Engineer - coating

ABOUT AGRATASAgratas is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Sons. We design, develop and manufacture high-quality, high-performance, sustainable batteries applied to multiple use cases in the mobility and energy sectors, to match our customers’ requirements.Agratas is a scale-up business with a start-up mentality, driven by our pursuit of green growth and technological progress. ROLE PROFILEThe OpportunityWe are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Process Engineer – Coating to lead the design, optimization, and continuous improvement of the electrode coating process in our Li-ion cell manufacturing setup. This role is critical to ensuring precise, uniform coatings and the successful scale-up of cell production. The ideal candidate will have hands-on experience with coating technologies, web handling systems, and defect mitigation, with a strong foundation in electrode material behaviour and process control.• Business Expertise: Requires understanding of manufacturing operations, quality systems, and how different departments (like R&D, supply chain, and maintenance) work together. Knowledge of industry trends and competitor technologies is essential.• Problem Solving: Deals with complex issues such as process variability, yield loss, and equipment reliability. Requires analytical thinking, innovation, and adaptability to environmental factors like humidity and material behavior.• Nature & Area of Impact: Directly impacts production efficiency, quality, and cost. Influences the performance of teams and departments, contributing to business goals and overall competitiveness.PERSON PROFILEKey Accountabilities and ResponsibilitiesProcess Design & Optimization: Design, develop, and optimize the coating process for anode and cathode electrodes using slot-die and gravure coating techniques.Establish and fine-tune slurry viscosity, solid content, and rheological properties for optimal coatability and film uniformity.Define and control critical process parameters, including coating speed, gap settings, drying temperature profile, and web speed. Ongoing ownership of key process control points, using data and analysis to drive continuous improvement to product and process.Develop the manufacturing process, including the design, control strategy and risk mitigation activity for key areas of the end-to-end production process.Scale-up & Commissioning: Responsible for the scale-up mixing equipment to mass production levels.Support implementation plans and associated actions to ensure compliance with targets for OEE, yield, cycle time and product quality throughout the industrialization lifecycleEquipment & System Management: Select, install, and qualify coating equipment, including thickness gauges, drying ovens, and tensioning systems.Ensure proper roller alignment, web handling stability, and tension control to maintain consistent coating quality.Collaborate with vendors and internal teams on equipment calibration, maintenance, and upgrades.Defect Detection & Mitigation: Identify and resolve coating-related process issues such as non-uniform coating, coating delamination, edge defects, air bubbles, and surface irregularities.Monitor process KPIs and lead continuous improvement initiatives to enhance throughput, quality, and cost-efficiency.Quality & Documentation: Develop SOPs, process flow diagrams, PFMEAs, control plans, and other quality documentation.Work closely with the quality team to ensure coating process compliance with internal and external standards.Cross-functional Collaboration: Collaborate with teams across materials, cell design, quality assurance, automation, and maintenance to ensure smooth process integration and alignment with product goals.Knowledge, Skills and ExperienceEssentialUnderstanding of slot-die, and gravure coating methods, with hands-on experience in adjusting gap settings, coating speed, and slurry viscosity to optimize uniformity.Ability to interpret data from thickness gauges, in-line vision inspection systems, and IR sensors to maintain coating consistency.Exposure to web handling principles, including tensioning systems, roller alignment, and defect mitigation (e.g., wrinkling, edge cracking).Identify and resolve process issues related to coating defects such as non-uniform coating, coating delamination, or irregularities in electrode surface quality.DesiredStrong understanding of the properties of materials used in lithium-ion battery electrodes, including the behaviour of slurries, binders, and additives during the coating process.Expertise in optimizing coating processes, including the ability to design experiments (DOE) to improve coating uniformity, efficiency, and quality.Working knowledge of safety standards related to chemical handling and powder processing (e.g., MSDS, ATEX, NFPA)Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills to work effectively with R&D, quality, and production teams Understanding of industry standards for lithium-ion cell manufacturing (e.g., ISO, IATF 16949)Role Specific Qualifications/CertificationsBachelor’s or master’s degree in chemical engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field3–7 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in battery, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries.