Silitech Technology Corporation Hiring! Full Time Chemical-Materials Staff Engineer in Pulau Pinang - Ricebowl

1. Role Purpose

• The Chemical / Materials Staff Engineer provides senior technical leadership for secondary processes, specifically industrial spraying, coating, and painting activities within NPI projects.
• This role ensures coating process robustness, defect prevention, supplier alignment, and production readiness from prototype through mass production.
• In addition, the role is responsible for ensuring proper selection, validation, and compatibility of plastic resin materials to support coating adhesion, cosmetic quality, and long-term product performance.
• The position acts as the technical authority for coating and material interactions, leading process risk governance, validation, defect resolution, and cross-functional coordination with Mechanical Engineering, molding, suppliers, and production teams.

2. Roles & Responsibilities

2.1 Technical Leadership & Governance

• Lead and mentor Secondary Process (Spraying/Coating) engineers.
• Establish and enforce coating process standards, validation discipline, and best practices.
• Govern spraying process risk reviews, validation plans, and technical approvals.
• Support capability development and technical competency growth within the team.

2.2 Coating Process Development & Validation
• Lead coating process development from prototype spraying through production qualification.
• Review and approve prototype spray results prior to production release.
• Define and review DVP (Design Verification Plan) for coating processes.
• Ensure process windows (mixing, viscosity, curing, film build, appearance) are validated.

2.3 Defect Analysis & Corrective Action Management
• Lead coating defect analysis (e.g., orange peel, flow lines, pinholes, peeling, dust contamination, uneven gloss/matte, overspray marks).
• Drive root cause analysis and corrective action with suppliers and process owners.
• Review and ensure effectiveness of supplier corrective actions.

2.4 Tooling, Jig & Masking Coordination
• Coordinate spray jig, fixture, and masking design with Engineering and Production.
• Review strategies to ensure paint coverage, dimensional integrity, and cosmetic quality.
• Provide coating-related DFM/DFA input to tooling and product design teams.

2.5 NPI Execution & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Support NPI projects from prototype to process qualification and mass production handover.
• Coordinate with ME, QA, Manufacturing, and Suppliers to ensure process stability.
• Support APQP, PPAP, Process FMEA (spraying), and customer technical reviews.
• Ensure coating-related risks are identified and mitigated before production launch.

2.6 Process Control, Improvement & Compliance
• Ensure coating processes meet adhesion, thickness, appearance, and durability standards.
• Control environmental factors (temperature, humidity) and curing conditions.
• Lead process improvement using DOE and data-driven methodologies.
• Support audits and ensure compliance with IATF 16949 and customer requirements.

2.7 Plastic Resin & Material Compatibility
• Review and evaluate plastic resin selection (e.g., ABS, PC+ABS, PP, Nylon) for coating compatibility.
• Ensure material properties (surface energy, shrinkage, moisture, outgassing) meet coating requirements.
• Define pre-treatment requirements (flame, plasma, primer systems).
• Support defect analysis related to material issues (adhesion failure, blistering, sink visibility, contamination).
• Provide DFM input to balance cosmetic, mechanical, and coating performance.
2.8 Resin Change Evaluation & Approval
• Evaluate and approve plastic resin change proposals (material grade, supplier change, regrind %, masterbatch).
• Assess impact on coating adhesion, appearance, durability, and process stability.
• Define validation plans for resin changes (adhesion test, environmental testing, appearance approval).
• Conduct risk assessment using DFMEA / Process FMEA.
• Lead cross-functional review with ME, molding, suppliers, and QA.
• Ensure all material changes are validated and approved before implementation.

3. Authorities

3.1 Technical & Process Authority
• Approve coating process parameters, validation results, and production readiness.
• Make final technical decisions related to spraying and coating processes.
• Approve or reject plastic resin selection and material change proposals.
• Stop implementation of material changes that may impact coating quality.

3.2 Supplier & Escalation Authority
• Lead technical discussions and escalations with paint and material suppliers.
• Approve and challenge supplier corrective actions and process changes.

3.3 Cross-Functional Authority
• Represent Secondary Process in NPI, audits, and customer meetings.
• Escalate coating or material risks and request management support when required.

4. Education & Certifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical, Materials, Mechanical, or Manufacturing Engineering.
• Added advantage: Six Sigma, DOE, IATF 16949 Internal Auditor, VDA 6.3, DFMEA, GD&T.

5. Experience

• Minimum 7 years in industrial spraying, coating, or related manufacturing processes.
• Strong experience in plastic resin behavior and coating interaction.
• At least 3 years in a leadership or senior technical role.
• Proven experience supporting NPI from prototype to mass production.
• Experience working with paint suppliers, molding teams, and tooling design.
• Hands-on experience evaluating and approving resin change proposals.

6. Technical Knowledge & Skills

6.1 Coating Process & Chemistry
• Paint chemistry, viscosity control, curing behavior, film build, gloss/matte control.
• Environmental effects (humidity, temperature).

6.2 Plastic Material & Surface Engineering
• Strong knowledge of engineering plastics (ABS, PC, PC+ABS, PP, Nylon).
• Understanding of surface energy, contamination, moisture sensitivity, and outgassing.
• Familiar with surface treatments (plasma, flame, primer).
• Ability to predict coating risks from material and molding conditions.

6.3 Defect Analysis
• In-depth knowledge of coating defects and root cause analysis.
• Ability to correlate defects to material, process, tooling, and environment.

6.4 Process Validation & Standards
• Adhesion testing, cross-hatch testing, thickness measurement, appearance standards.
• DVP planning and execution.

6.5 Tooling & Engineering Support
• Spray jig, masking strategy, and DFM/DFA knowledge.
• Basic CAD (e.g., SolidWorks) for review.

6.6 Automotive Core Tools
• APQP, PPAP, Process FMEA, MSA, SPC.
• 6.7 Data & Improvement
• DOE and data-driven problem solving.

7. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Coating defect escape rate.
• Process stability at production handover.
• Effectiveness of supplier corrective actions.
• Resin change approval without quality escape.
• NPI milestone readiness for secondary processes.