Body Shop Maintenance Engineer (PLC)

Shape the future today.

The world is changing. The question is, what will be our contribution to the outcome? We have set the pace in the field of mobility from the very beginning, and we will continue to do so. At Mercedes-Benz Vans, interdisciplinary teams are developing the mobility of tomorrow. Our goal is to make mobility safer, simpler, and more sustainable for people across the globe. Put your pioneering spirit to good use: This is your opportunity to make a contribution that extends far beyond your job title.

At Mercedes-Benz Vans, we offer you the perfect environment for your professional and personal growth. Cutting-edge training and promising career opportunities will help you to foster and expand your professional skill set as well as your individual strengths. Think, try, and thrive with us in collaborative work environments that spark game-changing concepts.

Job Overview

The Maintenance Engineer is responsible for improving the safety, reliability, availability, and performance of production equipment and automated manufacturing systems. This position develops and implements maintenance strategies, supports preventive and predictive maintenance programs, leads complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis activities, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime and improve equipment effectiveness. The role provides technical support for manufacturing systems, controls, and automation technologies while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and

operational standards. The Maintenance Engineer serves as a technical liaison between maintenance, production, engineering, contractors, and suppliers and supports equipment upgrades, new installations, commissioning activities, and capital projects.

Responsibilities

Develops and implements maintenance and reliability strategies to improve equipment safety, availability, performance, maintainability, lifecycle cost, and operational stability.

Leads complex equipment troubleshooting and root cause analysis using structured problem-solving methods such as 8D, fault-tree analysis, 5 Why, and failure-data analysis to establish sustainable corrective and preventive actions.

Develops and improves preventive, predictive, condition-based, and total productive maintenance programs, including task content, frequency, technical standards, spare-parts requirements, and acceptance criteria

Monitors and improves maintenance performance through Technical Availability, OEE, MTTR, MTBF, recurring-failure analysis, maintenance cost, backlog, and equipment lifecycle risks.

Provides technical direction and escalation support to maintenance technicians during complex production interruptions, equipment recovery, breakdown analysis, and implementation of containment measures.

Ensures compliance with machine-safety and control-system requirements when implementing PLC, robot, HMI, network, drive, or equipment modifications. Changes shall follow approved risk-assessment, validation, testing, documentation, and authorization processes.

Develops scopes of work and technical specifications for control-system upgrades, equipment modifications, new installations, external programming support, and automation projects.

Supports equipment installation, commissioning, debugging, acceptance testing, production ramp-up, and technical handover, ensuring delivery of validated software, electrical drawings, network documentation, backups, spare-parts lists, maintenance instructions, and training materials.

Coordinates contractors, system integrators, OEMs, and suppliers performing PLC, robot, electrical, controls, and automation activities.

Reviews and validates technical documentation, including electrical drawings, PLC architecture, I/O lists, network topology, safety circuits, sequence descriptions, HMI screens, alarm lists, software backups, and equipment manuals.

Provides technical coaching and knowledge transfer to maintenance technicians and less-experienced engineers in PLC diagnostics, control systems, robot interfaces, structured troubleshooting, and internal technical standards.

Drives continuous-improvement and cost-reduction initiatives without compromising equipment safety, product quality, maintainability, reliability, or compliance with internal standards

PLC Responsibilities

•  Troubleshoots PLC-controlled production equipment, including PLC hardware, distributed I/O, HMI, industrial
• networks, safety systems, drives, sensors, actuators, sequence controls, permissive, interlocks, alarms, and
• interfaces to higher-level production systems.
•  Analyzes and modifies PLC and HMI software using approved internal programming structures, libraries, interfaces, naming conventions, visualization standards, and change-control processes
•  Serves as the technical specialist for PLC, controls, automation, and equipment-integration systems, ensuring
• equipment and maintenance activities comply with applicable safety, quality, environmental, and regulatory
• requirements.
•  Supports robot systems integration and industrial communication, including controller interfaces, operating
• sequences, handshakes, process interlocks, equipment status, fault diagnostics, and safety-related interface
• troubleshooting.
•  Maintains software integrity and recoverability by ensuring validated backups, documented software versions,
• controlled online changes, revision histories, recovery procedures, and restoration testing for critical automation
• assets.

