Utilities Mechanical Engineer

Company Overview

Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Berhad (PROTON), through its strategic partnership between DRB-HICOM and Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, is evolving into a modern, globally competitive automotive brand. PROTON is committed to operational excellence, high international manufacturing standards, energy efficiency, continuous improvement, and sustainable operations.

The Utilities Mechanical Engineer ensures the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation, troubleshooting, maintenance, and project execution of mechanical utility systems at PROTON's manufacturing facilities in Tanjung Malim.

This role combines hands-on technical expertise, team leadership, maintenance planning, project execution, and energy optimization. The engineer manages the complete improvement lifecycle: Problem Identification → Data Analysis & Study → Technical Proposal & Budgeting → Approval → Design & Procurement → Installation → Commissioning → Performance Verification.

• Technical Operations: Provide engineering support for turbo/centrifugal and industrial compressed-air systems, including capacity, pressure, flow, loading/unloading, surge control, inlet guide vanes (IGVs), lubrication, cooling, and control systems.
• Monitoring & Troubleshooting: Monitor operating parameters to detect abnormal conditions. Troubleshoot high discharge temperatures, low pressure, high vibration, surge, trips, and system instability.
• System Optimization: Analyze compressed-air demand and optimize operations using sequencing, pressure optimization, and capacity management.
• Energy Efficiency: Reduce energy consumption via air-leak detection, control enhancements, and pressure optimization.
• Maintenance & Projects: Coordinate OEM inspections, overhauls, and performance testing. Technically evaluate, select, and specify equipment replacements, upgrades, and capacity expansions. Maintain spare parts inventory, SOPs, and contingency plans.

• System Management: Maintain high reliability across air compressors, cooling towers, pumps, chilled-water systems, heat exchangers, and ventilation systems.
• Breakdown & RCA Support: Provide hands-on troubleshooting and perform Root Cause Analysis (RCA) on utility equipment failures.
• Component-Level Diagnostics:
• Pumps: Troubleshoot flow/head performance, cavitation, vibration, mechanical seal/bearing failures, shaft alignment, efficiency, and Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) operation.
• Cooling Towers: Monitor water flow, supply/return and approach temperatures, fan operation, heat rejection, water quality, and efficiency.
• Chilled-Water Systems: Evaluate chiller efficiency, chilled-water $Delta T$, pump performance, cooling loads, and demand curves.
• Reliability Engineering: Analyze trend data, alarms, energy usage, and condition-monitoring inputs to prevent downtime, improve availability, and lower operating costs.

• Team Supervision: Lead the Mechanical Utilities team. Plan daily manpower and work allocations for complete plant utility coverage.
• Technical Guidance: Provide hands-on direction to technicians during breakdowns, preventive maintenance (PM), corrective maintenance (CM), and projects.
• Competency & Training: Identify skill gaps, develop technical training programs, and organize OEM workshops and On-the-Job Training (OJT) covering turbo compressors, pumps, cooling towers, piping, and valves.
• Yearly Maintenance Plan (YMP):
• Plan, execute, and track the YMP for mechanical utilities based on operating hours, OEM recommendations, equipment criticality, and historical data.
• Coordinate planned shutdowns with Production to minimize manufacturing disruption.
• Track maintenance Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): PM compliance, availability, Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF), Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), repeat failures, and maintenance spend.
• CMMS & Documentation: Maintain detailed equipment history, RCA findings, work orders, and spare-parts strategies within the Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS).

• CAPEX / OPEX Projects: Lead small to medium utility projects upgrading compressors, pumps, cooling towers, chilled-water systems, piping, instrumentation, and control valves.
• Project Preparation: Prepare detailed project scopes, engineering calculations, cost estimates, timelines, risk assessments, and implementation schedules.
• Execution & Handover: Manage site installation, testing, commissioning, and final performance verification. Ensure projects deliver targeted capacity, energy savings, and reliability.
• Documentation: Deliver final project completion reports, as-built drawings, standard operating procedures, and post-implementation reviews.

• Analytical Assessments: Identify operational bottlenecks using site inspections, plant data, energy trends, and maintenance records.
• Engineering Feasibility: Conduct preliminary technical and financial assessments, analyzing equipment loading, production demand, lifecycle costs, and ROI.
• Formal Proposals: Draft comprehensive engineering proposals detailing problem statements, RCA findings, technical justifications, cost estimates, energy/cost savings, project schedules, and safety evaluations.
• Procurement Support: Prepare Request for Quotation (RFQ) and tender technical specifications. Technically evaluate vendor and contractor proposals to recommend optimal equipment and solutions.

• Performance Tracking: Monitor key utility metrics including compressor specific power, chiller coefficient of performance (COP), pump efficiency curves, system DeltaT, and unit energy consumption per produced vehicle.
• Sustainability & ISO 50001: Implement energy-reduction initiatives aligned with ISO 50001 and PROTON's corporate sustainability goals.
• Technology Adoption: Identify applications for VFDs, heat recovery, smart sensors, automated sequencing, and automated condition-monitoring platforms.

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or equivalent.
• Experience: Strong practical background in industrial mechanical utilities, ideally within automotive, heavy manufacturing, or continuous process facilities.
• Core Technical Expertise:
• Hands-on knowledge of turbo/centrifugal air compressors and plant compressed-air systems.
• Operational and troubleshooting experience with screw/reciprocating compressors, cooling towers, pumps, chilled-water systems, heat exchangers, and ventilation systems.
• Leadership & Planning: Proven ability to supervise technical teams, direct daily maintenance, build technical training plans, and manage a Yearly Maintenance Plan (YMP).
• Maintenance Engineering: Proficiency in RCA methodologies, condition monitoring, equipment alignment, predictive maintenance, and CMMS software.
• Project Management: Track record of preparing engineering proposals, managing project budgets (CAPEX/OPEX), evaluating vendor tenders, supervising site installations, and commissioning utility systems.
• Technical Skills: Ability to read and interpret P&IDs, isometric drawings, equipment datasheets, and utility control schematics.
• Desirable Knowledge:
• Understanding of VFDs, process instrumentation, PLC/SCADA, BMS/EMS, and smart utility sensors.
• Familiarity with ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems, occupational safety standards, and relevant local code compliance.
• Location: Willingness to be based in Tanjung Malim, working in a hands-on manufacturing plant environment with flexibility to support critical troubleshooting and planned utility maintenance overhauls.