plus10 — a Fraunhofer IPA spin-off based in Augsburg, Bavaria — has built Hopper, an AI tool that optimizes injection molding (Spritzgieß) processes in real time, reducing scrap (Ausschuss), shortening cycle times (Zykluszeiten), and accelerating setup (Rüsten). Hopper is already in daily production use at well-known clients in Medizintechnik, Automotive, and Konsumgüter — making it an established product, not a prototype. plus10 is seeking an Applikationsingenieur (m/w/d) for Kunststoffprozesse who combines deep Spritzguss process knowledge with the communication skills to implement Hopper at customer sites, configure it for specific materials and machines (Arburg Selogica/Gestica, Engel CC300, Demag NC5), train machine setters and process engineers, and translate shopfloor feedback into structured product development input. A degree or Techniker qualification in Kunststofftechnik, Maschinenbau, or Verfahrenstechnik and verhandlungssicheres Deutsch are required. Significant career growth potential to full technical ownership of Hopper is offered.
What plus10 Offers — Benefits & Working Culture
Responsibility: Spannende Aufgaben mit viel Eigenverantwortung — genuine ownership of customer implementation projects from day one, not narrow task execution in a large department
Team: Interdisciplinary team from Software, Data Science, and Produktionstechnik — a rare, stimulating mix of engineering disciplines working on a real AI product for manufacturing
Technology: Moderne Technologien und Entwicklungsmethoden — working with OPC UA, Edge devices, and AI/ML optimization in a production manufacturing context
Flexibility: Flexible Arbeitszeiten + Remote-Möglichkeit — genuine flexible working and remote option alongside the customer site visits the role requires
Leave & Wellness: 30 Tage Urlaub · Vergünstigungen für Fitnessstudios und Sportaktivitäten · Kostenlose Früchte, Snacks, Getränke und guter Kaffee
Mobility: Deutschlandticket — free Germany-wide public transport pass
Development: Weiterbildungsbudget + Zugang zu Fachkonferenzen · Regelmäßige Team-Events · Flache Hierarchien und kurze Entscheidungswege
Career Perspective: With growing project experience: possibility to progressively take on full technical ownership (fachliche Gesamtverantwortung) for Hopper
About plus10 — Fraunhofer IPA Spin-off | KI-Tool Hopper for Spritzguss Optimization
Company: plus10 — Fraunhofer IPA Spin-off | Augsburg, Bavaria | AI-powered real-time optimization of injection molding processes
Product: Hopper — established KI tool in daily production use at named clients in Medizintechnik · Automotive · Konsumgüter | Reduces scrap · shortens cycle times · accelerates setup · stabilizes technical plastics and recyclates processing · systematizes production knowledge
Market: Addresses Germany’s Fachkräftemangel (skilled worker shortage) in plastics manufacturing — Hopper makes process knowledge machine-accessible, reducing dependence on individual expert knowledge
Team: Interdisciplinary — Software engineers · Data scientists · Produktionstechniker | International customer environment across multiple sectors
Scientific Foundation: Fraunhofer IPA heritage — methodologically rigorous, industry-connected, and technically at the frontier of manufacturing AI
Why This plus10 Applikationsingenieur Role Is a Strong Career Opportunity in 2026
Manufacturing AI at the Frontier: Real-time AI optimization of injection molding processes — the specific application that Hopper addresses — is at the frontier of manufacturing technology adoption in Germany’s plastics industry in 2026, where the combination of Fachkräftemangel, rising material costs, Rezyklate processing requirements, and quality standards creates exactly the commercial pressure that makes AI process optimization genuinely economically compelling
Fraunhofer IPA Credibility: plus10’s Fraunhofer IPA spin-off origin gives it the scientific credibility, industry network, and technical depth that most manufacturing AI startups lack — making it a safer and more professionally credible employer for Kunststofftechnik engineers who want startup energy without pure startup risk
Career Growth to Product Ownership: The explicit career perspective of growing into full technical ownership (fachliche Gesamtverantwortung) of Hopper — from implementation engineer to technical product leader — is one of the most clearly defined and professionally attractive career growth pathways available to a Spritzguss-experienced engineer in the German manufacturing AI market
Augsburg Tech Ecosystem: Augsburg’s strong manufacturing technology sector, proximity to Munich’s tech ecosystem, and Bavaria’s excellent quality of life make it one of Germany’s most professionally dynamic and personally rewarding locations for engineering professionals in 2026
Position Overview — Applikationsingenieur Kunststoffprozesse at plus10
This Applikationsingenieur (m/w/d) Kunststoffprozesse role at plus10 in Augsburg combines three interconnected function areas: technical customer implementation of the Hopper KI tool at injection molding production sites, independent project coordination for running Hopper implementation projects, and structured feedback collection from customer shopfloors that translates real-world production insights into concrete product development inputs. You will conduct on-site technical requirements gathering including machine configuration, data availability assessment, and OT connectivity analysis; coordinate the integration of machine controllers and OPC UA interfaces; configure Hopper for specific materials, machines, and quality objectives at each customer; instruct and train machine setters (Maschineneinrichter), shift leaders, and process engineers; hand over to stable production operation and provide ongoing technical support; independently manage running implementation projects; and systematically relay customer requirements and shopfloor feedback to the product development team as concrete feature requests. The role requires a Kunststofftechnik, Maschinenbau, or Verfahrenstechnik degree or Technikerausbildung, Spritzguss process experience (setup, optimization, fault diagnosis), experience with at least one major injection molding machine controller (Arburg Selogica/Gestica, Engel CC300, Demag NC5), basic OT environment understanding (OPC UA, machine data, edge devices), and verhandlungssicheres Deutsch with English at B2 level.
