Maintenance Technician: Millwright

Job Advert Summary

Guided by its purpose to provide products for patients to alleviate pain and suffering and improve their quality of life, NBI’s vision is to be the leading African manufacturer and supplier of quality therapeutic proteins and diagnostic products.

National Bioproducts Institute NPC has a vacancy for the role of Maintenance Technician: Millwright. The successful incumbent will be required to:

Ensures the availability and reliability of the utilities and process equipment on which GMP manufacture depends, so that production is not interrupted by mechanical or electrical failure.

The role delivers predominantly mechanical expertise, supported by electrical competence, within the Engineering team: planned and breakdown maintenance on process plant such as centrifuges and filling lines, and on the utilities serving them, standby cover, and support to engineering projects through installation and commissioning. All work is executed and documented in accordance with GMP requirements and the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 and its regulations.

When required, the incumbent assists other engineering disciplines, including instrumentation and control, in a supporting capacity only. Such work is performed under the direction of the responsible artisan or technician for that discipline and remains within the limits of the incumbent’s training, competence and authorisation

Applications are invited from suitably qualified and experienced candidates.

Minimum Requirements

• One of the following three entry routes:
• N6 or S4 in electrical or mechanical engineering, with either a millwright trade test, or trade tests in both a mechanical trade (fitter, or fitter and turner) and electrical, and more than three years’ relevant experience; or
• National Diploma (or Diploma in Engineering Technology) in Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent NQF-registered qualification, with five years’ relevant experience; or
• BEngTech (or the former B-Tech) in Mechanical Engineering, or an equivalent NQF-registered qualification, with three years’ relevant experience.
• Working knowledge of the Occupational Health and Safety Act 85 of 1993 and the regulations applicable to this role, in particular the General Machinery Regulations, Electrical Machinery Regulations and Pressure Equipment Regulations, including isolation, lock-out/tag-out and permit-to-work requirements.
• Knowledge of SAP PM or a similar computerised maintenance management system is an added advantage.
• Familiarity with PLC and SCADA systems, including Allen-Bradley and Rockwell FactoryTalk, is an added advantage.
• Relevant experience gained in a process or manufacturing environment; pharmaceutical or other regulated manufacture preferred.
• Maintenance and fault finding on centrifuges and separators.
• Maintenance, change-over and fault finding on filling and packaging lines.
• Maintenance of rotating and static plant: pumps, motors, gearboxes, drives, compressors, valves, mechanical seals and pipework.
• Precision mechanical work: shaft alignment, bearing and mechanical seal replacement, and drive setting.
• Maintenance of utilities: steam, compressed air, process and purified water systems.
• Electrical maintenance and fault finding on motor control circuits and distribution.
• Condition monitoring and vibration analysis is an added advantage.
• GMP exposure preferred.
• Sound understanding of engineering principles.
• Able to read and interpret mechanical drawings, piping and instrumentation diagrams and electrical schematics.
• Report writing, and participation in project and investigation work.

Duties and Responsibilities

Equipment availability and routine maintenance

• Perform routine checks on process plant and utilities to confirm correct mechanical operation.
• Execute maintenance activities in accordance with the approved preventive maintenance plan and schedule.
• Maintain process equipment, including centrifuges and separators, filling and packaging lines, washers, autoclaves and freeze dryers.
• Maintain rotating and static plant, including pumps, motors, gearboxes, drives, compressors, valves, mechanical seals and pipework.
• Carry out precision mechanical work: shaft alignment, bearing and seal replacement, belt and chain drive setting, and lubrication to schedule.
• Report instrument faults and out-of-tolerance conditions identified during maintenance to the responsible instrumentation technician.

Fault finding, repair and prevention of recurrence

• Diagnose mechanical faults, including vibration, bearing and gearbox wear, misalignment, seal leakage, and loss of filling accuracy or line speed, and determine the repair required.
• Diagnose electrical faults on motor control circuits and distribution supporting the same plant.
• Support deviation and incident investigations to root cause.
• Implement or recommend corrective and preventive actions arising from investigations.
• Provide technical liaison to third-party service providers where repairs cannot be completed on site, and verify that the work performed meets the technical requirement.
• Track and report progress on outstanding repairs.

Standby and after-hours response

• Participate in the standby roster and respond to call-outs in accordance with the standby policy.
• Maintain the ability to reach site within the response time defined in the standby policy.
• Diagnose and repair breakdowns to restore production; where the fault cannot be resolved, escalate to the Engineering Supervisor or Engineering Manager, who will agree next steps with respect to product integrity.
• Support Operations with equipment start-ups and pre-production checks.
• Hand over unresolved work and interim measures to the incoming shift or dayshift team.

Planned maintenance execution and GMP documentation

• Co-ordinate and execute planned maintenance activities on NBI equipment.
• Perform isolations and lock-out/tag-out in accordance with approved procedures before work commences.
• Work under the applicable permit-to-work system, including hot work and confined space, where required.
• Complete maintenance, calibration and work-order documentation contemporaneously, legibly and in accordance with GMP data integrity requirements.
• Close out work orders in SAP PM and maintain accurate equipment records.

Spares usage and availability

• Record all spares used against the relevant work order and equipment.
• Identify and recommend critical spares for stocking, based on equipment criticality and failure history.
• Notify the Engineering Supervisor of job-specific spares required, in time to avoid extended downtime.
• Report shortages, incorrect items or unsuitable spares identified during a job.

First-line technical support to Operations

• Provide practical demonstrations of equipment set-up, operation and shut-down.
• Coach operators in first-line maintenance and basic troubleshooting.
• Provide technical input to maintenance and operating instructions for specified plant and equipment, and initiate updates through change control when equipment or procedures change.

Commissioning and technical support to qualification

• Co-ordinate and execute commissioning of new and modified unit operations, including installation checks, functional testing and setting to work.
• Prepare and present equipment for qualification, confirming installation, calibration and functional readiness before protocol execution.
• Provide technical support to Validation during IQ, OQ and PQ execution, including operating equipment and demonstrating functions as required.
• Resolve engineering faults identified during qualification and report the outcome to Validation and the Engineering Supervisor.

Engineering projects and continuous improvement

• Support capacity expansion and capital (CAPEX) projects within the electrical and instrumentation scope.
• Provide technical input to project scope, installation requirements and equipment specifications.
• Identify and recommend process and equipment improvements that increase reliability or efficiency.
• Support change control for modifications to GMP equipment and systems.