Technical Trainer and Artisan

SUMMARY:
TECHNICAL TRAINER – FMCG & PACKAGING
Must be an Artisan 
Location: South of Durban, KwaZulu-Natal
Industry: FMCG / Packaging / Manufacturing
Salary: Up to R65,000 Gross Per Month
Employment Type: Permanent

POSITION INFO:

Role Purpose
Our client is seeking an experienced Technical Trainer with a strong artisan and manufacturing background to develop and deliver technical training within a high-volume FMCG and Packaging environment.
The successful candidate will have a technical trade qualification as an Artisan, combined with extensive hands-on experience in production environments, machine readiness, equipment operation, changeovers, start-ups and manufacturing processes.
This is a practical, shop-floor-focused training role. The incumbent will be responsible for transferring technical knowledge and operational best practice to production, maintenance and technical teams, ensuring employees are competent, confident and able to operate equipment safely, efficiently and consistently.
The ideal candidate will understand that effective technical training goes beyond classroom theory and will be comfortable working directly with operators, artisans, supervisors and production teams on the manufacturing floor.
Machine Readiness & Production Training

• Provide extensive training on machine readiness prior to production start-up.
• Train operators and technical personnel on:
• Machine preparation
• Start-up procedures
• Changeovers
• Machine settings
• Product changeovers
• Quality checks
• Fault identification
• Basic troubleshooting
• Shutdown procedures
• Cleaning and inspection requirements
• Support production teams in achieving consistent and reliable machine performance.
• Ensure operators understand the relationship between correct machine setup, product quality, productivity and waste reduction.
• Coach teams on best practices for reducing downtime and improving Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).

• Provide training within high-volume FMCG and Packaging manufacturing environments.
• Ensure training is aligned with production requirements, food/product safety standards and quality requirements where applicable.
• Train employees on packaging machinery, production lines and associated equipment.
• Support production teams during new machine installations, commissioning, line changes and process improvements.
• Assist with developing standardised operating procedures and machine-specific training programmes.

• Apply practical artisan experience to troubleshoot and explain technical problems.
• Coach operators and junior technical personnel in basic mechanical, electrical, pneumatic and/or process-related principles relevant to the machinery.
• Work closely with Maintenance, Engineering and Production teams to identify recurring technical competency gaps.
• Assist with root-cause analysis where operator competency or machine setup contributes to production losses.
• Support the implementation of technical standards and best practices across production teams.

• Identify opportunities to improve operator competency and machine performance.
• Support Lean Manufacturing, Continuous Improvement and Operational Excellence initiatives.
• Use production data, downtime reports and quality information to identify training requirements.
• Develop targeted training interventions to address recurring production and machine-related issues.
• Measure the effectiveness of training through competency assessments and operational performance.

• Promote a strong Safety-First culture throughout all training activities.
• Ensure employees understand safe operating procedures and machine safety requirements.
• Ensure training complies with company SHEQ requirements and applicable legislation.
• Reinforce correct PPE, lockout/tagout and safe machine operating practices.
• Report identified safety, competency or procedural gaps to management.
• Ensure training documentation is maintained and audit-ready.

• Recognised Trade Test / Artisan qualification is essential.
• Suitable trade backgrounds may include:
• Millwright
• Electrician
• Fitter
• Fitter & Turner
• Mechanical Artisan
• Instrumentation Technician
• Other relevant manufacturing trade.

• Extensive hands-on experience in a manufacturing environment.
• Strong experience within FMCG and/or Packaging is essential.