Why This plus10 Applikationsingenieur Role Is the Manufacturing AI Career of 2026 in Bavaria: Kunststofftechnik and Maschinenbau engineers with hands-on Spritzguss process optimization experience — who combine practical machine setup and fault diagnosis capability on Arburg, Engel, or Demag systems with basic OT/OPC UA understanding, structured project coordination experience, and the communication skills to train production teams and translate shopfloor feedback into product development insight — have an exceptional opportunity at plus10 to stand at the professional intersection of their established plastics process engineering expertise and Germany’s most commercially important AI manufacturing trend, with a clearly defined career path to full technical product ownership of an established, revenue-generating AI tool used by named Medizintechnik, Automotive, and Konsumgüter clients.
Key Responsibilities
Technische Implementierung beim Kunden — Customer Site Implementation
- Conduct on-site technical requirements gathering at customer injection molding production facilities — performing the systematic assessment of machine configuration (machine type, clamping force, screw diameter, shot weight range, available process data signals), data availability (which process parameters are logged by the machine controller and at what sampling frequency), OT connectivity infrastructure (network architecture, firewall configuration, edge device placement, historian or SCADA availability), and the specific quality objectives and process challenges that Hopper’s AI optimization should address at each specific customer site
- Coordinate the integration of injection molding machine controllers and OPC UA interfaces — managing the technical implementation work required to establish reliable, real-time OPC UA data connections between the customer’s Arburg Selogica/Gestica, Engel CC300, Demag NC5, or other injection molding machine controllers and the Hopper AI platform, coordinating with the customer’s IT, OT, and production engineering teams to resolve connectivity issues, configure data point mappings, and validate that the machine data flowing into Hopper is accurate, complete, and appropriately time-stamped for AI process modeling
- Configure Hopper for each specific process — applying deep Spritzguss process engineering knowledge to set up Hopper’s AI optimization engine for the specific combination of material (virgin engineering plastics, technical polymers, filled grades, recyclates), machine, mold, process parameters, and quality objectives at each customer site, configuring the process boundaries, optimization targets, quality measurement inputs, and human-machine interaction workflows that make Hopper’s AI recommendations practically useful and operationally safe for the customer’s production team
- Instruct and train machine setters (Maschineneinrichter), shift leaders, and process engineers — designing and delivering the targeted, practically-oriented training sessions for each audience level that give machine setters the operational confidence to use Hopper’s AI recommendations during production, shift leaders the monitoring and escalation understanding to manage Hopper-assisted production safely, and process engineers the technical insight to evaluate and build on Hopper’s optimization outputs
- Hand over to stable production operation and provide ongoing technical support — managing the structured transition from implementation project to stable production use, confirming that Hopper is performing reliably within the agreed optimization parameters before formally closing the implementation project, and providing the responsive ongoing technical support that maintains customer confidence in Hopper and prevents minor technical issues from escalating into production disruptions
Projektkoordination — Independent Project Management
- Independently coordinate and steer running Hopper implementation projects — managing the project schedule, customer communication, internal resource coordination, milestone tracking, risk identification, and delivery accountability for multiple concurrent Hopper implementation projects at different stages, applying the structured, self-directed project management discipline that ensures implementation projects are completed on time, within scope, and to the quality standard that customer satisfaction and Hopper’s market reputation require
- Balance multiple customer site visits, remote configuration work, and internal product development collaboration — managing the specific time and attention allocation challenges that an implementation engineering role in a growing startup creates, where customer urgency, internal development cycles, and professional development opportunities all compete for the same finite working week
Feedback & Produktentwicklung — Shopfloor Insights to Product Features
- Systematically relay customer requirements and shopfloor feedback to the development team — applying the structured feedback collection discipline that transforms anecdotal production operator comments and informal customer conversations into clearly defined, reproducible, priority-ranked product development inputs that the software and data science team can act on effectively without requiring ongoing clarification conversations
