I began my working career in R&D at a bearing company headquartered in Torrington Connecticut: they were a member of the consortium that funded my research. I held several positions over a ten year period, from project metallurgist to application engineer, and worked directly with product development teams at the big 3 automotive companies.  I developed an appreciation for the APQP process (Advanced Product Quality Planning) and Design for Six Sigma.  Well documented design requirements, including failure mode analysis and DVP&Rs (Design Validation Plan and Report) along with the design documentation and specifications, from the initial innovation and into launch, should have accessible logic and read like prose. When this level of readability is achieved, the project’s inventions, innovations, and challenges will self promote collaboration between diverse teams and experts.

In 2006, looking back on 10 years in the automotive industry, it was satisfying to note that most projects focused on improving fuel economy.  At the time, it also appeared that manufacturing was old economy. Through the dot-com boom and bust, and the housing boom, US manufacturing was declining. Most investment involved developing overseas suppliers.  

After considering a career change, I took an opportunity with a fuel cell company.  Our primary product was a 1.4 Mega Watt power plant. Molten carbonate fuel cells have the FC stack in a hot zone packed with stainless steel, high nickel alloys, and ceramic. We worked on optimizing component designs, increasing service life, and developing suppliers at home and abroad.  We joked about saving the world through clean energy. With no direct knowledge of fuel cells when I started, I contributed with data analysis, metallurgical analysis, FEA, CAD modeling, drafting, and supplier development. To help myself learn the technology, I organized design and performance information into DFMEAs (Design Failure Mode Effects Analysis) and DVP&R documents. It proved to be an effective tool and generated interest from my peers and management.

When the global financial crisis hit in 2008, clean energy received an unexpected boost; congress included a subsidy in the bank bail out bill. We kept quite busy during the recession that followed.

In 2010, I accepted an engineering position with a contract design firm in the orthopedic industry. With most FDA approved medical devices manufactured in the US, a host of exciting metals and polymers, the altruistic goal of improving patient outcomes, and the fast paced innovation of med device, I eagerly accepted the position.

Established companies, surgeon inventors, and startups brought product ideas and opportunities for us to evaluate and develop. I worked on products for soft tissue repair (Sports Medicine), plates and screws for broken bones (Trauma), spinal implants, total joint replacements, and a host of surgical instruments and cutting tools. Time flew by with one project following another and many overlapping. It was fun and exciting turning napkin sketches into designs and products.

To increase my knowledge of production and design transfer, in 2015 I took a position in operations, as production manager for one of our manufacturing facilities. I spent two years in the facility working to stabilize production, establish process, and ensure quality. I experienced firsthand how shop personnel interact with design specifications and new product launches. I gained an appreciation for the 6 x 24 around the clock pace. Setting up productions runs, scheduling new orders and routine maintenance of equipment while ensuring the quality of existing product lines are just a few of the tasks that a production team is juggling while evaluating new designs for potential future launch.