Grant R. Atkinson

* ***** ******, **********, ******* L7G 5T6

905-***-**** aboqnn@r.postjobfree.com

** ***** ** ******* *********** & Design Engineering Experience

A turnaround professional, who motivates, leads, coaches and mentors staff

An expert in leading organizations and presenting solutions to senior executives on how to manage change and revitalize unprofitable businesses thru proven engineering methods & re-engineering change

Expert knowledge of integration and customizing CAD systems,

The Founding Chairperson for the Southern Ontario Pro/USERS Group

Owner of an engineering consulting firm for over10 years

Over 20 years of experience providing guidance on internal manufacturing solutions

Professor to Post Graduate Engineers at Seneca College for 5 years

Product Cost Take Out/Re-Engineering Specialist in commercial, consumer and high tech industries

Product Development & Engineering Manager March 2012 to Aug 2012

Caframo Limited (Company Restructuring)

Managed a staff of 7 which consisted of Compliance Engineer P.Eng, Senior CFD Design Engineer P.Eng, Intermediate CFD Design Engineer, Senior Electrical Technologist, Intermediate Industrial Designer/Detailer & 2 Engineering Testing TechniciansManaged 7 New Projects consisting of 2 Marine/RV Cabin Fans (12 Volt & 24 Volt versions), Hatch Fan (12 Volt version only at this time), 400 watt storage heater (120 Volt existing & 230 Volt new version), Marine compartment heater (120 volt only at this time) and a TEG (Thermal Electric Generator) light for personnel outdoor useGuided and delivered 3 projects from the Product Development/Engineering Phase to the Product floor in the 5 months at CaframoLiaison with the Sales & Marketing team to ensure quality and customer input was understood related in the designManaged relationship with outside industrial design firm, packaging (inserts, singles & master boxes) companies for shipping of productConducted bi-weekly engineering team/product meetingsConducted bi-weekly One on One meetings with all engineering staff to review project progress and discussed personnel progression in the companyDeveloped and began implementing a Product Development Stage Gate (6 Stages or Gates) process to help stream line and identify areas for improvement in all areas of the companyOversaw daily activities including mentoring staff, reviewing of ongoing projects, and approving of all drawings for the company prior to being released for manufacturing

Senior Engineering Consultant July 2011 to March 2012

Afoot & Ahead Inc

Lead Consultant/Designer for both consumer & commercial Refrigeration (Freezer) product linesKey contact for entrepreneurs who have ideas & concepts to be brought to marketLeading a team from the initial concept, thru proof of concept to delivery of product to end customerReviewing all safety standards and certificationsWorking closely with packaging manufacturers for appropriate size and support requirementsReviewing all manufacturing requirements with local and overseas vendors and suppliers

Contract Design Engineer / Engineering Manager Sept 2010 to June 2011

Architectural MetalCraft Inc

Working as a senior designer / engineering manager, setting design and drawing standards for the company. Developing the shop employees into a cohesive team with the approach of working together and inviting options for cost engineering or how we can improve the product without increasing the cost. Developing a smart model approach with design intent being a driving force. Developing techniques to re-use engineering data reduce engineering time to shop floor.

Contract Design Engineer July 2010 to Sept 2010

Pinehurst Store Fixtures

Working as a senior designer to cover backlog in design of custom store fixtures.

Contract Design Engineer Nov 2009 to April 2010

Fantech, New Brunswick

Collaborating with the Engineering Manager & team to automate current design systems by providing efficiency thru custom design programming & techniques along with training engineering staff in these techniques.

Further development of European models for the North American market, while working with the IT staff to develop a web based configurator for the sales force.

Design Engineering Manager October 2008 to Nov 2009

W.C. Wood Corporation, Guelph, Ontario (Laid-off due to company closure)

Responsible as Project Lead on technical, cost savings and staffing issues

PCTO member to discuss progress of projects for cost reduction verification and tooling modifications

Achievements:Managed a staff of 2 design engineers, managed multiple projects, reviewed and set time lines for project schedules, weekly meeting for project updates, constant contact with manufacturing/production and GMManaged NSF approval process – new customer order of 4,000 units per year was the result of the new certification; order is worth approx. $2.8 million dollars USD.Reduced custom bolt manufacturing cost by $11.50 USD per unit by sourcing new venderDesigned and developed new caster assembly with significant cost savings of $28.00 USD per unitDeveloped new retaining bars for power cord and drain hose storage; resulting in new customer order

(Product Cost Take Out) PCTO member for Ottawa Plant, Ohio, USAUpright Freezers and Upright Refrigerators for the Vencold line Review manufacturability of product linesIdentify & define all tooling requirements to reduce overall cost per unitResearched all required food standards to meet certification for NSF and UL standardsManaged corrective actions, developed and implemented appropriate changes where required result NSF re-issued for compliancePartnered with internal buyer to source new vendors for PCTO projectsPrototypes tested for conformity, impact and drop testsEstablish shop floor and engineering policies & procedures Developed and implemented rebate structure for commercial upright refrigerators and freezersContacted California Energy Commission and relayed my research and findings that other Commercial Refrigeration companies were not following the Tier1 and Tier2 standards for Energy Star ratings, Tier1 and Tier2 ratings make available rebates to the end user.

