INTERN OR CO-OP - Product Development Engineer at First Quality

Founded over 35 years ago, First Quality is a family-owned company that has grown from a small business in McElhattan, Pennsylvania into a group of companies, employing over 5,000 team members, while maintaining our family values and entrepreneurial spirit. With corporate offices in New York and Pennsylvania and 8 manufacturing campuses across the U.S. and Canada, the companies within the First Quality group produce high-quality personal care and household products for large retailers and healthcare organizations. Our personal care and household product portfolio includes baby diapers, wipes, feminine pads, paper towels, bath tissue, adult incontinence products, laundry detergents, fabric finishers, and dishwash solutions. In addition, we manufacture certain raw materials and components used in the manufacturing of these products, including flexible print and packaging solutions.

Guided by our values of humility, unity, and integrity, we leverage advanced technology and innovation to drive growth and create new opportunities. At First Quality, you’ll find a collaborative environment focused on continuous learning, professional development, and our mission to Make Things Better®.

Job Title: Product Development Engineer Co-Op or Intern

Location: Anderson, SC (First Quality Tissue SE)

Mentor: Product Development Manager or Team Member

Job Purpose:

The Product Development Engineer is broadly focused on papermaking through small scale laboratory work and/or mill-scale trials to enhance current products while also looking toward making new and improved products.

Job Responsibilities:

This role could involve operation of common and unique laboratory equipment to prepare materials for use in the making of TAPPI and/or dynamic handsheets to assess experimental variables of interest in tissue and towel.

Conduct mixing evaluations of various chemistries and pulps and analyze impact on paper properties.
Bleaching of alternate fiber materials (nonwood, brown recycled fiber, etc.) using laboratory equipment.
Support of paper machine pulp or chemical substitution trials.

Skill Development

Team Collaboration, Analytical Skills – Laboratory & Data Analysis, Agility

Experience / Skills:

The ideal candidate will be working toward a Bachelors’ degree in Pulp and Paper Science & Technology/Chemical or Mechanical Engineering with a minimum 3.0 GPA. Proficiency in MS Word and Excel.

First Quality is committed to protecting information under the care of First Quality Enterprises commensurate with leading industry standards and applicable regulations. As such, First Quality provides at least annual training regarding data privacy and security to employees who, as a result of their role specifications, may come in to contact with sensitive data.

First Quality is an Equal Opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identification, or protected Veteran status.