Print Expert

Further your career at Ball, a world leader in manufacturing sustainable aluminum packaging. Achieve extraordinary things when you join our team, and make a difference in your professional development, the community, and around the globe!

Ball is thrilled to receive Newsweek's 2023 Top 100 Global Most Loved Workplace award! As a sustainable product leader, we have over 16,000 global team members. From endlessly recyclable aluminum cans, and cups, to aerosol bottles, our goal is to contribute to a better community, society, and world.

Position overview:

The main focus of this role is to ensure the package received from Graphics & Design (G&D), which contains the customer approved material is translated in a Complete Package which is useable by the Deco Team to ensure a smooth & successful production run. The person in this role is in charge of the coordination between G&D on one site and the plant Quality Control, Ink Supplier, Production Manager & Deco Team on the other site . He/She ensures the preparation of the complete package to allow for a “formula One label change, which allows the plant to run at maximum efficiency whilst meeting the customer expectation for the design. He / she operates in accordance to European Quality Procedures (EQP) 24 & 81.
The Print Expert takes the lead in every new design project for the plant the role is based in and steers all the deco team at the time of label change to a new design, ensuring every member of the team understands their responsibilities in the process.

Key responsibilities include:  

• Govern the quality of print packages in plants, making sure all parties are aware of the requirements and are happy with the content every time, for every design.
• Receiving customer approved design packages from G&D and understanding the requirements from the customer
• By applying their expert knowledge of their production location, converting the supplied material into a complete package for the deco team, allowing the plant to produce a can which meets customer expectation
• Liaise with the local ink supplier on site, to ensure that the supplied formulation of ink can be used in production or has to be reformulated on site for optimal production experience. Continuously seeking improvements on quality, usage and efficiency meeting the agreed Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
• Support the Deco teams during a first production run of a new design for the plant and final responsible for the sign off of the production (note first production of new design only)
• Trouble shoot printing issues, come up with solutions, liaise with G&D and the Graphics & Design Print Specialists linked to each of the Hubs for Best practise sharing
• Manage customer on site visits to sign off on production, arrange for the pre-meeting and making sure the customer feels comfortable with all the approved material prior to production
• Make educated decisions during a production run on the route to follow when the team runs into an issue that cannot be resolved by the deco team lead or printer operator
• In charge of customer onsite support for the plant, focussing on production efficiency as well as on the customer well being
• In charge of arranging efficient pre-production design meetings for new designs for the plant with the relevant stakeholders in the team responsible for the label change and design set up on the decorator
• Organisation of review meetings in case of issues during a label change, involving the relevant team members to analyse, learn and improve
• Understand the production requirements for the plant using Ball’s data management systems: SAP, eSMArt & SFOL and adequately respond to these tools, to ensure the package preparation is completed within the agreed Service Level Agreement (SLA)
• Key contact for Customer Fulfilment & Production Planning (IBP) to establish the optimised production plan, but also where necessary the possibility to deviate from the SLA.
• Use of eSMArt system to ensure all new designs for the plant are prepared in the system and the provided information is understood.
• In charge of obtaining Design Master Standards (DMS) that follow the provided target. Maintaining its data using the eSMArt system and distributing potential Ball Master Standards to Ball G&D for approval.
• Preparation of packages for all production lines in the plant for the next 24 hours, ensuring all elements are included.
• In charge of maintaining all DMS’ in a safe place. Main internal contact for plant QC in case of question / complaints on quality relating to print & color.
• On production of existing labels for the plant, the Plant Prepress is not responsible for the quality of the subsequent production run. This responsibility is with the Quality team in the plant. The Plant prepress takes an advisory role in this case and assists upon request.
• Upon request from G&D provide information on the preferred way of separating a design (Feasibility)
• Inspire all members on the deco team to continuously strive to perfection on print, improving the quality standards
• Identify and promote opportunities for improvement in the deco area and engage with the relevant plant teams to implement change
• Help drive innovation in print process to achieve higher efficiency as well as new potential for the customer to differentiate.
• Provide G&D teams as well as G&D Print specialist with feedback relating to design optimisation and help develop action plans in order to ensure continuous improvement for next production run.
• Main contact for the regional print specialist for print related projects in the plant
• In charge of all print related training in the plant, as well as centrally lead process improvements in the graphics & print areas
• Developing the local print related One Point Learnings (OPL’s) and Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) integrating them in the local production & quality processes

Experience and skills required:

• Apprenticeship in a mechanical or electrical discipline
• Technical / engineering certification or respective education in printing is desirable 
• Experience on decorator
• Working in a manufacturing environment
• Experience in machine engineering
• Graphics experience is desirable
• Superior understanding of can printing
• Excellent Problem solver
• Lean skills
• Good communicator
• Strong customer focus
• Flair for design/Manufacturing
• Attention to detail
• Good computer skills
• Fluent in English

Ball Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We actively encourage applications from everybody, regardless of gender, age, ethnicity, faith, ability, or orientation.

When you join Ball you belong to a team of over 16,000 members worldwide. Our products range from infinitely recyclable aluminum cans, cups to aerosol bottles that enable our customers to contribute to a better world.

Each of us has a deep commitment to diversity and inclusion which is the foundation of our culture of belonging. Everyone at Ball is making a difference by doing what we love. Because what we create may change, but what we will always make is a difference.

Please note the advertised job title might vary from the job title on the contract due to local job title structure and global HR systems.

Job Grade: 9