Bag Machine Operator

Safely operate, set up, adjust, and maintain paper bag machines and flexographic printing presses. This role is responsible for ensuring efficient production, maintaining high-quality standards, carrying out routine mechanical adjustments, and supporting team operations to satisfy customer orders on schedule.

• Set up, adjust, and operate paper bag machinery, printing presses, and auxiliary equipment according to work orders and job packets.

• Prepare raw materials for production (e.g., stripping, preparing, setting, and changing paper rolls and ink).

• Mount photopolymer flexo plates to cylinders/sleeves and make precise machine adjustments for job changes or print specifications.

• Maximize machine speed and capacity while maintaining zero-defect quality; actively work to reduce set-up time and operational downtime.

• Perform preventative maintenance, basic troubleshooting, repairs, and reset/adjust machinery following minor malfunctions or performance issues.

• Identify mechanical concerns and report escalations to the Production Supervisor, Production Manager, or Maintenance Specialists.

• Assist in developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs).

• Perform initial ("first bag out") quality checks and continuous inline inspections to ensure packaging integrity, proper dimensions, correct weights, and accurate print quality.

• Immediately isolate non-conforming product/waste to prevent defective bags from reaching the customer.

• Strictly adhere to plant safety rules, company policies, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs).

• Gather, count, and package finished bags into boxes/bags; stack and secure pallet loads in an orderly manner using pallet jacks or lift trucks.

• Complete accurate daily production entries, including status reports, safety records, scrap counts, and quality tracking.

• Train, assist, and mentor Assistant Operators, Machine Operators, Machine Helpers, and Production Utility personnel on setup, safe operation, and quality control.

• Actively participate in the Plant Safety Committee and cross-train across various plant machines/roles to support operational growth.

• Maintain a clean, organized work area (5S/housekeeping) including equipment, breakrooms, and shared spaces.

• Work overtime, short-notice shift variations, and holiday schedules as required by customer demand (24/7/365 environment).

• Minimum: 6+ months manufacturing/production experience.

• Preferred: 2 to 4 years of prior experience operating paper bag, envelope, or flexo-folder gluer machines within the packaging/converting industry.

• Basic reading comprehension and ability to read work order packets.

• Working knowledge of flexographic printing and paper converting machinery.

• Proficient with touch-screen controls, basic mechanical troubleshooting, and using a tape measure with speed and accuracy.

• Ability to apply practical high school math concepts (percentages, rates, measurements, volumes).

• Physical Capabilities: Regularly required to stand, walk, reach, stoop, kneel, crouch, crawl, and talk/hear. Frequently uses hands and fingers to handle or feel materials. Must be able to regularly lift and move up to 50 lbs.

• Vision: Close, distance, color, and peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus.

• Environment: Active manufacturing plant. Regular exposure to moving mechanical parts, loud noise environments, wet/humid conditions, occasional airborne particles, fumes, or machinery vibration.

Pratt Industries is America's 5th largest paper and packaging company with more than 9,000 highly skilled green collar employees dedicated to the environment and sustainability. Pratt Industries is one of the largest corrugated packaging companies in America, with sophisticated manufacturing facilities in more than twenty states. The company operates several of the most modern, cost effective paper mills in the country, as well as a series of sheet and box plants strategically placed throughout the United States offering a wide range of creative packaging solutions. Pratt Industries is committed to recycling and the environment by harvesting the urban forest.