WORK EXPERIENCE
Senior Automation Engineer, Ford Motor Company
January 2018 – Present
Led training of Automation Engineers. Created training and best practices documents to standardize the operation of the paint shop.
Created a new set of programs that allowed individual parts to be painted, saving $180,000 annually.
Led a team of automation engineers, suppliers, and application engineers to drive paint quality to best-in-class levels.
Automation Engineer, Ford Motor Company
September 2015 – December 2017
Worked with Corporate engineers to commission a new paint shop using 3-Wet process. Achieved timeline and budget targets for shop milestones.
Managed the operation of all automation in an OEM paint shop at the Kentucky Truck Plant. Responsibilities included equipment utilization, throughput, maintenance, cost saving and hourly personnel management
Engaged in continuous improvement project, which decreased mean time to repair of robots in the spray booth by 38%. Project focused on training of the maintenance personnel to be able to perform quick changeovers of weak points in the booth. Project also established system for keeping backup assemblies ready for use in the booth.
Reduced production costs through continuous improvement projects driven by data and testing. Two projects completed in the first six months, which saved a combined $205,000 per year in reduced waste.
Managed a group of 9 robot operators, 3 electricians, and 3 pipefitters to keep the booth equipment above 99.1% availability.
Graduate Researcher, University of Kentucky
August 2013 – April 2015
Led a research project for Toyota evaluating the performance of hand-held spray guns used in painting cars. Studied the fluid dynamics of the spray guns to determine the optimal input settings and create the correct paint droplet sizes for coatings.
Managed a team of 3 undergraduate researchers who assist with projects in the research area.
Determined the underlying principles that govern the behavior of handheld spray guns. Used the underlying science to evaluate industry practices.
Developed a new technique for measuring paint droplet breakup in paint sprayers.
Research Engineer, Center for Applied Energy Research
August 2010 – June 2013
Worked in a research group that focused on the development of new technologies for the production of bio-fuels
Designed, fabricated, and operated reactors for the growth of algae as a feedstock for downstream processes.
Designed reactors of increasing capacity while reducing per volume costs. First reactor was a 200L test unit for growth studies. Final reactor was a 10,000L unit for pilot-scale production.
Decreased reactor production costs from $2.30/L to under $1/L.
Worked closely with Duke Energy engineers to integrate the pilot-scale reactor into the operations on-site. Troubleshot problems with a team of 3 other engineers from both CAER and Duke Energy.
EDUCATION
Masters in Mechanical Engineering
University of Kentucky | April 2015
Focus on the fluid dynamics of air-liquid flows in industrial paint applicators.
Awarded the Boeing Fellowship for the 2013 and 2014 academic years.
BS in Mechanical Engineering
University of Kentucky | May 2013
Focus in Fluid Mechanics.
Additional courses in Lean Manufacturing, Communications, and Spanish.
SKILLS
Management
Project management
Technical writing
1-on-1 Coaching and employee development
Speaking in public or to groups
Automation and Controls
Durr robotics
Robot path programming
Troubleshooting and maintenance
PLC programming
Painting technology
Paint Quality Analysis
3Wet Painting process
Color Harmony
Paint Applicator technology
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Industrial processes
Six Sigma (Green Belt)
Recordkeeping and documentation
Visual Management
Optimization
Material Flow Management
Root Cause Analysis
Asset Utilization
Trend Analysis
Research and Testing
Non-destructive Testing
Failure Analysis
Engineering Mechanics
Design of Experiments
Statistical Analysis