Design Engineer

Stefan T. Pociask

**** ******** ****** *****, *********, NC 28216

Phone: 520-***-****

E-mail: ********@*****.***

I’m a specialist at Cost Reduction, Value Engineering, Structural Design and Trouble Shooting unique design

challenges and special projects. I’ve exceptional creativity and, after 20+ years of contracting, an extremely

wide range of experience in innovative Product & Mechanical Design and Machine Building. I’m seeking a

Charlotte, NC position in New Product Development, Product/Process Improvement, Structural Design,

Mechanical Engineering or CAD Drafting. I save companies money, finding clever solutions to any issues.

WORK EXPERIENCE: (Mostly contracts, but as of now, open to a permanent position)

Sr. Mechanical R&D Engineer (Textile Dying & Coating Machinery) … 1/12 to 6/13

Gaston Systems – Stanley, North Carolina

• Contracted to design and build mechanical & structural systems for the textile industry.

• Charged with company-wide cost reduction, process improvement and value engineering.

R&D / Product & Process Improvement Specialist / Trouble Shooter (Hollow Steel Doors) … 9/10 to 12/10

HMX (Hollow Metal Xpress) - Phoenix, Arizona

• 3 month contract to improve quality of product by discovering & correcting elusive deficiencies in

manufacturing process. Problem solver (sheet metal presses, breaks, welders, conveyors, etc.).

• Design improvements in high-end steel door construction & innovative aesthetic finish techniques.

Sr. Mechanical Engineer (Custom Solar / Chemical Processing / Capital Equipment) … 10/08 to 8/10

Foresight Technologies - Tempe, Arizona

• Contracted to prototype custom machines (thin-film, web handling, solar, semiconductor, mining)

• Worked heavily with various plastics, stainless steel and sheet metal.

• Responsible for several patents and White Papers.

Manager, Structural Design Department (Electrical Signs / Heavy Steel Construction) … 11/05 to 5/08

Fluoresco Lighting & Signs - Tucson, Arizona

• Designed heavy steel structures for signs, monuments, gateway arches, NFL / MLB scoreboards.

• High profile projects: Las Vegas strip, universities, stadiums, shopping malls, earthquake zones.

• Assisted in Project Management: from site surveys and design, thru permitting and installation.

• Designed creative public, often artistic, custom, decorative structures with pleasing aesthetics.

• Drawing and Design Checker, red-lines.

• Mentored and managed 3 junior designers and drafters.

Mechanical R&D Engineer (Biotechnology) … 1/05 to 7/05

Protein Technologies - Tucson, Arizona

• 6 month contract to assist designing a peptide production instrument for the Biotech industry.

Senior Mechanical Design Engineer (Automation) … 2/03 to 1/04

Ishida Qualitech - Poole, England

• 1 year contract to design a custom automated packaging system for the British food industry.

R&D Design Engineer (Automation, Slitting & Converting) … 3/02 to 2/03

Azco Corporation - Fairfield, New Jersey

• 1 year contract prototyping custom FDA slitting & packaging machines. Nationwide service calls.

Senior Designer, R&D (Industrial Filtration & Pumps) … 8/97 to 3/01

Aquacare Systems, Filtration Systems Division - Angola, New York

• New Product Development and cost reduction of filtration and reciprocating pumps.

• Technical illustration and technical writing for marketing & manuals.

Product Development Designer and Value Engineer (Automotive Robotics) … 8/96 to 7/97

ISI Norgren Robotics, Product Handling Division - Mt. Clemens, Michigan

• 1 year contract to reduce costs of robot arm, gripper, automation system and extrusion designs.

Manager, Special Machine Design Department (Packaging Automation) … 6/95 to 8/96

J.S. McNamara Company - Warren, Michigan

• 1 year contract to build temporary Special Machine Design Dept., including hiring personnel,

specifying computer system and establishing drafting standards. Managed team of 8 designers.

