As a member of the Precision Planting Research & Development Team, I work every day to improve the lives of farmers & growers around the world by designing, improving, & innovating robust solutions that improve crop performance year after year & help to ensure the continued success of farms & families for the future.My daily activities thus far have focused on leveraging my diverse experiences, manufacturing background, & general knowledge to benefit the fast-paced development cycle of various projects. I assisted with the new product introduction (NPI) of the Conceal fertilizer application system, including the redesign of several components to improve reliability, customer satisfaction, & manufacturability, as well as white-sheet designs for various product line expansion items. I've applied lessons learned from my manufacturing experience to the development process, identifying & addressing risks early, & designing components with quality & manufacturability in mind, increasing overall efficiency. Associated documents & practices were developed & refined to ensure that the product launch was successful.Several components were modified to increase reliability & serviceability, & allow for expansion or customization while maintaining backwards compatibility, & many new expansion products were developed to enhance the system. Of particular focus was the Case (CNH) compatible system which presented several unique design challenges. This system required a unique solution with an eye toward future OEM-installation & support, third-party product compatibility, and cost minimization. The end result is a unique system which utilizes 90% common components including all wear/service components and has almost no impact on the functionality/support of OEM & third-party accessories.I am also working on undisclosed projects that are in various stages of development. These projects are allowing me to demonstrate my concept design & development abilities.

As a Manufacturing Engineer with Argon Medical Devices, I am tasked with examining, developing, validating, and continuously improving the various tasks undertaken in the production of medical devices. Working with a team to balance production constraints, product specifications, regulatory compliance, and customer expectations; this position requires problem solving and innovation.Day to day experiences include process documentation, development, and validation, tool and machine design, CAD modeling, technical report writing, and numerous other functions related to manufacturing as well as process and product improvement. All of these actions take place within a highly-structured and regulated ISO 13485 environment.Highlights of my work include the design of numerous production tool sets, including extrusion dies, crimping, assembly, and measuring devices, and various other fixtures using CAD (SolidWorks) and my mechanical understanding to create effective tools. Additional highlights include numerous process improvements and revisions, assembly & manufacturing quality improvements, production process troubleshooting, root cause analysis, and 6S (Six Sigma, 5S, Lean, etc.) improvements. These improvements have been accomplished via bill-of-material (BOM)/product structure, manufacturing process/router, operational/assembly procedure changes, production & assembly tooling/fixturing creation & modification, product specification & design reviews, inspection process/method improvements, and various other means & methods. All improvements are made with the intention of improving or maintaining quality, increasing efficiency, reducing scrap rates, variances, & non-conformances, as well as reducing costs.

As a Project & Application Engineer with Dekoron, my focus shifted to higher-level tasks and processes, such as research, development, and testing of new products, working with customers on specialized systems and solutions, attending and participating in Industrial Standard revision meetings, and other such endeavors while still completing many of the same tasks outlined under the Associate Engineer title. (See below.)

As an Associate Engineer at Dekoron Wire & Cable, I am responsible for the design of industrial wire and cable for national and international clients. I must ensure compliance with various internationally recognized standards and organizations, (UL, NEC, ICEA, etc.) as well as with the customers' requests. All activities are performed in a controlled ISO 9001 environment.I am also responsible for helping to develop and perform new product testing and analysis methods, as well as coordinate third-party testing and certification of new products and materials.I also compile data to perform process and material analysis, create Engineering Work and Change Orders (EWO, ECO, ECR, etc.) for various materials, products, and processes, and make updates to Purchase Material Specifications (PMs, PMS, etc.) and other engineering and manufacturing documents.Additionally, I was tasked with completing numerous technical sales & marketing brochures, technical data sheets, marketing and training presentations, and working to revitalize and update the product catalog and website.