- Translate shopfloor feedback into concrete feature requests — applying both Spritzguss process engineering expertise and understanding of Hopper’s technical architecture to translate the gap between what production teams need from an AI process optimization tool and what Hopper currently provides into specific, technically feasible, and commercially valuable product enhancement proposals that help plus10’s development team prioritize the feature investments that most improve Hopper’s market competitiveness and customer retention
Qualifications & Requirements
- Completed degree in Kunststofftechnik, Maschinenbau, Verfahrenstechnik, or a closely related engineering discipline — or a Technikerausbildung with equivalent professional experience specifically in injection molding process engineering
- Practical experience in Kunststoffverarbeitung — specifically Spritzguss (injection molding) — including machine setup (Einrichtung), process optimization, and fault diagnosis (Fehlerdiagnose) in a production environment
- Hands-on experience with at least one major injection molding machine controller — Arburg Selogica/Gestica, Engel CC300, Demag NC5, or equivalent — sufficient to navigate the controller interface, read and understand process parameters, and identify machine-side configuration issues during customer site implementations
- Basic understanding of industrial OT environments — OPC UA, machine data concepts, and edge device principles — at a user and configuration level (no programming or software development skills required)
- Experience in coordinating technical projects with a structured, self-directed, and deadline-conscious working style
- Verhandlungssicheres Deutsch — essential for all customer interactions at German manufacturing sites | English at B2 level — for internal plus10 team communication
- Willingness to travel approximately 10–20% (Germany and EU) for customer site implementation visits
About plus10, Hopper & AI-Powered Spritzguss Optimization in Germany 2026
plus10‘s Hopper represents exactly the kind of practically grounded, production-floor-tested AI product that the German manufacturing industry has been waiting for — one that addresses the real, commercially urgent problems of Ausschuss reduction, Zykluszeit optimization, and process stability for technical plastics and recyclates, that is implemented and used by real production teams rather than sitting in a data science project, and that is proven in daily use at named clients in Germany’s most technically demanding manufacturing sectors. For Kunststofftechnik and Maschinenbau engineers who have spent years developing deep Spritzguss process expertise and are ready to apply that knowledge at the frontier of manufacturing AI — helping customers implement a real AI tool that makes their production better, training their teams to use it effectively, and feeding shopfloor reality back into a product that is actively getting better — the Applikationsingenieur role at plus10 in Augsburg is one of the most professionally interesting and career-advancing manufacturing engineering positions available in Bavaria in 2026.
Your Career Growth Path: Applikationsingenieur → Senior Applikationsingenieur → Fachliche Gesamtverantwortung Hopper → Head of Applications & Customer Success → VP Product & Technology — a technically specialized, industrially grounded, and professionally consequential manufacturing AI career trajectory built at the intersection of Spritzguss engineering expertise and AI product development in Germany’s most important manufacturing technology startup ecosystem.
Who Should Apply?
- Spritzguss Process Engineers — Bavaria/Germany (3+ Years): With hands-on injection molding setup, optimization, and fault diagnosis experience on Arburg, Engel, or Demag machines who want to apply their process expertise in a customer-facing AI implementation role at a Fraunhofer IPA spin-off
- Kunststofftechnik Engineers — Startup Career Transition: Currently working in a traditional plastics manufacturing or toolmaking environment who want to move into a startup role that combines their Spritzguss technical depth with cutting-edge AI tool implementation and a clear career path toward product technical leadership
- Technical Sales or Application Engineers — Injection Molding Machines: Currently working in application engineering or technical sales at an injection molding machine manufacturer (Arburg, Engel, Demag, Sumitomo Demag, Wittmann Battenfeld) who want to transition to the AI process optimization software side with their machine technical knowledge fully transferable
- Verfahrenstechniker/Techniker — Kunststoffverarbeitung: With Technikerausbildung in Kunststofftechnik or Verfahrenstechnik and substantial production-floor Spritzguss experience who want to advance into a more technically diverse, AI-connected, and professionally stimulating role at a growing Fraunhofer spin-off
- Process Engineers — Medical Device or Automotive Plastics: With Spritzguss experience specifically in Medizintechnik or Automotive manufacturing contexts — the two primary plus10/Hopper customer sectors — who want to apply their domain process knowledge in customer implementation work across both sectors
