Wood Applications Engineer
Company: Vecoplan, LLC Location: Hybrid / On-site (Greensboro, NC) with travel Reports To: Engineering Manager or Director of Engineering
Position Summary
The Wood Applications Engineer is responsible for designing, configuring, and supporting Vecoplan equipment solutions for wood-based applications, including waste wood, pallets, biomass, and engineered wood products. This role bridges engineering, sales, service, and customers to ensure technically sound, efficient, and commercially viable solutions tailored to customer processes and material characteristics.
Key Responsibilities
Application Engineering & System Design
- Evaluate customer requirements, material characteristics, throughput goals, and site conditions.
- Design customized equipment and system solutions for wood processing applications.
- Select appropriate shredding, conveying, screening, and material handling components based on application needs.
- Develop system layouts, process flow diagrams, and equipment configurations.
Sales & Customer Support
- Support Sales and Parts & Service teams with technical expertise during the proposal and quoting process.
- Participate in customer meetings, site visits, and technical discussions to ensure accurate application understanding.
- Provide clear technical explanations of Vecoplan solutions to customers and internal stakeholders.
- Support value-engineering efforts to balance performance, reliability, and cost.
Documentation & Engineering Deliverables
- Prepare technical specifications, application summaries, and configuration details for orders.
- Review and support creation of layout drawings, BOMs, and system documentation.
- Ensure designs comply with safety standards, regulatory requirements, and Vecoplan engineering guidelines.
Testing, Validation & Continuous Improvement
- Recommend and support material testing when required to validate equipment selection.
- Analyze performance feedback from field installations and recommend improvements.
- Collaborate with Product Engineering and Service teams to resolve application challenges.
- Share lessons learned and best practices across engineering and sales teams.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Work closely with Product Engineering, Manufacturing, Service, and Project Management teams.
- Support commissioning and startup activities when required, either on-site or remotely.
- Provide technical training to internal teams related to wood applications and equipment performance.
Travel & Field Support
- Travel to customer sites to assess applications, support sales efforts, or assist with startups and troubleshooting.
- Support trade shows, technical seminars, and customer demonstrations as needed.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Engineering Technology, or related field.
- 3–5+ years of experience in application engineering or process engineering, preferably in wood, biomass, or recycling industries.
- Strong understanding of mechanical systems and industrial equipment.
- Ability to evaluate process flow, material behavior, and system performance.
- Strong communication skills with technical and non-technical audiences.
Preferred
- Experience with shredders, grinders, size reduction, material handling, or wood processing equipment.
- Familiarity with engineered-to-order machinery and project-based manufacturing.
- Experience working directly with customers in industrial environments.
- Knowledge of ERP systems, CAD tools, and engineering documentation processes.
Key Competencies
- Analytical and problem-solving mindset
- Customer-focused solution development
- Strong organizational and prioritization skills
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Technical curiosity and continuous improvement mindset
Physical & Travel Requirements
- Ability to travel up to 30–40%, including overnight travel.
- Ability to access industrial environments, including walking plant floors and climbing stairs.
- Ability to wear required PPE during site visits.
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Disability insurance
- Employee assistance program
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Parental leave
- Referral program
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
