Adhesive Factory Inspector

Role Overview

This is a factory-floor quality gatekeeping role: you check what arrives at the gate, what happens on the line, and what leaves as finished adhesive, making sure each batch released matches its approved specification. Working alongside production, maintenance, warehouse and technical colleagues, you are the person who notices a drifting viscosity reading, a mislabelled drum, or a mixer running outside its set parameters before it turns into a rejected batch or a customer complaint. The position matters because consistency is the product itself — an adhesive that fails on a customer's site costs the business far more than the inspection time needed to catch the problem upstream.

Key Responsibilities

• Inspect incoming raw materials against approved specifications, verifying identification, batch codes, quantity, physical condition and supporting documentation, then quarantine and report anything non-conforming while keeping traceability records complete.
• Monitor the production line through mixing, blending, dosing, dispersion, reaction stages where applicable, filling and packaging, confirming that approved procedures are followed and that process parameters stay within limits.
• Carry out or support batch and finished-product checks covering viscosity, density, pH, colour and appearance, consistency, solids content, bonding performance, and setting or drying behaviour.
• Hold back and isolate batches that fall outside specification, ensuring nothing is released until it has been properly assessed and dispositioned.
• Maintain accurate inspection and production records, documenting batch results, defects, deviations, rework and rejected material, and preparing reports that flag quality issues to the relevant supervisors.
• Assist with investigations into quality failures and customer complaints, contributing to root-cause analysis and helping see corrective actions through to completion.
• Watch production machinery for conditions that could compromise product quality, read and interpret mechanical drawings, recognise common mechanical or electrical abnormalities, and escalate equipment problems to the maintenance or technical team with clear, useful detail.
• Track recurring quality and production problems and put forward practical suggestions that reduce rejection rates, wastage, rework and complaints, while following all chemical handling, storage, PPE and safety procedures and reporting spills or unsafe conditions immediately.

Requirements & Qualifications

• KCSE, high school education or equivalent is acceptable; a certificate, diploma or degree in chemistry, industrial chemistry, chemical engineering, chemical technology, production or manufacturing, quality control, mechanical engineering, or another relevant technical discipline is preferred.
• Two to five years of hands-on experience in an adhesive, coatings, construction chemicals, chemical manufacturing or comparable factory environment. Direct experience inside an adhesive plant is strongly preferred.
• Candidates with deep practical adhesive manufacturing experience may be considered in place of a diploma or degree.
• Solid working knowledge of adhesive production processes, and familiarity with the common raw materials used in adhesive formulation, is a distinct advantage.
• Ability to interpret product specifications and quality parameters, and to conduct or understand the basic quality tests applied to adhesives.
• Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, with a basic understanding of the mechanical components found in production machinery and, preferably, the electrical components of industrial equipment.
• Confident judgement in distinguishing normal operation from abnormal conditions, and in escalating technical issues to the correct team rather than attempting repairs outside your scope.
• Strong attention to detail, sharp observation and inspection instincts, analytical and problem-solving ability, and clear written and verbal reporting skills.
• Safety-conscious, dependable and accountable, able to stay composed under production pressure, collaborate across production, quality, maintenance and warehouse teams, and work shift patterns where required.
• Prior experience with established adhesive, coatings or construction-chemical manufacturers — including comparably positioned companies such as Sika, Kalemim, Crown, Dura Coat, Izomix or Eurafix — is an added advantage.