Supervisory Responsibilities

Provides direct and indirect oversight of suppliers and maintenance team members based on shop-floor needs and project requirements.

Financial Responsibilities

The position supports cost control, project estimates, technical bid evaluations, and cost-reduction initiatives

within assigned responsibilities.

Qualifications

•  Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automation
• Engineering, Computer Engineering with significant controls experience, or another relevant engineering discipline.
•  Five or more years of relevant industrial maintenance, controls, automation, manufacturing engineering, or equipment engineering experience, preferably in an automotive manufacturing environment.
•  Experience diagnosing PLC hardware, distributed I/O, HMI, industrial networks, safety controls, variable-frequency drives, sensors, actuators, and automated equipment sequences.
•  Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics, control drawings, I/O lists, network architecture, pneumatic diagrams, hydraulic diagrams, and equipment documentation.
•  Experience with structured root cause analysis and technical problem-solving.
•  Experience supporting equipment installations, commissioning, production ramp-up, software changes, and technical documentation
•  Hands-on experience in off-line simulations
•  Experience with project management
•  Experience with equipment installation

Preferred Qualifications

•  Demonstrated hands-on experience troubleshooting, supporting, or modifying Siemens SIMATIC PLC controlled equipment.
•  Experience with Integra 5, Integra 6, Integra 7 standards, or comparable standardized automotive-control
• architectures.
•  Experience with KUKA industrial robots and KUKA controller environments, including PLC-to-robot
• interfaces and automated-cell troubleshooting.
•  Experience with PROFINET, PROFIsafe, industrial Ethernet, managed switches, remote I/O, and controls network diagnostics.
•  Experience with Siemens safety PLCs, machine-safety systems, safety validation, and controlled
• modification of safety-related applications.
•  Experience with LENCE drives, servo systems, motor controls, barcode/RFID systems, vision systems,
• welding controls, joining equipment, material-handling systems, conveyors, and automated body-shop
• technologies.
•  Experience with CMMS or asset-management systems such as SAP or equivalent.
•  Experience with software backup, version control, change management, equipment obsolescence analysis,
• and automation lifecycle planning.
•  Experience preparing technical specifications and managing automation suppliers or system integrators.

Knowledge and Skills

Knowledge of manufacturing methods/procedures and process technology.

Ability to present complex technical information related to achieving goals of the department.

Must be able to evaluate alternative solutions and prepare decision making process.

Proven written and verbal communication at all levels within an organization with good negotiation skills.

Able to anticipate needs and deliver timely, relevant solutions and actions.

Proven design & implementation of Continuous Improvement themes with savings

Experience in process layout and optimization incorporating asset utilization is a plus.

Ability to troubleshoot, instruct repair techniques, & assist if needed for root cause analysis in stressful situations

Ability to read & create blueprints and schematics

We are all in for change. Are you too? Apply now.

If you have experience in the above and are interested in joining an outstanding company we welcome you to apply. The division Mercedes-Benz Vans is world renown for quality and innovative products.

EXCELLENT COMPENSATION & BENEFITS PLAN WITH 401k MATCHING

Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC (“MBV”) is a plant in Ladson, South Carolina that produces Sprinter vans for the U.S. and Canadian market under the brands Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner. The midsize Mercedes-Benz Metris vans are also reassembled at this location.

Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC invested 500 million U.S. dollars in the construction of a new Sprinter production plant in addition to an expansion of the previous assembly operations. In September 2018, MBV officially opened its new plant, located next to existing operations in the North Charleston area. The MBV facility will provide up to 1,300 jobs by the end of the decade and is expected to create at least 600 additional jobs in the region through its suppliers.

More than 130,000 Sprinters have been assembled in North Charleston and delivered to destinations in the U.S. since 2006. The U.S. is now the second largest market for Sprinter vans, after Germany.

Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC is committed to fostering an inclusive environment that appreciates and leverages the diversity of our team. We provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, ethnicity, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation),age, national origin, religion, marital status, veteran status, physical or other disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law.