Job Description

Factory Systems – Columbia, SC
Full-Time | On-Site | Periodic Customer Travel

Factory Systems is looking for a hands-on Controls & Automation Specialist who can troubleshoot industrial systems that do not fit neatly into one technical box.

This is not a production maintenance job.

You will work in a professional engineering environment supporting industrial controls, manufacturing software, machine connectivity, networks, databases, and automated equipment for manufacturing customers.

We are looking for the person who can walk up to a system that is not working, determine whether the problem is in the PLC, wiring, drive, sensor, network, Windows computer, database, software interface, or machine itself—and then drive the problem to resolution.

What You Will Work On

Typical systems include:

Allen-Bradley and Siemens PLCs
HMIs and SCADA systems
Variable-frequency drives and servos
Sensors and industrial instrumentation
Industrial Ethernet and machine networks
OPC Classic and OPC UA
Ethernet/IP and Modbus
RS-232 and RS-485 communications
Windows industrial computers and workstations
SQL databases
Manufacturing data-collection systems
Production tracking and reporting systems
CNC machines, robots, assembly equipment, and test systems
Legacy machines that were never designed to communicate with modern systems

You do not need to be an expert in every area.

You do need to be comfortable learning unfamiliar systems and figuring out how the pieces work together.

What You Will Do

You will:

Troubleshoot industrial controls and connected manufacturing systems
Modify and support PLC and HMI applications
Diagnose electrical, controls, communications, computer, network, and software problems
Connect production equipment to manufacturing data systems
Support industrial PCs, communications, databases, and system interfaces
Commission new systems and upgrades
Perform backups, recovery, and configuration changes
Provide remote customer support
Travel periodically to customer facilities for installation and troubleshooting
Work directly with customer maintenance, engineering, production, and IT personnel
Take ownership of customer problems through final resolution
Document configurations, changes, and successful troubleshooting methods

The Person We Want

You may currently be working as a:

Controls Technician
Automation Technician
PLC Programmer
Electrical Technician
Industrial Maintenance Technician
Controls Engineer
Systems Integrator
Automation Specialist

Your current title is not important.

We are much more interested in whether you have actually worked around industrial machinery and solved difficult technical problems.

The strongest candidate will:

Have strong hands-on troubleshooting ability
Understand PLC-controlled machinery
Be comfortable with electrical drawings and industrial wiring
Understand basic industrial networking
Be comfortable working with Windows computers
Think logically instead of replacing parts until something works
Take ownership of problems
Communicate well with customers
Work independently without needing constant direction
Know when a problem requires additional engineering support
Be curious enough to learn systems they have never seen before

Experience

We are looking for approximately 3+ years of practical industrial experience in one or more of the following:

Industrial automation
Controls
Manufacturing maintenance
Machine building
Systems integration
Industrial electrical work
Manufacturing IT / OT systems

Experience with Allen-Bradley/Rockwell equipment is particularly useful.

Experience with Siemens, SQL, OPC, industrial networking, CNC equipment, robotics, or manufacturing data systems is also valuable.

Education

A four-year engineering degree is not required.

We are open to candidates with:

Associate or technical degrees
Engineering technology backgrounds
Technical-school training
Military technical experience
Apprenticeship experience
Strong self-taught industrial experience

Practical ability matters more to us than credentials.

Why Someone Leaves Plant Maintenance for This Job

If you are tired of maintaining the same production equipment every day, this position offers a different type of work.

You will see different machines, customers, controls platforms, software systems, and technical problems.

You will have greater technical autonomy and broader responsibility.

You will also work primarily from our Columbia facility rather than spending every day on a production floor.

This is still industrial work. Customers occasionally have urgent problems, and periodic travel is required.

But the job is centered on solving technical problems, not covering a maintenance shift.

Employment Requirements

Full-time, on-site position in Columbia, South Carolina
Reliable transportation and dependable attendance
Periodic customer-site travel
Ability to work safely in industrial environments
Legal authorization to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship
Ability to meet applicable export-control and customer-site access requirements

About Factory Systems

Factory Systems develops and supports industrial controls, manufacturing software, machine-connectivity systems, data-acquisition solutions, and custom production technology.

We work with both modern and legacy production equipment and help manufacturers connect machinery, controls, software, and production data into reliable operating systems.

We are a small technical organization. People who succeed here are practical, curious, dependable, and comfortable taking responsibility for difficult problems.

When You Apply

Please tell us briefly about one difficult industrial problem you personally diagnosed and solved.

Tell us:

What was not working
What you initially suspected
What the actual problem turned out to be
What you did to fix it

We are more interested in how you think than in receiving a generic cover letter.

Symbrium, Inc.

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