Front Line Engineer - Scale Up

Job Overview

This position supports the Scale Up department in managing operations of the main and pilot plants with a focus on scaling up processes. The role involves developing process data for new products, verifying process conditions, comparing laboratory trials, and planning and conducting trials to enhance or establish processes for new and existing products at both pilot and commercial scales.

Organizational Context and Challenges

The company operates in the epoxy and specialty resin manufacturing sector and is currently expanding its greenfield project in Vilayat involving epoxy resin and reactive diluents. This role is crucial for integrating new projects like the ECH plant for backward integration. The Process Development & Scale Up department handles responsibility for transitioning R&D products into commercial-grade epoxy resin that meet all quality standards. The major challenges include scaling up processes and adopting advanced technologies to boost production efficiency, coordinating product scale up to meet Indian customer requirements, developing new vendors for critical equipment based on sensitive R&D input, handling a large variety of products safely while providing training, gathering and analyzing data, documenting technical processes, updating equipment and control system knowledge, optimizing speed and costs in development and technology transfer, ensuring safety and operational simplicity, preparing MOCs, coordinating and implementing HAZOP studies, updating P&IDs, and executing new operational schemes in the field.

Primary Responsibilities

• Collaborate closely with R&D teams to scale up new products from lab to pilot and commercial plants, generating comprehensive data sets during this process.
• Analyze current process conditions, identify root causes of issues, and create actionable plans to resolve them.
• Develop and implement MOC documentation and update P&IDs as needed for scale-up activities.
• Coordinate cross-functional teams to conduct Process Hazard Analysis (PHA) and ensure all hazards are addressed.
• Implement PHA recommendations and new operational schemes prior to scale-up.
• Create updated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and Process Flow Diagrams (PFDs) aligned with company processes, and stabilize pilot plant activities.
• Assess plant feasibility for newly developed products.
• Engage with vendors and third-party tollers for product development coordination.
• Commission new product grades in the plant, ensuring successful operation and formal handover to production teams.
• Deliver thorough training to plant operators to facilitate smooth commissioning and operation of new product grades in both pilot and main plants.