Application Engineer

Job Description:

Founded in 1912, ITW (NYSE: ITW) is a global industrial company built around a differentiated and proprietary business model. The company’s seven industry-leading segments leverage the ITW Business Model to generate solid growth with best-in-class margins and returns in markets where highly innovative, customer-focused solutions are required. ITW’s approximately 45,000 dedicated colleagues around the world thrive in the company’s decentralized, entrepreneurial culture.

ITW Deltar Fasteners serves all the major OEMs and their tier suppliers with plastic fasteners totalling approximately $260M in revenues. Units include: Frankfort, IL; Chippewa Falls, WI and our Commercial Sales and Engineering in Troy, MI.

The division drives profitability by leveraging its innovative solutions and application engineering. In addition to ITW’s industry leading research and development capabilities, ITW Deltar Fasteners enhance our customers’ competitive advantage by:

• Maintaining advanced engineering and manufacturing facilities in NA.
• Exchanging product, process and benchmarking information with sister units worldwide.
• Continually improving processes, material and designs to ensure every product exceeds customer specifications while providing unparalleled value.

The Application Engineer will report to the Application Engineering Manager and will be responsible for supporting the sales account managers by communicating technical information with the customer and internal product engineers. This position will have direct communication with customers and suppliers to obtain the best solution for projects by applying knowledge of engineering principles to develop, design, engineer and validate products. Requires some product design ideation for new parts and assemblies with varying degrees of complexity, and high degree of creativity but most of the responsibility will be in working with the customer to define the application, identify the best solution and communicate with the design team on the requirements. This role requires flexibility, ability to manage multiple projects and work with several stakeholders.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Be the “go-to” for the sales team as a first point of contact for technical training, guidance and customer engineering activity (project definition).
• Provide technical assessment and product recommendation based on the application requirements – core product, core product extension, or new product development.
• Attend sales and engineering meetings to support product development at customer locations.
• Manage and coordinate project assignments with the sales and engineering teams to meet specific customer requirements. Transfer projects to the project engineering teams through clear communication of customer technical requirements.
• Ensure product designs meet or exceed customer requirements.
• Support customer launch activities, as necessary.  Benchmark competitive products.
• Consolidate engineering knowledge for efficient coordination and execution of technical training presentations (external and internal).
• Receive initial training from Marketing and Innovation team members to learn about new products and gain the confidence to train others on these products and recommend them for specific applications.
• Coordinate technical representation for trade shows.
• Provide initial evaluation of quality concerns at customer facilities; transfer information and insights to the Quality Department for full coordinated response.
• Perform basic testing of products in application at the Troy Office or at customer, to help build the customer relationship.
• Provide application expertise through technical sales visits at customers.
• Conduct due diligence for capital expenditures of existing parts, as necessary.
• Other tasks and duties as assigned.

Position Skills and Experience Requirements:

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Education/Experience: Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering or Science discipline
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Personally driven and motivates others to excel. Curious to find new opportunities and projects.
• Strong analytical skills coupled with the ability to exercise sound judgment.  Work efficiently without significant supervision.
• Familiarity with plastic injection molded products and their applications a plus.
• Knowledge and use in 3D CAD Software; NX, CATIA, SolidWorks or Pro-Engineer/Creo a plus.
• Experience with or capacity to use FEA software a plus.
• Work with global team members – requiring some flexibility in working hours.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Office Suite.
• Willing to travel; primarily domestic and occasionally world-wide.

ITW is an equal opportunity employer. We value our colleagues’ unique perspectives, experiences and ideas and create workplaces where everyone can develop their careers and perform to their full potential.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, ITW is committed to equal employment opportunity and fair treatment for employees, beginning with the hiring process and continuing through all aspects of the employment relationship.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, disability, protected Veteran status or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.