Reliability Maintenance Mechanic – Beverage Packaging & Processing

Berner Foods Manufacturing

Dakota, IL

Pay: $28-$36/hr

**A day in the life**

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You clock in at Berner Food & Beverage’s SQF Level III-certified facility in Dakota, IL and open the CMMS to review preventive maintenance tasks that keep our high-speed beverage and dip lines humming. Lockout/tagout is second nature as you diagnose a servo-driven filler, swap a worn bearing on a conveyor, and verify your work with a full operational check. Mid-shift, you pivot to facilities: checking steam boilers, water chillers, cooling towers, well pumps, and HVAC performance, recording wet-chem water tests with precision and publishing the results. After assisting with a line changeover, you document parts used, update reorder lists, and hand off clear notes to the next shift—another reliable day improving uptime and quality.

Why Berner

• Employer of choice culture—team-oriented, safe, inclusive, and innovative.
• State-of-the-art automation in a 290,000 sq. ft. expansion that tripled production space.
• Products you’ll support: shelf-stable beverages, dips, sauces, and aerosol cheese.
• Industry recognition: 2025 finalist in the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association “Coolest Thing Made in Illinois” for Aerosol Cheese Products.
• Flexible scheduling options, competitive pay, and comprehensive benefits.

What you’ll own

• Drive the Preventive Maintenance (PM) program to minimize unplanned downtime.
• Troubleshoot mechanical issues using technical manuals, schematics, and your diagnostic skills.
• Perform mechanical maintenance and repairs on production machinery and facility support systems.
• Inspect, operate, and test equipment to confirm root cause and validate repairs.
• Champion safety: follow company policies, LOTO, GMPs, food safety standards, and OSHA.
• Resolve equipment and plant mechanical system issues with sustainable solutions.
• Complete work orders on time; document work in software with clear logs and communication across teams.
• Support changeovers and startups, troubleshooting issues to hit schedule and yield targets.
• Identify needed parts; maintain inventories and reorder lists to prevent delays.
• Protect product quality to the highest standard.
• Engage in Continuous Improvement; contribute ideas and participate in team projects.
• Build your maintenance and leadership capabilities through assigned training.
• Support facility utilities: steam boilers, water chillers, cooling towers, well pumps, HVAC, and other plant utility equipment.
• Collect and publish operational data accurately—strong written and verbal communication is essential.

Qualifications

• Technical maintenance training or 3+ years of industrial equipment maintenance experience.
• Food manufacturing experience preferred.
• Boiler, chiller, or HVAC training preferred; strong mechanical background with bearings, seals, and gaskets.
• Hands-on experience with gearboxes, chains/sprockets, belts, clutches, bearings, and brakes in production environments.
• Experience with compressed air systems, basic plumbing/piping, boilers, and hydraulics is a plus.
• Proficient with hand/power tools, drill presses, and shop equipment.
• Ability to read and interpret English documentation: safety rules, O&M manuals, procedures, diagrams, and schedules; able to work from drawings, schematics, sketches, and verbal direction.
• Works independently and collaboratively; provides status updates to leadership as needed.
• Willing to work shift schedules, overtime, weekends, and holidays as business needs dictate.
• Practical problem-solving with the ability to manage variables in dynamic production settings.
• Commitment to ongoing growth in maintenance and leadership through training.
• Team-oriented behaviors aligned with Berner’s expectations and culture.
• Ability to learn and apply Berner’s Maintenance & Manufacturing Transformation (lean tools, process capability, operational discipline).
• Must be able to read and write in English.
• Basic computer literacy to process work orders and record data.
• Provide and maintain your basic tool set.

Key job responsibilities/requirements (additional)

• Learn and perform daily wet chemistry water testing; record data accurately.
• Perform mechanical and electrical repairs per technical manuals and PM instructions.
• Lift, stand, walk, and climb ladders throughout the shift.

Technical proficiencies

• Mechanical Troubleshooting Skills
• 120/208/240/480 Voltage Systems
• Pneumatics Troubleshooting
• Maintenance and Repair Skills
• Mechanical Systems & Component Repair
• Electrical Panel Installation
• Equipment Repair & Maintenance
• Equipment Installation
• Aircraft Electrical Systems

**Machines & technologies you’ll use:** Conveyor Systems; Servo Motors

Compensation & benefits

• Pay range: $26.00–$40.00 per hour, based on experience.
• PM shift only: additional $2.00/hour shift differential.
• Benefits: Medical, Vision, Dental, Flexible Spending, Basic Life & AD&D, Short- and Long-Term Disabili