What are the responsibilities and job description for the Electronics Specialist position at Universal Leaf North America?
Position: Electronics Specialist
Location/Department: Universal Leaf North America/ Onsite - Nashville, NC/Maintenance
Status: Full-Time, Salaried Exempt
Reports To: Senior Maintenance Manager
Our Company
Universal Leaf North America (ULNA), a subsidiary of Universal Corporation, is the premier supplier of quality,
compliant, and sustainable tobaccos and services to our customers, where we conduct business in Canada,
Guatemala, Mexico, and the U.S.
Our Nash Facility is the most technologically advanced tobacco threshing operation in the world. We can process
over one million pounds of semi-perishable tobacco per day by transforming it into a stable tobacco material that
can be stored for years, all while meeting the exacting standards of the tobacco product manufacturers.
As a compliment to ULNA’s leaf stemming business, our J. P. Taylor Company, L.L.C. facility provides tobacco stems
and scrap blending, rolling, and cutting, which further enhances the total value and usability of the entire tobacco
leaf. Both the Nash and J.P. Taylor facilities maintain ISO9001 Quality and ISO 14001 Environmental systems,
which further support our commitment to our customers and other stakeholders. The unusable tobacco waste
material from both facilities is transformed into organic compost at our Carolina Recycled Ag Materials, LLC
(CRAM) facility, which provides a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alternative to commercial fertilizers.
Additional services include Universal Storages, where we assist our customers in managing their tobacco logistics
and storage requirements.
At Universal Leaf North America, our employees have proven a strong commitment to providing a quality product,
excellent customer service, and operating in a sustainable and compliant manner.
Summary
As an Electronics Specialist at Universal Leaf North America, you will monitor electronic equipment and assist in the design and installation of equipment. You will also repair and maintain electronic factory equipment to ensure all control functions are accurate and functioning properly.
What You’ll Be Doing (Essential Duties)
- Administer and enforce company policies, safety procedures and good housekeeping practices.
- Install, calibrate, and maintain control systems, including modern Siemens TIA PLCs, sensors, PID control actuators, Danfoss VFDs, and Siemens HMIs, ensuring proper operation of machinery and equipment.
- Troubleshoot electrical, instrumentation, Profinet & Profibus networks, and control system issues to reduce downtime and restore equipment to safe operating condition.
- Monitor system performance, analyze data, and adjust parameters to maintain efficiency and safety.
- Manage daily operations of laser vision systems. Coordinate with OEM technicians, and vendors to support equipment upgrades, software changes, troubleshooting, and repairs.
- Perform optical sorter efficiency tests per our ISO 9001 procedure.
- Ensure PLC programming and automation work complies with company safety policies, lockout/tagout requirements, electrical safety expectations, machine guarding requirements, and applicable codes.
- Prepare and maintain technical documentation, calibration logs, and reports; to ensure compliance with our ISO 9001 and ISO 14001.
- Partner with production leadership to optimize throughput, quality, safety, traceability, runtime, and efficiency across factory processing lines. Work closely with maintenance technicians to optimize system performance and implement best practices.
- Recommend modifications or improvements that could benefit from AI technology to improve efficiency and reduce costs.
- Ensure all Virtual Machines, PLC & HMI software, are fully complaint with applicable security settings, MS updates and Vendor firmware.
- Perform other duties and special projects as assigned.
Minimum Requirements
- Associates Degree in Electronics or Engineering, or equivalent training and experience
- Competent in the areas of designing, specifying, installing, tuning and troubleshooting all types of electronic equipment used in manufacturing environment
- Excellent project management skills as they relate to the electronics field
- Must be proficient with ladder logic, PID loops and personal computers used to program PLCs
- Shows high level of commitment to developing excellence in technical and/or business skills
- Effective analytical, planning and organizational skills
- Effective verbal and written communication skills
- Adapt to frequent changes in climate, environment, workload and schedules, including Saturday and Sunday work when required
Preferred Requirements
- Experience in using PLC Control Systems: controllers, recorders, transducers, and Man-Machine interface systems, preferably in an industrial setting
Benefits
We offer a wide range of market-competitive total rewards that include 401(k) match, pension, merit increases, paid holidays, medical, dental, life, vision, short and long-term disability benefits, and tuition assistance to name a few.
EOE M/F/Disabled/Vet Employer
All applicants must be authorized to work in the United States.
Salary : $41,711 - $61,838