The Morning Star Company
Packaging Mechanic
Los Banos, CA

The Company

The Morning Star Company and its affiliates operate three tomato processing facilities in Central California, processing over 1/3 of the California processing tomato crop, in addition to tomato transplanting, farming, harvesting and trucking operations. The company employs over 500 year-round and approximately 2,000 seasonal Colleagues.

The Morning Star Company is the largest independent producer of bulk tomato ingredient products (tomato paste and diced tomatoes) in the world. We also produce canned tomatoes, tomato products and specialty sauces in pouches for customers in the retail and food service markets. The company is known worldwide for its innovation and integrity.

We are organizationally structured through a system we term Mission Focused Self-Management™. Our company is operated by Colleagues without titles or an appointed hierarchy of authority. Authority relative to other Colleagues’ activities is lateral, with our Mission as our guiding principle of action, and respect, influence and success built based on each Colleague’s integrity, competency, effort, persistence and straightforward persuasiveness. Although we have grown significantly, we intend to maintain a culture of individual responsibility and Mission Focused Self-Management™.

The Mission and Position:

The ideal candidate will have a background in mechanical maintenance with a specific focus on packaging machinery in a food and beverage processing factory. The Mission will be to maintain, troubleshoot, and repair packaging equipment to ensure optimum operations.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Maintain, troubleshoot, and repair packaging machinery to ensure optimal operational efficiency.
2. Conduct routine inspections and preventive maintenance on all packaging equipment to minimize downtime.
3. Diagnose and troubleshoot mechanical issues, recommending solutions to enhance machine performance.
4. Assist with equipment installation, alignment, and testing during machinery upgrades or new equipment acquisition.
5. Work closely with the production team to understand equipment needs and make necessary adjustments to achieve key metrics.
6. Adhere to all health and safety regulations, ensuring a safe and compliant work environment. Strictly follow LOTO and Confined Space practices.
7. Maintain accurate and up-to-date maintenance records.
8. Participate in continuous improvement initiatives, contributing insights into machinery optimization.


Qualifications:

1. Knowledge of packaging equipment, including operation, maintenance, and repair. (Required)
2. Knowledge of vertical form, fill and seal equipment, flexible packaging equipment, end of packaging line equipment such as conveyors, case erectors, case sealers and palletizers. (Required)
3. Basic knowledge of consumables for packaging equipment. (Required)
4. Basic knowledge of canning lines and canning operations. (Required)
5. Preferred minimum of 3 years’ experience in mechanical maintenance in a food production environment.
6. Demonstrates understanding of system Interlocks, logic, process understanding, sequence of operation, process controls and panel operations.
7. Able to read, understand, and interpret blueprints and schematics.
8. Ability to work in a fast-paced environment, independently and as part of a team.
9. Understanding of GMPs, health and safety regulations in a food processing environment.
10. Able to work flexible hours, including weekends, overtime, as required by the production schedule.

Physical Requirements:

The Packaging Mechanic must be able to stand, walk, bend, lift, and move for extended periods. The ability to lift items weighing up to 50 pounds is required. This role also requires manual dexterity and the use of hand tools.


Compensation: $30.00-$40.00 per hour, depending upon experience.