Field Service Technician

An established South African manufacturer of vertical form fill and seal (VFFS) packaging machinery, supplying food, beverage, and FMCG manufacturers across SA and into Africa, is looking for a Field Service Technician to install, commission, and service their machines at customer sites.
This is a hands-on, travel-based role for a Trade Tested artisan who is comfortable working unsupervised at plant level.

Key Responsibilities:

• Installation and commissioning of VFFS packaging machinery, filling systems, bag closers, multi-head weighers, and sachet machines at customer sites
• Fault finding, breakdown response, and preventative maintenance on installed equipment
• Mechanical and electrical servicing — pneumatics, drives, motors, control systems
• PLC and HMI troubleshooting on packaging line control systems
• Representing the business professionally at customer sites across food, beverage, and FMCG manufacturing environments
• Working from technical drawings, service manuals, and machine specifications
• Travel across South Africa with occasional trips into Africa

Minimum Requirements:

• Trade Tested Millwright, Mechatronician, or Red Seal Electrician (Section 26D or Indlela)
• 3-7 years post-trade experience in packaging machinery, FMCG production, or industrial OEM service work
• Strong fault-finding skills across mechanical and electrical disciplines
• Comfortable working independently and representing the company at customer plants
• Exposure to PLCs (Siemens, Allen Bradley, Omron) and VSDs
• Own reliable vehicle, valid SA driver’s licence, and valid passport
• Willingness to travel extensively

Advantageous:

• Direct experience on VFFS, filling, labelling, or weighing machinery
• Prior customer-side experience at packaging manufacturers (Polyoak, Alpla, Nampak, Mpact) or FMCG plants (Tiger Brands, Pioneer, RCL, Astral, Clover)
• OEM-side service experience at competitor manufacturers (Rovema, Ishida, Bosch/Syntegon, Schullpak)
• Panel wiring, Omron PLC programming, VSD and servo drive setup

On Offer:

• Established SA manufacturer with a strong product reputation
• Direct reporting line to the technical leadership
• Variety of work across customer sites and sectors
• Long-term growth path from Field Service Technician through to Senior Service roles
• Stable basic salary with travel allowance and benefits