Material Industrialization Engineer

Material Industrialization Engineer

We are seeking a hands-on Material Industrialization Engineer to join our organization in Changshu, China. In this role, you will be responsible for the industrialization, optimization and implementation of materials and material-related manufacturing processes across ContiTech APAC. The position acts as the technical interface between Material Development (MD), Product Development (PD), Product & Process Industrialization (PPI), Operations, Quality, Purchasing and Supply Chain.

The role ensures robust and efficient implementation of new raw materials, compounds, reinforcements and processing technologies into production, while supporting product quality, manufacturing performance and cost competitiveness.

• Lead industrialization of new raw materials, compounds and reinforcements.
• Support evaluation and implementation of new suppliers and alternative material sources.
• Coordinate plant trials and industrial validation activities.
• Ensure successful transition from laboratory development into serial production.
• Support qualification of materials for cost reduction and supply continuity initiatives.
• Ensure all material handling and processing activities comply with safety regulations, environmental standards, and organizational policies
• Act as technical expert for material and process related manufacturing issues.
• Support root cause analysis and corrective actions for major quality and production issues.
• Provide technical guidance to manufacturing locations.
• Support plants during critical production interruptions, shortages and escalation situations.
• Provide material processing expertise during product development projects.
• Act as a knowledge bridge between development and manufacturing functions.
• Evaluate opportunities for material cost reduction and process optimization.
• Review and approve material and recipe changes.
• Support continuous improvement projects focused on productivity, quality and sustainability

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Polymer Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Engineering, Process Engineering, Rubber Technology OR Professional training with excellent material knowledge
• Minimum 5 years of experience in rubber, polymer or process engineering.
• Beneficial: Capability to independently operate an internal mixer (Banbury or Intermix type equipment) and conduct mixing trials.
• Experience in manufacturing environment and industrialization projects.
• Experience with plant trials and scale-up from laboratory to production.
• Experience in troubleshooting manufacturing and quality issues.
• Experience in cross-functional project teams.
• Good understanding of elastomers an of rubber compounding principles.
• Ability to evaluate mixing performance using process data and compound testing results.
• Ability to identify and troubleshoot mixing, extrusion, calendaring and curing issues.
• Analytical and structured problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work independently across multiple locations.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Intercultural awareness and collaboration in a global organization.
• Willingness to travel within APAC.
• Basic project management skills.
• Basic knowledge of FMEA, root cause analysis and problem-solving methods (8D, Ishikawa, 5-Why, etc.).