Bindery Operator 2

About the role

Lakeside Book Company is the largest book manufacturer in North America. The Crawfordsville facility, located at 600 State Road 32 West, Crawfordsville, IN 47933, employs about 850 dedicated team members and operates day shifts (8‑hour, 7 am‑3 pm). The site boasts a strong community presence—employees volunteer with local organizations, participate in Chamber of Commerce events, and enjoy safety recognition as a VPP Star Site. Crawfordsville offers outdoor activities, festivals, cultural attractions, and a quality‑of‑life that supports long‑term careers.

Responsibilities

• Set up, adjust and operate a variety of auxiliary binding machines containing several cutting heads, control surfaces or other attachments (e.g., inkjet and mailing devices, case making & decorating equipment, folders, cutters, collators, stitchers, drills, binding/gluing machines) and set up automatic bindery machines containing multiple functions and station capabilities (power paper cutters, power collators and gatherers, power folders, power speed binder) which can be electromechanically combined with other equipment to produce a complete bindery and finishing unit that processes printed sheets into final books, catalogs, manuals, directories, magazines or other completed products.
• Inspect equipment for safety issues.
• Operate automatic adhesive binding machines (perfect binders) that perform vibrating, milling, roughening, gluing, covering and delivering or stacking completed books, magazines or catalogs.
• Make needed adjustments to coordinate the multiple work stations on a single machine.
• Direct crew through all aspects of production; monitor quality, output and productivity.

Qualifications

• Thorough knowledge of the setup, adjustment, procedures, capabilities and limitations of equipment to perform the full range of standard and specialized binding, folding, collating, and cutting of printed materials to complete a finished product.
• Comprehensive knowledge of machinability of different paper weights, sizes, kinds and colors to identify paper conditions (e.g., excessive moisture or curling) that may require additional machine adjustment.
• Thorough knowledge of limitations and capabilities of all machines used to accomplish unusual set ups or machine combinations to produce unique or one‑of‑a‑kind printed materials.
• Ability to use the full range of standard and specialized tools and devices to adjust and maintain the functional accuracy and operating conditions of the bindery machines.
• Skill in making difficult adjustments to powered machines using hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers, punches, knives) as well as more specialized hand tools usually furnished by the machine manufacturer.
• Skill in operating complicated bindery equipment such as folders, cutters, collators, stitchers, drills, binding/gluing machines.
• Ability to read and interpret written work indicating the number and sequence of machine operations required to complete the work and maintain dimensional accuracy per instructions.

Pay

Starting rate: $23.47–$29.50 per hour.

Benefits

• $100 safety shoe reimbursement.
• $100 safety glasses reimbursement.
• Company provides all necessary tools.
• Two weeks’ vacation.
• Training provided.

Schedule

Day shift, 8‑hour hours (7 am‑3 pm).