• Major cost-reducing re-design of all mechanisms/structures of high speed, packaging machinery.

Lead Product Designer / New Product Development (Wheel Balancing Machinery) … 12/89 to 4/95

Assix Automotive - Tampa, Florida

• Oversaw all AutoCAD mechanical design, concept through production. QC Inspector.

• Designed sheet metal, aluminum castings, vacu-forming plastics, mechanisms.

• Technical illustration and technical writing for marketing & manuals.

CNC Programmer & Manual Machinist … 1/86 to 11/89

Pro-Tem - St. Petersburg, Florida

• Worked all phases of machine shop operation, including fabrication, sheet metal, programming, set-

up & operation of CNC and manual mills, lathes, etc. Precision DoD MIL SPECS projects.

STRENGTHS / SPECIALTIES:

• Mechanism design. Structural design. Sheet metal design. Heavy steel design. Welding design.

• Prototype machines, hands-on. Research & Development. New Product Development.

• Materials expertise; metallics and non-metallics.

• Pneumatics.

• Design & Drawing Checker. Red-lining. Working with designers & Manufacturing to correct

deficiencies, inaccuracies and deviations from standards and eliminate materials & labor waste.

• Cost reduction through alternative design, materials, processes and alternative vendor selection.

• Design improvement; form, fit, function and aesthetics.

• Proof Reading, Technical Writing, Illustration, Research for Marketing, manuals & documentation

• Competitor & Market Research to stay abreast of trends and newest innovations.

EDUCATION:

• Tampa Technical Institute: Assoc. of Applied Science Degree, Mech. Design. 3.8 GPA. 3rd in class.

• United States Army: Sergeant, Track Commander, Airborne Infantry Paratrooper.

• Eden Central High School: New York State Regents Scholarship winner.

ADDITIONAL SKILLS:

• CADD Programs: AutoCAD (20+ yrs), Solidworks (2 yrs), Inventor (1 yr)

• Wildlife Rehab Medical Tech, Wildlife Researcher, Environmentalist, Writer, Artist, Fluent Polish

** I voluntarily took this past year and a half off, attending to family health matters, and am now rejoining the

workforce.

NOTABLE ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

• Hired & led team that re-designed line of packaging machines, reducing cost/unit by $400,000 or 35%.

• Using out of the box ingenuity to design a unique, virtually indestructible, critical PTFE weld; saving a

$6M contract from going elsewhere (patented).

• Designed major structures for SF Giants, Anaheim Sharks, Arizona Cardinals, as well as several other

high profile heavy structures, signs, gateway arches and LED billboards in Vegas and across the

Southwest.

• Developed, prototyped and pioneered the process for manufacturing and packaging the first edible

films (Listerine Breath Strips) (patented).

• Revolutionized a line of architectural steel doors by substituting an industrial Velcro style fastener, to

replace steel fasteners, welds and adhesives. I also developed a new improved acid patina process for

aesthetic finish on high-end decorative doors.

• Using DOE methods, I replicated and improved upon the results of a competitor’s proprietary process

of zero-constriction orbital welding of Ultra High Purity plastic tubing, winning a $500,000+ contract.

• In a Process Improvement project on a manufacturing line, I identified over 30 deficiencies (i.e.

calibrations, QC, material specs, layout, etc.) bringing profitability & quality back to the product line.

• Redesigned electrolysis apparatus for copper refinement, improving on existing faulty design, thereby

saving $100,000+ contract with copper mining client.

• Researched, designed and built a state of the art, award winning, customized Osprey Burn Victim

Enclosure for Carolina Raptor Center to maximize survivability of burned osprey patients. Created

several programs which increased efficiency at the Center, improved conditions for patients, increased

revenue and improved public relations.

• Re-designed entire layout of work stations, welding and assembly areas, of 20,000 sq/ft machine

manufacturing facility to achieve better work flow, communication, storage and efficiency.

Contact this candidate