(Product Cost Take Out) PCTO member for Guelph Plant, Ontario, Canada

Chest Freezers and Commercial DehumidifiersDetermine manufacturability, Identify & define tooling & part/labor overall cost per unit savings opportunitiesPrototype solutions to complement possible cost savings based on customer requirements

Software Administrator:

Pro/ENGINEER – Wildfire 4.0, Train/update users in both facilities

Instruct new and existing users on best practices, design intent and smart models, on the use of Pro/PROGRAM, Pro/LAYOUT & Family tables

Update libraries start models, formats, parameters, notes and material files, Set-up directory structure, configuration files, drawing files

Negotiate maintenance contracts and software upgrades

Part time Professor Sept 2003 to May 2011

Seneca College – Newham Campus

Developed and taught 2 courses in electrical/mechanical design and Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire solid modeling, sheet metal, DFMA to post graduate students in electrical engineering. I provided mentoring to students on their yearend Capstone Projects for presentation to the Board Members at Seneca.

President May 1996 to October 2008

Atkinson Design Highlights of Consulting Accomplishments (page 4 & 5)

I provided my clients with technical support as a Senior Team Leader, Project Manager and Mechanical Designer developing products, re-engineering and product cost take out systems in diverse Pro/ENGINEER and AutoCAD environments: (Clients include Spar Aerospace, Xerox, John Deere, MSC Software, Wolfe Appliance, Rieter- Automotive Products & GE). Specific project details are available upon request.

Industry experience: Structural Steel/Sheetmetal, Heavy Machinery, Medium Voltage Switch Gear, Avionics (electrical, mechanical), Consumer Appliances, Nuclear & Petrochemical, Office/Consumer Furniture Design, Robotics and Industrial Automation.

Achievements:

Managed a staff of 15 design engineers/technicians/detailers, managed multiple projects, reviewed project time lines, main contact for clients, wrote and reviewed all contracts with clients, set payment terms and project schedules,

Founding Chairperson for the Southern Ontario Pro/USERS Group.

Professor to Post Graduate Engineers at Seneca College for 5 years

International Conference Speaker at 2001 and 1995 PTC/User Events

Presented technical papers at International PTC/Users Conferences

Florida - Pro/PROGRAM expanding furniture configuration

Nevada - Incorporating Adams/FEA in Pro/PROGRAM

Member of PTC’s Steering Committee on Pro/Sheetmetal modules

I was able to provide expert knowledge of integration and customizing CAD systems to improve engineering ROI and group productivity, streamlining manufacturing integration and quality assurance. As a consultant I offered single-source product development services including CAD design standards and solutions, enterprise engineering solutions, technical recruiting, mentoring and CAD training services. Experienced in developing Top Down Design, Pro/PROGRAM Layout and Skeletons, large assembly and data management.

PREVIOUS BUSINESS EXPERIENCE

CAD System Administrator July 1993 to April 1996

Knoll, Inc.

Increased production by 300% by linking Pro/ENGINEER models of wood products to the manufacturing process, Developed a smart model for a new product offering that allowed a Non Pro/ENGINEER user to create 1,300 manufacturing drawings in a 6 week period just by answering all the questions when the program was regenerated.

Product Development/ Mechanical Design Technician November 1991 to July 1993

ABB Inc. (formerly ASEA BROWN BOVERI)

Developed seamless transition from Pro/ENGINEER SHEET METAL to SmartCam, developed new steel enclosure for A/B/C class circuit breakers

Isolated Phase Bus Design Draftsperson June 1990 to November 1991

SPEC-FAB INC.

Design from architectural layout supplied by customer, structural support design, DWGS for structural steel apparatus, design system layout, Developed new casting to replace existing process of cutting and bending plate to form aluminium power conductor and also reduced assembly and welding time by designing in a locating tab

Senior Draftsperson - AGE (Avionic Ground Equipment) January 1984 to June 1990

LITTON SYSTEMS OF CANADA LIMITED

Design and development of semi-rigid cables for interface devices, introduced AutoCAD Version 1 into engineering office, worked on the Atlas Program, this was a portable test centre, it was made of 5 cabinets and would be able to test the avionics and navigation hardware on the newly purchased CAF-18 Hornet Fighter Aircraft. Designed control cabinets for military and civilian electronic surveillance and control room stations for an overseas project

Instrumentation and Process Control Draftsperson September 1982 to January 1984

DOW CHEMICAL OF CANADA LIMITED

Design and layout of P&ID's for instrumentation location, creation of Schematic, Interconnection and General Arrangement Drawings

