI programs. Equipment, projects, and standards (about 20%) Support installation, wiring, and commissioning of new automated equipment, including upcoming case-erector and L-sealer installs. Own electrical safety on the floor: arc-flash and lockout/tagout compliance, NFPA 70E practices, and machine guarding and safety-circuit integrity.

Build and maintain the critical-spares list for controls components and manage vendor and integrator relationships. Mentor maintenance technicians on controls troubleshooting and basic PLC diagnostics. Required qualifications 7+ years of hands-on industrial automation or controls experience in a manufacturing plant. Demonstrated PLC programming and troubleshooting ability in Siemens TIA Portal (S7-1500 or S7-1200).

GE Fanuc 90-30 / Proficy experience, or proven ability to read legacy ladder logic and translate it. Strong industrial electrical skills: reading and creating schematics, panel wiring, motor controls, VFD setup and tuning, and troubleshooting 24VDC through 480VAC three-phase systems. Working knowledge of HMI development (Siemens WinCC/Comfort panels or similar) and industrial networks (PROFINET, Ethernet/IP).

Experience with pneumatic systems and sensors common to packaging and assembly equipment. Solid grasp of NFPA 70E, lockout/tagout, and machine safety circuits (safety relays, light curtains, e-stops). Able to work independently, prioritize line-down calls, and communicate clearly with operators, maintenance, and management.

Physically able to work on the plant floor: stand, climb, lift up to 50 lbs, and work in and around running equipment. Authorized to work in the United States.

Preferred qualifications

Associate degree or technical certificate in Electrical Technology, Mechatronics, Industrial Automation, or equivalent military or trade training. Experience leading or executing a PLC platform migration (for example, GE 90-30 to Siemens S7). Experience with riveting, case-erecting, L-sealing, shrink-wrap, or other packaging and converting equipment.

Servo and motion control experience (Siemens SINAMICS or similar). Familiarity with Plex or another ERP/MES for maintenance work orders and downtime tracking. Siemens certification, Journeyman or Master Electrician license, or OSHA 30. Bilingual English/Spanish is a plus but not required.