Equipment & Technology Development + Automation Lead

Senior Engineer: Equipment & Technology Development + Automation Lead

Job Summary
The Senior Engineer will lead the technological evolution of our Payment Cards production systems, leading both the acquisition & development of new machinery and the modernization of existing production lines globally. This role bridges the gap between legacy equipment and modern Industry 4.0 standards, ensuring that all assets — new and old — are optimized as well for Sustainable Materials, Identity cards and full MES integration.

Key Responsibilities

• Legacy Equipment Modernization (Brownfield Automation):
• Assess and upgrade current production lines to increase automation levels, reducing manual intervention and improving OEE.
• Retrofit existing machinery with advanced sensors, IoT gateways, and updated PLC/HMI systems to enable real-time data collection.
• Implement automated Vision Inspection Systems on older lines to standardize quality control for artwork and security features.
• Implement current process and machines automation integrations through Cobots, Robots, bridges and other similar means.
• Supplier Partnership & New Tech Development:
• Partner with global OEMS to develop "MES-ready" equipment for for smart cards production.
• To co-lead, with related Manufacturing Process Owners, the technical specifications and FAT/SAT for new high-speed and automated production equipment.
• Ensure new vendor solutions are compatible with the existing plant footprint and material flows.
• Partner with Line Automation Solution Suppliers to find the most suitable solutions for increasing the automation rate of the current production lines & equipment.

• MES & Operations Digital Transformation:
  • Bridge legacy equipment to the  Company Manufacturing Execution System (MES) using protocols like OPC UA or MQTT, ensuring 1:1 traceability across the entire shop floor.
  • Standardize the digital "handshake" between various machine generations and the Card Production System.
• Key Performance Indicators Owner
  • To define and to monitor together with the Worldwide Operations sites, the KPI´s define.
  • To act and to stablish Action Plans with related stakeholders in case KPI´s are out of target
  • To work continuously with the respective production sites aiming for Productivity, Quality and Safety increase.
• Team Leadership
  • To indirectly lead engineering colleagues in different production sites to have one Global View & Direction in regards to Equipment Development & Automation.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Experience: 10+ years in Smart Card manufacturing, with specific experience in retrofitting and upgrading and automating industrial machinery.
• AI Skills: Proven experience of implementing AI tools / systems on Smart Cards or Passport production lines.
• Technical Skills: To be graduated in Mechanical, Electronics, Industrial or other related field Engineering. Software development experience will be a plus.
• Automation projects experience: Proven ability on being the company interface with automation and equipment connection suppliers, defining the requirements for the company within the internal interfaces and transferring the knowledge / needs to the partners / suppliers.
• Supplier Selection Process: To have a track for active participation in such processes being the technical evaluator & decision maker of the chosen supplier & its solutions
• Project Leadership: Proven ability to manage Projects / Programs  for new equipment while simultaneously leading internal Continuous Improvement automation projects with savings higher than 1 Million Euros.

Travel Availability

• Expect Travels that can go up to 20% of the work time.

$$ Somos una empresa comprometida con la igualdad de oportunidades. Fomentamos la diversidad en todas sus formas y cultivamos un entorno de trabajo inclusivo, libre de prejuicios, discriminación y acoso, donde todas las personas empleadas se sientan valoradas y parte de la comunidad. Damos la bienvenida a todas las candidaturas, independientemente de su sexo, edad, raza, origen étnico, procedencia social y cultural, religión, discapacidad u orientación sexual. 

 $$ HR Team Spain $$ seleccion.gdi@gi-de.com $$ $$ $$ https://career5.successfactors.eu/career?company=gieseckede&career_job_req_id=26818&career_ns=job_application