Computer Experience

Pro/ENGINEER since Release 7.0 to Wildfire 4.0

Inventor 9.0,

Solid Works 2010

AutoCAD Up to Release 12.0

Working knowledge of FEA, CAM, ANSYS

ProPiping, Intralink

DFMA, prototyping, simulation,

MS Office, Outlook

UNIX, Windows NT, and Windows 2003 & XP platforms

Windows 2007

EducatioN:

Instrumentation and Process Control Certificate

from Sheridan College, Oakville, Ontario

Basic Electricity and Basic Electronics courses

Pro/ENGINEER, Inventor & AutoCAD training

Whirlpool Product Safety Tools, Safety Audit Simulation, and Field Investigation

Simulation course

CET certification in process

Grant Atkinson – Highlights of Consulting Accomplishments

DNA IDENT C-POD (2008 until present)Project started mid 2008 and still working and developing new sampling typesWorking directly with the inventorResearched existing applications for the cattle industry when being taggedDesigned a 3 piece body that would collapse and lock onto itselfDeveloped interior pocket to hold sterilized gel to cover meat/blood sample once lid is snapped into bodyC-POD main body holds a single RFID pellet and also a single Bar Code stripDeveloped new microtiter plate to hold 16 C-POD sample units, plate also holds a bar code and RFID chip for cataloguing samplesSee website at www.dnaident.com/products.htm

NAPE Inc (2008 until present)Project started early 2008 and still working and developing new drum typesWorking directly with the inventorResearched different ways to transfer touch to the note faceDeveloped note patterns and layout to match existing and traditional steel drumsDeveloped 4 piece assembly that holds all the required notes for the Tenor and Double SecondsThe Body Base and Main Body are the main stay for the drum assembly and are typical in each and every drum assemblyThe bowl is design specifically for each drum, etc the Tenor has 29 notes, the Double Seconds (2 drums) has 16 notes each or a total of 32 notesThe fa ade is also specific to each drum typeIntroduced the inventor to existing manufacturersSee website at and see live demonstration of prototype

Inscape Solutions (2007 - 2008)On-site consultant since 2007 - 2008Re-design of a major product lineCost reduction and tooling costs were implementedWorked closely with all teams to make sure all aspects of re-design was achievableDevelopment of new product line offeringDesign was developed using wildfire 2.0 and interfacing with IntralinkRobust design was able to create 40 different configurations from one top level assemblyHelped to streamline data from engineering to the N.C. group

53’ Entertainment Flatbed Trailer (2006)Developed 53’ Lowboy Flatbed Trailer with goose neck for the entertainment industryTriple axle with low profile tiresEntertainment Stage Floor folds out to 40’x 40’ stageHydraulic Roof will extend to approximately 32’-0 Roof and Floor will extend and collapse in the envelope of a standard trailerFull PDF details open and closed positions available to view

King Products and Solutions Inc. (see case study) (2001 - 2005) On-site consultant since 2001 - 2005Researched and developed the next generation of KioskDeveloped new multi-purpose kiosk that would hold and interchange with any number of printers, scanners, coin, bill, fob, card readers etc Manufacturability was one of the main features taken into account when this project was being developedMulti-purpose plastic bezel was designed with cost in mind and this was achieved by developing the model with drafts that did not require the use slidesDeveloped new dual monitor that was also retrofitable to the older kiosks

John Deere Welland Works (1998 - 2003)On-site consultant since 1998 - 2003Developed new casting for new single cylinder boomDeveloped program that would calculate full height and full digging depth for any size tractor, self-leveling boom, non-leveling boom, any tire combination and any bucket configuration. This would usually take an engineer hours to calculate, but with this program, it would take under 5 minutes to develop all the data and telemetry for that given tractor configurationDeveloped a technique that would create a skeleton (point, axis, planes and datum curves) model to drive new boom designs

MDA (formally Spar Aerospace) Canadarm Project (see case study) ( 1999)On-site consultant 1999, 5 monthsDeveloped new test bed assembly for Canadarm Test bed was lighter, stronger and was removable

MDA (formally Spar Aerospace) Triceratops Project (see case study) (1999)On-site consultant 1999, 4 monthsResearched all aspects of lung development with different types of materialsResearched and developed at set of blacksmiths bellowsDeveloped 2100 cu/in of air when the original request was for 700 cu/inDeveloped and ran a simulations thru the use of Pro/Program to show the full range of the lunges when fully opened (inhale) and fully closed (exhale)

MSC Software (formally MDL) The Warrior a Hybrid SUV (see case study) (1999 - 2000)On-site consultant 1999-2000, 4 monthsCanadian government hired MDL to develop a new vehicle to service the northern part of Canada for forestry, mining and also for military useDevelop a new technique to use an external software program that would drive the model developed in Pro/ENGINEERDevelop a new technique that would allow this model to collapse from solid geometry to mid-planes and in turn this would retain the FEA (Finite Element Analysis) elementsDeveloped a complete chassis in 3 months and 1 month for complete manufacturing drawingsWhite paper was written and accepted at the 2000 Pro/USER World Conference

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