As Service Manager for Conveyor Systems & Pile Turners at KNZ Services, you will own the day-to-day operational rhythm of the North American field service function for Krifft & Zipsner equipment. You will assign and schedule field service technicians across active projects and service calls, maintain weekly schedule updates in close coordination with the Service Administrator and the German parent team, and keep the service ticket system current at all times. You will be the primary point of contact for customers — by phone, email, and on-site — handling technical queries daily, managing the 24/7 emergency hotline, and escalating complex global service issues to Krifft & Zipsner in Germany when required. You will also lead inspections, start-ups, training sessions, and small retrofit projects yourself, collecting and distributing all field service documentation including FSRs, expense reports, and customer acceptance letters, while actively supporting spare parts sales and coordinating open resource allocation with peer teams. This role sits at the centre of KNZ Services' growth ambition. You will be stepping into a team currently comprising three direct reports with a clear plan to scale to six by 2028, and you will act as designate for the Director of Business Unit in their absence — making this a genuine platform for senior leadership. Up to 25% of your time will be spent travelling to customer sites across North America for start-ups and hands-on troubleshooting, so the ability to establish remote service connections and lead on-site calls independently is essential. The position is based out of the Warrenville, IL office on a hybrid basis, and commutable proximity to that location is required. The impact of this role is significant: KNZ Services is the exclusive US representative for Krifft & Zipsner's conveyor and pile turner solutions, meaning the quality of your service operation directly shapes the company's reputation across every customer site on the continent. As the North American install base grows within the folding carton and printing industry, you will be building the infrastructure — processes, documentation, people, and customer relationships — that underpins the entire US service and spare parts business for years to come.
- **4+ years of experience** in a service management or field service role covering mechanical and electrical equipment — scheduling technicians, managing customer relationships, and owning service operations end-to-end - **Strong electrical hands-on capability** is non-negotiable; purely mechanical backgrounds will not be considered — you must be comfortable diagnosing and troubleshooting electrical faults on industrial machinery - **Industry background in conveyor systems, paper handling, folding carton, printing machinery, or adjacent packaging/industrial automation** equipment is strongly preferred - **Proven service management skills** including resource planning, field technician scheduling, spare parts support, and service documentation management (FSRs, acceptance letters, expense reports) - **Comfortable as the 24/7 escalation point** — you will manage a round-the-clock hotline and must be reachable and decisive when critical customer issues arise outside business hours - **Proficiency in ERP systems, Microsoft Outlook, and the broader MS Office suite** — used daily for scheduling, communication, and documentation - **Commutable to Warrenville, IL** (30W260 Butterfield Road) — hybrid role requiring regular in-office presence - **Willingness and ability to travel up to 25%** across North America for customer site start-ups, inspections, and troubleshooting
- Experience working with or alongside a European parent company, particularly coordinating service operations across time zones - Familiarity with pile turner equipment specifically, or deep knowledge of the folding carton or commercial printing supply chain - Experience establishing and managing remote service/diagnostic connections for industrial machinery - Exposure to spare parts sales or aftermarket revenue generation within a service function - German language skills or prior experience interfacing with German engineering or manufacturing teams