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 Responsibilities- Process 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 lifecycle- Equipment & 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 ExperienceEssential- Understanding 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.Desired- Strong 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/Certifications- Bachelor’s or master’s degree in chemical engineering, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related field- 3–7 years of experience in a manufacturing environment, preferably in battery, chemical, or pharmaceutical industries.