Senior Production Engineer Specialist - E-Coat/ED Coating

On-site: Hopkinsville, KYRelocation assistance availableI'm currently supporting a leading automotive manufacturer on a search for a Senior Production Engineer Specialist to take ownership of its E-Coat / electrodeposition (ED) paint and pretreatment processes at its Hopkinsville, Kentucky manufacturing operation. This is a hands-on, plant-based role focused on paint application chemistry, E-Coat bath control, coating quality, defect diagnosis, process troubleshooting, and environmental compliance. You'll serve as a technical owner for an approximately 11–12 stage wet-process coating system, supporting the process from rinses and pretreatment/etch stages through the electrodeposition paint bath. This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong E-Coat, industrial paint, pretreatment, surface treatment, or chemical process experience who enjoys hands-on troubleshooting, process ownership, and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities: Own and optimize E-Coat/ED coating, pretreatment, rinse, and associated chemical processes, controlling critical parameters including pH, conductivity, bath solids, chemical concentration, temperature, voltage, pressure, and flow. Manage bath chemistry, titration results, chemical additions, replenishment, filtration, and preventative bath maintenance, partnering closely with chemical suppliers. Diagnose coating-quality issues including adhesion failures, poor coverage, thickness variation, contamination, blisters, craters, runs/sags, appearance issues, and corrosion failures. Analyze laboratory, process, production, and equipment data to identify abnormalities, determine root cause, and lead corrective actions using A3, PDCA, 8-Step, or similar methodologies. Develop standardized work instructions, process limits, control plans, reaction plans, troubleshooting procedures, and best-practice documentation, while coaching technicians and plant personnel. Support wastewater treatment, environmental compliance, equipment reliability, process trials, capital improvements, commissioning, and new model/production-readiness activities. Key Skills & Experience 5+ years of relevant E-Coat, ED coating, industrial paint, pretreatment, surface treatment, corrosion protection, or chemical process experience preferred; candidates with 2–3+ years of highly relevant experience will also be considered. Strong knowledge of paint/coating chemistry, bath management, titration, chemical additions, surface preparation, pretreatment, and corrosion protection. Proven ability to diagnose coating defects and process abnormalities using chemistry, laboratory results, process data, equipment conditions, and quality testing. Hands-on manufacturing experience with strong process ownership, structured problem-solving, leadership, and the ability to coach technicians and collaborate across Production, Quality, Maintenance, Environmental, and Engineering teams. Experience with wastewater treatment, reverse osmosis, filtration, environmental compliance, and standardized process documentation is highly desirable. Automotive experience is preferred, although relevant experience from heavy equipment, appliances, canning, oil & gas, or other industrial coating environments will be considered. Allen-Bradley/Rockwell PLC exposure and paint/coating certifications are additional pluses. If you have a strong background in E-Coat/ED coating, paint application chemistry, pretreatment, or industrial coating processes and are looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a critical manufacturing process, I'd love to speak with you. Interested? Apply now or send a copy of your resume to c.vancaeseele@lawrenceharvey.com