Seasonal Ceramic Production Jobs (NOW HIRING)

We are gearing up for the holiday season and we are currently looking for people who can work in a fast paced environment. The ideal applicant must be energetic and upbeat and have a strong initiative to complete tasks on their own. Applicants should also be willing to be cross trained and should be flexible with switching between various tasks throughout the day. This position is seasonal, with an employment period typically falling between August - January.

Seasonal Production Associate

As a Production Associate, your work is at the heart of our production process. In this role, you will be responsible for some of our core production processes, including masking a glass, packing glassware for shipment, running the dishwasher, performing quality control and applying oil paint to ceramic ornaments. In this role, you may be cross-trained across several different departments including deep-etching, ornament decorating, and even laser engraving. This is a seasonal job for the Christmas rush.

Job requirements:

• All employees must complete SGC's training program
• Meet daily production quota (as specified by your team Lead)
• Come to work every day with a great attitude and strong work ethic
• Be adaptable and open to being trained to work in multiple departments
• Read and follow work orders to fulfill customer specifications
• Perform quality control by making sure each piece meets our high quality standards

Job Positions by Department

Note: All job positions require employees to be able to read and understand a work order, stand for long periods, with occasional bending, and lifting up to 50lbs.

Deep Etch Department

Graphic Designer

• Our Graphic designer Creates artwork and produces mockups for customers, prepares logos for factory production, processes all work orders for our Deep Etch and Silkscreen departments, assists in the design of product catalogs and customer email blasts, and controls stock of licensing stickers. A graphic designer must be knowledgeable in Adobe Illustrator, InDesign, and Adobe Photoshop.

Masker

• A masker is responsible for pulling glassware from inventory and applying a blue sticker-like material to each piece of glass. It is important that each sticker is straight, applied at the correct height, and adhered to the glass properly. Must be able to lift up to 50lbs to retrieve glass from inventory, and must have great motor skills and ability to see fine detail.

Taper

• A taper is required to apply masking tape around the edges of each sticker once applied to the glassware, ensuring that the registration lines are completely covered and the engravable image is not affected. Must have great motor skills and ability to see fine detail.

Taper

Sand Blaster

• A sand blaster is responsible for operating a sand blasting machine which uses high pressure air and sand to etch an image into glassware. As a sandblaster, you must ensure that each piece of glass is blasted evenly and deeply, without breaking the product. Previous sand blasting experience is required for this position. Must be able to lift up to 50lbs repetitively and must have great motor skills and ability to see fine detail.

Washer

• The washer receives the etched products from the sand blaster and uses a commercial hot water dish washing machine to clean the glassware and then removes all sticker and tape material. This is one of the most important roles in the assembly line, as the washer is also responsible for quality assurance. Must have the ability to see fine detail.

Packer

• Packers must be sure each order is complete and everything matches the work order before packing the product. They are also responsible for making sure each order is packed in the correct box, with the correct packaging material and inserts. Must be able to lift up to 50lbs.

Shipper

• Shippers are required to process the shipment of each order by scanning the barcode on the work order, selecting the correct box size, and weighing the product. It is important to make sure all of the information on the work order matches the information on the ship station computer before processing the label. The shipping labels get applied to each box and the boxes are then sorted by delivery service. This shipper must be able to lift up to 50lbs repetitively and have moderate computer skills.

Ornament Department

Typesetter

• The typesetter is responsible for the management of orders - importing into accounting software and then exporting into custom database for order printing and sorting. Typesetting of orders - copying and pasting data into Adobe Illustrator and then exporting typeset files for laser engraver. Experience using Adobe Illustrator and Microsoft Excel is a requirement for this position. This candidate should also be good at troubleshooting issues in these programs.

Picker

• A picker in the ornament department is responsible for pulling ornaments from inventory using a pick sheet, unpacking them, and placing them on trays. Pickers apply self-adhesive work order labels to each ornament box and load them onto a cart, ensuring they stay in order. Pickers are also responsible for receiving and storing inventory and must be able to lift up to 50 pounds repetitively, and must have great motor skills.

Laser Operator

• A typical day for a laser operator in our ornament department involves choosing the correct file setups for each ornament and loading in the artwork files, and making adjustments to the machine to ensure that it is lined up and focused properly. A basic knowledge of Windows, navigating file systems, and graphic software (Adobe Illustrator) is preferred but not required if the operator is computer savvy.

Rub N Buff

• As a Rub N Buffer, you would apply an oil-based paint to the engraved ornament, ensuring that the engraved area is completely filled, wipe off any extra paint, and then clean the ornament with mineral spirits. Rub N Buffers will learn what color paint gets applied to which ornaments. They are also the first step in the quality assurance process. Excellent hand eye coordination and lifting/pushing/pulling up to 20 pounds is a requirement for this position. Must have great motor skills and ability to see fine detail.

