Having qualified as Ireland's "Toolmaker of the Year", I have built upon these tool-making foundations to move into other fields within the automotive industry including design, new product development, research and development, tool manufacture and project management. During this time I have:- worked as fulltime Consulting Design Engineer for Ford Focus working on design in consultation with Ford designers through each stage of the development from prototyping to tooling to assembly production including establishment of satellite assembly plants close to Ford production facilities; - worked as Consulting Engineer for General Motors in the development of production parts for the Zafira,Vectra and Astra; - Developed complex bumper systems, rear seat assemblies, chassis and many other technically challenging components; - Developed Crash Testing and Energy Absorption Systems; - Worked on the production of parts on 1600 ton presses with a fully automated transfer line, with a press bed size of 6 metres;- been involved in the development and production of rear seat sub frames and bumper assemblies using high strength steel (TRIP 700 and DP 1000); - Project managed the installation of robot cells containing 14 robots working in tandem; - engaged in Process Engineering – Optimising and setting targets for machines/operators, designing and controlling process flow, production planning and capacity for forecasts; and - Co-ordinated purchasing and installation of advanced technology in pressings, welding, painting, tapping and deburring