What are the responsibilities and job description for the Technical Material Handler position at SCHAEFER PLASTICS NA LLC?
Location: Lodi, California
About Schaefer Plastics
At Schaefer Plastics, we manufacture industry-leading solutions and drive responsible practices towards a sustainable future for generations to come. As a family-owned company since 1937, we are deeply committed to delivering exceptional customer care through high-quality, innovative waste and packaging solutions. Our customers and their satisfaction are paramount to our business; we strive to understand their needs and exceed their expectations at every turn. We are a global injection molding manufacturer, producing durable waste and recycling carts, and pioneering reusable packaging systems that reduce carbon footprints. Our dynamic and inclusive culture fosters personal and professional growth, making us an ideal employer for career advancement.
Position Summary
Schaefer Plastics is seeking a hands-on, mechanically inclined Technical Material Handler to support production operations at our Lodi, CA facility. This role is responsible for ensuring machines are supplied with the correct materials, preparing for job changes, supporting hot stamp and color changeovers, monitoring part quality, and making basic machine and robot adjustments as needed.
This position is ideal for someone who is a safe and skilled forklift operator, enjoys working in a manufacturing setting, and brings strong mechanical aptitude, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to supporting production.
Key Responsibilities
- Review daily production schedules and prepare materials and equipment for upcoming job changes.
- Deliver the correct materials and components to production machines, including hot stamp dies, prefixes, labels/IMLs, color, regrind, and other job-specific materials.
- Stage color and regrind prior to changeovers to support efficient production transitions.
- Perform color changes and set color and regrind percentages appropriately.
- Maximize regrind usage while maintaining product quality standards.
- Set up hot stamp dies and serial numbers for production runs.
- Program and adjust robot teach points to properly center hot stamps and IMLs.
- Monitor part quality during production and make basic adjustments to transfer, hold profiles, and robot settings as needed.
- Support machine start-ups and troubleshoot basic processing, hot stamp, robot, and loader issues.
- Remove materials from previous jobs and return hot stamp dies, prefixes, and IMLs to proper storage locations.
- Verify all materials and tooling from completed jobs are properly returned and stored.
- Assist with general material handling duties, including moving materials, staging supplies, and maintaining production flow.
- Safely transport finished goods and raw materials using a forklift.
- Remove scrap and support proper sorting and disposal processes.
- Dump regrind and repro into mobile storage hoppers as needed.
- Combine partial boxes of color and regrind when appropriate.
- Ensure proper labeling, inventory control, traceability, and related documentation are completed accurately.
- Follow FIFO and established material handling, storage, and packaging procedures.
- Provide break relief as needed.
- Maintain a safe, clean, and organized work area.
- Follow all safety, quality, and operating procedures always.
Qualifications
- High school diploma or GED preferred.
- Previous experience in a manufacturing, production, or material handling environment required.
- Prior forklift experience required; forklift certification or ability to become certified required.
- Strong mechanical aptitude and ability to learn machine-related processes.
- Experience supporting production changeovers, machine setup, or technical material handling preferred.
- Ability to identify quality issues and make basic process or equipment adjustments.
- Comfortable working around injection molding machines, robots, loaders, and hot stamp equipment.
- Ability to read and follow schedules, work instructions, forms, and production documentation.
- Strong attention to detail, organization, and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities.
- Team-oriented with a willingness to support production and material handling operations as needed.
Preferred Experience
- Experience in an injection molding environment.
- Hot stamp setup and troubleshooting experience.
- Robot teach point adjustment or automation support experience.
- Color change and regrind percentage setup experience.
- Familiarity with inventory control, traceability, FIFO, and production systems such as PlantStar.
Physical Requirements
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods.
- Ability to frequently bend, stoop, lift, push, and pull in a manufacturing environment.
- Ability to lift up to 50 pounds, with or without reasonable accommodation.
- Ability to safely operate a forklift and work around moving equipment and machinery.
The ideal candidate will be:
- A dependable and safe forklift operator
- Mechanically inclined and comfortable working around equipment
- Proactive in preparing for job changes and keeping production supplied
- Detail-oriented with a strong quality mindset
- Flexible and willing to step in wherever needed to support the team