Paint Associate Level 1

Shift: 1st shift, Monday - Friday 7:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Brief Summary

The Paint Associate Level 1 position is an individual contributor in the Paint Department. This person must be a highly driven individual that will prepare Valmont products prior to painting, ensure high-quality finishes after the painting process, and package the finished product for shipment.

Essential Functions

• Hang and unhang parts such as light poles, arms, bases, and small components as needed

• Blasts the product using a blasting cabinet and ensures the product has a sufficient blast profile

• Responsible for blowing shot and dust off of parts and repairs all damaged galvanizing and removes all oil and contaminates

• Responsible for final visual quality check of poles

• Installs all post finish attachments and package poles and arms

• Performs basic maintenance on blasting, rigging, and packaging equipment

• Ability to lift an average weight of 20 to 40 pounds, 40% of the time (i.e., all small parts, arms and pedestal bases), and lift 50-pound containers 5-10 times per shift

• Ability to wear all required personal protective equipment (PPE) and work both in a non-temperature-controlled environment and outdoors

• Ability to spend 100% of the shift standing, walking, sitting, bending, squatting, balancing, stooping, kneeling and lifting in the process of preparing and/or coating of all poles and parts within the department

• Ability to operate forklifts, overhead cranes, power tools, packaging equipment, lowerators, and blasting equipment 

Important Details

• The employee is responsible for own work 

• Must be able to work with other employees to complete job

• Helps train employees in proper packaging, blasting, and hanging techniques

• Must be able to determine the acceptance or rejection of finished coated poles and small parts according to standard specifications.

• Extreme care is required when blasting galvanized parts so as not to remove the zinc and cause galvanized re-work at significant cost 

• The employee must maintain a safe and productive work environment producing a quality product which is shipped complete and on time to satisfy the needs of the customer

• The employee has a direct impact on safety, quality, productivity, TME (total manufacturing expenses), and customer satisfaction

• This position reports to the shop’s Production Manager

Required Qualifications

• The ability to calculate simple mathematics and interpret shop drawings

• Basic working knowledge of computer programs such as Microsoft Outlook or similar email software

• The ability to recognize and solve practical problems or issues

• The ability to work in a team environment with a diverse group of people

• The ability to pay attention to detail and follow work instructions

• The ability to meet production, safety, and quality standards in a high-paced working environment

• Rack and unrack parts, brush off, fill, sand, and clean parts for painting

• Ensure high quality products with visual quality check

• Maintain and operate painting, blasting, rigging, and packaging equipment safely

• Prepare paint booth, clean and set-up paint application system

• Wear required personal protective equipment and follow facility safety regulations

• Maintain a safe and productive working environment

Highly Qualified

• High School Diploma or GED equivalent

• One year of previous experience in a painting or manufacturing position

• Experience operating overhead cranes and forklift

• Experience using dry mill thickness gauges, wet film thickness gauges and micrometers

• Excellent communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills

• Must have a high awareness for safety at all times

• Must be a person of passion and integrity who has the drive to excel and deliver exceptional results