Packer

• Packers in the ornament department receive finished product from the Rub n Buffers and are required to match each ornament to their appropriate box by matching the engraved personalization on the ornament with the information on the work order label. They are also the second step in the quality assurance process of each ornament to guarantee that all ornaments are engraved and rub n buffed correctly and are not broken or damaged in any way. Must have the ability to see fine detail.

Shipper

• Shippers are required to process the shipment of each order by scanning the barcode on the work order and weighing the product. It is important to make sure all of the information on the work order matches the information on the ship station computer before processing the label. The shipping labels get applied to each box and the boxes are then sorted by delivery service. The shipper dedicated to the ornament program must be able to operate two ship stations at the same time. Positioned beside each other, and when timed correctly, one ship station can be processing the shipping label while the next work order is being loaded on the other. This shipper must be able to lift up to 50lbs when necessary, move at a fast pace, and have moderate computer skills.

Silk Screen Department

Screen Press Operator

• A screener will examine work orders to determine estimated printing times, ink, and material quantities, stretch screens, apply emulsion, and expose images onto screen as well clean screens when the order is done. The screener is responsible for installing and repositioning screen-printing plates and pressure rollers, calibrating printer before batch is printed, running prints and performing quality checks throughout the printing process, and troubleshooting problems as they arise. Several years of screen-printing experience is preferred and candidates should have basic mechanical knowledge.

End of Belt

• An individual who works the end of the belt in our screening department is responsible for removing glassware from the conveyer, after it comes out of the oven. This individual is responsible for checking the quality of the printed image, as well ass ensuring the glass type, image, and color match the specs on the work order. Our end of belt personnel may also help with master packing and should be able to lift up to 50 pounds.

Laser Department

Laser Operator

• A laser operator in our laser department uses a variety of different types of lasers; UV Galvo lasers, CO2 galvo lasers, and a gantry style laser. While this equipment is not hard to operate, a basic knowledge of Windows, navigating file systems, and graphic software (Adobe Illustrator) is preferred. A laser operator will choose the correct file setups for each specific product, load the customized artwork, and start the laser equipment. At times we repeat the same logo on the same product hundreds of times. Each product generally takes 30 seconds - 2 mins to laser, during which time the operator will focus on unboxing the next product, or cleaning off the latest one to be lasered. A laser operator is also responsible for checking the quality of each product.

Shipping & Receiving

S&R Associate

• As a Shipping and Receiving Associate, you will be responsible for unloading delivery trucks using a pallet jack, forklift, or other warehouse equipment, reviewing inbound shipments and verifying items and quantities before taking delivery, signing Bill of Ladings and receiving documentation. You will be in charge of keeping stock items organized and moving materials in and out of work areas and storage as required. Shipping and Receiving Associates are also responsible ensuring daily pick-ups are prepared in a timely manner, and loading them onto mail service trucks such as UPS, FedEx, and Mail Innovations. Customer service assistance may also be necessary for customer pick-ups and deliveries. Must have a valid PA driver’s license and forklift experience.

Maintenance

Maintenance Associate

• A maintenance associate is responsible for cleaning and maintaining the equipment needed to run the business and should have a basic mechanical knowledge. Daily job tasks may include, diagnosing and performing minor repairs to screen press equipment, sand blasters, heating and cooling systems, plumbing problems, or electrical issues. A maintenance associate is responsible for calling service companies for major repairs, when necessary, scheduling vehicle inspection services, and driving various materials to recycling or scrap metal drop-off locations. They are also required to perform outdoor spring and winter maintenance including, weed whacking, shoveling, snow blowing, and applying ice melt. A maintenance associated should have a desire to work hard, and be willing to switch between multiple tasks a day. Possession of a valid state driver’s license is required.

Additional role details:

• Seasonal - with the possibility of advancement
• You may need to stand for up to 8 hours. There are two paid 15-minute breaks and one unpaid 30 minute lunch break. Work may be repetitive at times.
• In general, work hours are from Monday through Friday, 7:00 AM to 4:30PM. Second shift and mid-shift positions are available if applicable. Occasional Weekend work may be required.
• Pay begins at approximately $12 per hour for most positions, with many opportunities for advancement.

Susquehanna Glass Company Values:

We’ve been in business for more than one hundred years and we believe our longstanding success is founded on our values:

• We value authenticity and our heritage of artisanship
• We value our core identity as a family company
• We value our community and vow to be a force for good in Columbia, Pennsylvania
• We value moments of celebration, delight, joy, and playfulness, both in our company culture and in what we make
• We value fairness, integrity, honesty and trust
• We value strong relationships

Susquehanna Glass Company is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristics.

Susquehanna Glass Company has been a world-leading glass decorating company since 1910. Headquartered in Columbia, Pennsylvania, we are a third-generation, family-owned business built on a tradition of artisanship and we are dedicated to crafting high-quality, personalized gifts that celebrate and strengthen relationships. We partner with global brands like Zulily, Wayfair, Amazon and Williams-Sonoma to create and distribute memorable tabletop gifts.