Plant Quality Assurance Specialist - Advanced Drainage Systems

At ADS, no idea is off limits, and we celebrate creativity and bold moves.  For more than 50 years ADS has been manufacturing a variety of innovative and environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional materials.  Headquartered in Hilliard, Ohio, we are a multi-billion dollar stormwater management company, manufacturing pipe and ancillary products. What does that mean? When it storms, we capture rain with our drain basins, convey it with pipe, store it using chambers and finally treat it with our water quality products, before safely returning water back to the environment. We handle, what we call, the entire lifecycle of a raindrop. Our products help prevent flooding, which increases quality of life for people living in large cities, suburbs, and rural towns. We also believe in creating a circular economy and are the largest plastic recycling company in North America. We use plastic shampoo and detergent bottles to create pipe, diverting over 500 million pounds of plastic from landfills every year. ADS operates a global network of over 60 manufacturing plants and 30 distribution centers. 

We have amazing stories to tell, and we need your help getting our story out there. To learn more about ADS, please visit our website at www.adspipe.com.

The Quality Specialist is responsible for implementing quality methods and protocol in accordance with ADS Quality System. The Quality Specialist is also responsible for supporting Continuous Improvement on companywide initiatives as well as supporting plant specific projects as they arise.  The Quality Specialist reports directly to the Quality Process Manager and has a dotted line to Plant Manager.  

Primary Job Responsibilities:

Maintain Quality Assurance (Lab Quality) portion of ADS Quality System so that requirements are being met. This constitutes 40% of the Specialists work week.

• Lab sample testing that has been submitted by the plant team
• Published lab sample correlation feedback to Line Operators
• Weekly auditing to ensure Lab Sample compliance
• Communicate issues found during Lab testing to the plant and work with yard team to quarantine product that may be found as non-conforming product.
• Monitor the Quality Control (Plant Quality) portion of the ADS Quality System

Audit Plant quality entries to ensure proper and accurate data.

• Support Wired Plant compliance through training, follow-up, and documentation to plant management team for new or ongoing issues

Facilitate required quality training at home and sister plants as needed during the Plant designated scheduled training times

• Annual required training and sign-off (NTPEP)
• Continuous Improvement Training (as issued by Corporate Quality Team)
• Quality Procedure Updates
• Training for items found on regular Line and Yard inspections

Track Plant Material team is collecting and submitting required samples

• Track that monthly regrind samples have been submitted by material team
• Track product required material retains (GS100 blends) have been submit to quality lab

Ensure Quality Compliance Items are completed in the required timeframes

• Blender verifications as required
• Monthly Carbon standards as required
• NCLS samples are submitted as required
• Quarterly carbon burns are completed as required
• Color concentrate evaluations are completed as require

Regular inspections with documented communication to Plant team to ensure compliance with ADS Quality System,

• Line walk (Each day)
• Yard and Fabrication walk (3 times a week)
• Review of RMA area each day

Maintain, schedule, and ensure proper calibration of quality measurement instruments

• Plant quality tools used by operators
• Lab Quality tools used for lab quality testing
• Blender and scale calibrations

Facilitate external audits of home plant and external audits of sister plants as necessary including sample collection. The Specialist is not responsible for packaging and shipping samples

Support problem solving Teams for projects and plant specific quality issues agreed upon by Quality Process Manager with appropriate deliverables.

• Assist plant team with Internal Quality Audit Corrective Actions (CA) responses
• Notifying Plant team if monthly uploads are not completed within the designated timeline
• Perform Internal audits or Compliance auditing functions as assigned
• Perform and track monthly CA follow up on home and audited sister plants.
• Travel to support ADS Quality system at sister plants as needed
• Generate certification and compliance letters as required
• Respond to field complaints/visit customer locations as required Support the Quality culture at all levels of the plant

Job Skills:

• Understanding of quality control/assurance principles
• Knowledge of manufacturing and plastics processing
• Ability to work with corporate, plant, sales, and outside agency personnel
• Strong leadership and problem-solving skills
• Critical thinking and good decision-making skills
• Strong work ethic and time management skills
• Willing to travel (20%)
• Available to work weekends and off shifts as necessary
• Strong troubleshooting skills and root cause analysis
• Ability to perform effective hands-on training within the QC process.

 Educational Requirements:

• 2-year degree minimum or equivalent work experience

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ADS supports an inclusive workplace that values diversity of thought, experience, and background. We celebrate the power of our differences to create better solutions for our customers by ensuring employees can be their authentic selves each day. ADS is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status, creed, status with regard to public assistance, genetic status or any other status protected by federal, state or local law.