As a Product Development Specialist, you will be developing and commercializing innovative new upholstery solutions for diverse markets as part of a team of talented professionals. This involves rational and structured concept-to-commercial product development of Vinyl and non-halogenated polymeric material using scientific and engineering principles. You will be working with Sales, Marketing, Manufacturing, Quality and Process Improvement resources. This role reports to the Vice President of New Product Development.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop coated textile and foam products in accordance with said company's Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) system.
- Develop coated textile and foam products in accordance with company's occupational health and safety rules and support the company's safety initiatives.
- Develop formulations from concept in lab settings and scale to manufacturing level using scientific methodologies and applying polymer chemistry and engineering principles.
- Evaluate raw materials and formulate polymeric vinyl compounds for PVC plastisol, PVC dry blends for plastisol casting and extrusion melt processing.
- Evaluate raw materials and formulate polymeric non-halogen polymeric compounds (TPO, TPE, TPU and others) for extrusion melt processing.
- Engage and liaise with suppliers to keep up to date for novel polymer and additive technologies that benefit the company's technical short and long-term requirements and evaluate suitable technologies using lab scale preparation and testing.
- Evaluate and specify suitable textile and foam components for upholstery products.
- Evaluate surface modification technologies such as top finishes, grain and to meet demanding customer requirements.
- Participate in customer project discussions and act as technical liaison to customers.
- Provide technical support to the company's resources such as sales, manufacturing, quality.
Education and Experience :
Minimum a University Degree in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, or other suitable degreeExperience in concept to commercial polymeric materials product developmentExperience in coated textile product development for diverse marketAbility to translate customer requirements into viable and scalable material technologiesPost-Graduate degree desirableExperience of working with APQP development processUnderstanding of process related statistical methods, problem solving tools and design of experiments.Experience and understanding developing flexible PVC formulations for plastisol and melt processing applications.Knowledge of non-halogenated thermoplastic and elastomer formulation and processing.Experience formulating polymeric compositions and deep understanding of resin and additive technologies to develop effective compositions for diverse product applications.Experience using analytical tools to identify and resolve technical problems independently or in cross-functional teams.Key Skills and Competencies :
Strong problem-solving capabilities.Ability to work effectively in lab, office and production environment.Good interpersonal skills and ability to effectively communicate with a diverse global company.Effective Project Management and time management capabilitiesSecond Language is an assetBenefits :
Casual dressDental careDisability insuranceEmployee assistance programExtended health careLife insuranceOn-site parkingVision care