Body Shop Maintenance Engineer (PLC)

Shape the future today. The world is changing. The question is, what will be our contribution to the outcome? At Mercedes-Benz Vans, interdisciplinary teams are developing the mobility of tomorrow. Our goal is to make mobility safer, simpler, and more sustainable for people across the globe.

At Mercedes-Benz Vans, we offer an environment for professional and personal growth, with cutting-edge training and career opportunities that support the development of professional skills and individual strengths.

Job Overview

The Maintenance Engineer is responsible for improving the safety, reliability, availability, and performance of production equipment and automated manufacturing systems. This position develops and implements maintenance strategies, supports preventive and predictive maintenance programs, leads complex troubleshooting and root cause analysis, and drives continuous improvement initiatives to reduce downtime and improve equipment effectiveness.

The role provides technical support for manufacturing systems, controls, and automation technologies while ensuring compliance with safety, quality, and operational standards. The Maintenance Engineer serves as a technical liaison between maintenance, production, engineering, contractors, and suppliers and supports equipment upgrades, new installations, commissioning activities, and capital projects.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement maintenance and reliability strategies to improve equipment safety, availability, performance, maintainability, lifecycle cost, and operational stability.
• Lead complex equipment troubleshooting and root cause analysis using methods such as 8D, fault-tree analysis, 5 Why, and failure-data analysis.
• Develop and improve preventive, predictive, condition-based, and total productive maintenance programs.
• Monitor and improve maintenance performance using Technical Availability, OEE, MTTR, MTBF, recurring-failure analysis, maintenance cost, backlog, and equipment lifecycle risks.
• Provide technical direction and escalation support to maintenance technicians during production interruptions, equipment recovery, breakdown analysis, and containment activities.
• Ensure compliance with machine-safety and control-system requirements when implementing PLC, robot, HMI, network, drive, or equipment modifications.
• Develop scopes of work and technical specifications for control-system upgrades, equipment modifications, new installations, external programming support, and automation projects.
• Support equipment installation, commissioning, debugging, acceptance testing, production ramp-up, and technical handover.
• Coordinate contractors, system integrators, OEMs, and suppliers performing PLC, robot, electrical, controls, and automation activities.
• Review and validate electrical drawings, PLC architecture, I/O lists, network topology, safety circuits, sequence descriptions, HMI screens, alarm lists, software backups, and equipment manuals.
• Provide technical coaching and knowledge transfer to maintenance technicians and less-experienced engineers.
• Drive continuous-improvement and cost-reduction initiatives without compromising safety, quality, maintainability, reliability, or compliance.

PLC Responsibilities

• Troubleshoot PLC-controlled production equipment, including PLC hardware, distributed I/O, HMI, industrial networks, safety systems, drives, sensors, actuators, sequence controls, permissives, interlocks, alarms, and interfaces to higher-level production systems.
• Analyze and modify PLC and HMI software using approved programming structures, libraries, interfaces, naming conventions, visualization standards, and change-control processes.
• Serve as the technical specialist for PLC, controls, automation, and equipment-integration systems.
• Support robot systems integration and industrial communication, including controller interfaces, operating sequences, handshakes, process interlocks, equipment status, fault diagnostics, and safety-related interface troubleshooting.
• Maintain software integrity and recoverability through validated backups, documented software versions, controlled online changes, revision histories, recovery procedures, and restoration testing.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering, Electronics Engineering, Mechatronics Engineering, Automation Engineering, Computer Engineering with significant controls experience, or another relevant engineering discipline.
• Five or more years of relevant industrial maintenance, controls, automation, manufacturing engineering, or equipment engineering experience, preferably in automotive manufacturing.
• Experience diagnosing PLC hardware, distributed I/O, HMI, industrial networks, safety controls, variable-frequency drives, sensors, actuators, and automated equipment sequences.
• Experience reading and interpreting electrical schematics, control drawings, I/O lists, network architecture, pneumatic diagrams, hydraulic diagrams, and equipment documentation.
• Experience with structured root cause analysis and technical problem-solving.
• Experience supporting equipment installations, commissioning, production ramp-up, software changes, and technical documentation.
• Hands-on experience in off-line simulations, project management, and equipment installation.

Preferred Qualifications

• Hands-on experience troubleshooting, supporting, or modifying Siemens SIMATIC PLC-controlled equipment.
• Experience with Integra 5, Integra 6, Integra 7 standards, or comparable automotive-control architectures.
• Experience with KUKA industrial robots and KUKA controller environments.
• Experience with PROFINET, PROFIsafe, industrial Ethernet, managed switches, remote I/O, and controls network diagnostics.
• Experience with Siemens safety PLCs, machine-safety systems, safety validation, and safety-related applications.
• Experience with drives, servo systems, motor controls, barcode/RFID systems, vision systems, welding controls, joining equipment, material handling systems, conveyors, and automated body-shop technologies.
• Experience with CMMS or asset-management systems such as SAP or equivalent.
• Experience with software backup, version control, change management, equipment obsolescence analysis, and automation lifecycle planning.
• Experience preparing technical specifications and managing automation suppliers or system integrators.

Knowledge and Skills

• Knowledge of manufacturing methods, procedures, and process technology.
• Ability to present complex technical information related to departmental goals.
• Ability to evaluate alternative solutions and support decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication and negotiation skills.
• Ability to anticipate needs and deliver timely, relevant solutions and actions.
• Experience designing and implementing continuous-improvement initiatives with savings.
• Ability to troubleshoot, instruct repair techniques, and assist with root cause analysis in stressful situations.
• Ability to read and create blueprints and schematics.

Additional Information

The position provides direct and indirect oversight of suppliers and maintenance team members based on shop-floor needs and project requirements. It also supports cost control, project estimates, technical bid evaluations, and cost-reduction initiatives.

Mercedes-Benz Vans, LLC is a plant in Ladson, South Carolina, producing Sprinter vans for the U.S. and Canadian markets under the Mercedes-Benz and Freightliner brands. The company is committed to fostering an inclusive environment and provides equal employment opportunity to qualified applicants and employees.

Excellent compensation and benefits plan with 401(k) matching.