Mechanical Engineer / Factory Maintenance Engineer
Ken Wilkins Print Company
Ken Wilkins Print Company is looking for an experienced, highly skilled and proactive Mechanical Engineer / Maintenance Engineer to join our engineering team.
This is a varied and hands-on role for an engineer who wants to take responsibility for the mechanical reliability and day-to-day operation of a busy manufacturing site.
Whilst production machinery will form a major part of the role, this position goes beyond simply maintaining printing and finishing equipment. We are looking for someone who will develop a thorough understanding of the entire factory and play a central role in ensuring that the machinery, equipment and mechanical services required to keep the site operating are maintained, reliable and ready when needed.
In many respects, this is the role of the factory's mechanical engineer — someone with a practical understanding of how the site operates and the ability to respond to, diagnose and resolve issues wherever they arise.
The Role
The successful candidate will be responsible for the maintenance, repair and ongoing reliability of a wide range of production machinery, factory equipment and mechanical services across the Ken Wilkins Print Company site.
A significant part of the role will involve maintaining and repairing our core production equipment, including:
- Komori printing presses
- Heidelberg die cutters
- Bobst die cutters
- Print finishing equipment
- Other production and manufacturing machinery
Production machinery experience and the ability to respond effectively to machinery breakdowns are essential. However, the role also includes responsibility for the wider mechanical operation and maintenance of the factory.
This includes the general machinery and equipment required for the site to operate effectively, such as:
- Air compressors and compressed air systems
- Air conditioning and ventilation equipment
- General factory machinery and equipment
- Mechanical services and infrastructure
- Motors, pumps and associated equipment
- General factory maintenance and mechanical repairs
The successful candidate will be involved across the entire site and should be comfortable moving between planned maintenance, machinery breakdowns, general repairs and the day-to-day engineering requirements of a busy factory.
Key Responsibilities
Production Machinery
- Carrying out planned preventative maintenance on production machinery.
- Maintaining and repairing Komori printing presses.
- Maintaining and repairing Heidelberg die-cutting equipment.
- Maintaining and repairing Bobst die-cutting equipment.
- Maintaining and supporting print finishing machinery.
- Diagnosing and repairing mechanical faults.
- Responding to production breakdowns promptly and effectively.
- Working to minimise machinery downtime and disruption to production.
- Identifying recurring machinery issues and contributing to longer-term solutions.
Factory Machinery & Mechanical Services
- Maintaining and repairing general machinery and mechanical equipment throughout the factory.
- Supporting the maintenance and reliability of air compressors and compressed air systems.
- Maintaining and monitoring air conditioning and ventilation equipment.
- Carrying out repairs to motors, pumps and associated mechanical equipment.
- Supporting the maintenance of the wider factory infrastructure and mechanical services.
- Identifying potential maintenance issues before they develop into significant problems.
- Carrying out general mechanical maintenance and repair work throughout the site.
Breakdown & Maintenance Support
- Responding quickly and effectively to machinery and equipment breakdowns.
- Diagnosing faults and implementing practical and reliable repairs.
- Prioritising work based on safety, production requirements and operational impact.
- Working calmly and logically under pressure when production equipment is affected.
- Supporting preventative maintenance programmes to improve equipment reliability.
- Taking ownership of engineering issues through to resolution.
- Working closely with production and engineering colleagues to ensure equipment remains safe, reliable and operational.
The Type of Engineer We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who takes a broad and responsible approach to engineering.
This role would suit an engineer who enjoys being involved in the complete mechanical operation of a factory, rather than being restricted to one specific machine or production line.
The successful candidate should be the type of engineer who notices when something is not operating as it should, investigates the cause and takes the appropriate action.
You will be expected to develop a strong understanding of the site and its equipment, allowing you to recognise potential issues, prevent unnecessary breakdowns and respond effectively when problems occur.
This is an important position within the business. You will be one of the key people responsible for ensuring that both production machinery and the wider mechanical infrastructure of the factory continue to operate effectively.
Essential Skills & Experience
The successful candidate must have:
- Previous experience in a Mechanical Engineering, Maintenance Engineering or similar hands-on engineering role.
- Strong experience maintaining and repairing industrial, manufacturing or production machinery.
- Excellent mechanical fault-finding and diagnostic skills.
- Significant experience responding to machinery breakdowns.
- A strong understanding of planned and preventative maintenance.
- The ability to work independently and make sound engineering decisions.
- Strong practical problem-solving skills.
- The ability to work effectively under pressure.
- A proactive approach to identifying and preventing potential problems.
- The ability to manage a varied workload across production machinery and general factory maintenance.
- A willingness to take responsibility and ownership of engineering issues.
- The flexibility to participate in the shared out-of-hours call-out rota.
Desirable Experience
Experience within the printing, packaging or manufacturing industry would be highly advantageous.
Experience with any of the following would also be beneficial:
- Komori printing presses
- Heidelberg machinery
- Bobst die-cutting equipment
- Print finishing equipment
- Industrial manufacturing machinery
- Air compressors and compressed air systems
- Air conditioning and ventilation systems
- Motors, pumps and mechanical services
- General factory maintenance
However, applications will also be welcomed from highly skilled Mechanical or Maintenance Engineers with strong transferable experience from other industrial or manufacturing environments.
Working Hours & Call-Out
Standard working hours:
- Monday to Thursday: 8:30am – 5:00pm
- Friday: 8:30am – 4:30pm
The role will also include participation in an evening and weekend call-out rota, which is shared between four site engineers.
Join Ken Wilkins Print Company
This is an opportunity to take on a genuinely varied and important engineering role within an established manufacturing environment.
We are looking for more than someone who simply carries out scheduled maintenance. We want an experienced engineer who will become familiar with the machinery and operation of the entire site and play an active role in maintaining the reliability of the equipment that keeps the business running.
From major production machinery to the essential equipment and mechanical services that support the wider factory, this is a role for an engineer who takes pride in keeping everything operating effectively.
If you are a skilled, practical and reliable Mechanical or Maintenance Engineer who enjoys problem-solving, breakdown work and taking responsibility for a varied range of machinery and equipment, we would like to hear from you.
Benefits:
- Company pension
- Free parking
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
