PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY:
Well Experienced in design of Machine Controls with PLCs, DCS, VFDs, Servos, Robot, PC based Controls, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Transmission, etc.
Highly skilled in AutoCAD, PLCs, Robot, DCS, HMI development, SCADA, Data Acquisition, etc
Well experienced in Design and Maintenance of Equipment in diverse fields like Food Industry, Rubber Industry, Process Plants, Aircraft Test equipment, Textile Machines, Automotive Industry, & Material Handling
Taken Proactive steps for upgrades and be prepared for emergencies
Independently handled Projects worth more than a Million dollars during my career
Was a primary team member for a $23M Process Plant Controls upgrade project
Created a Project Management Standard that was bench marked with other Sister Concerns
Registered an International Patent on Machine Networking
Master’s Degree – Specialized in Automation and Controls
CORE COMPETENCIES:
A broad knowledge of Plant equipment, Manufacturing processes, Project Management and Financial analysis
Good experience on Large Project Work Process (LPWP)
Well experienced and good knowledge in Low-Cost Automations, Continuous improvements, OEE Data Collection, 5S, TPM, FMEA, Six Sigma, Kaizen improvements.
Good knowledge on National Electric codes, Area Classifications, ISA, CMMS and OSHA Requirements, Alarm management and ISA-84 Safety Standards
Highly skilled in design of Reliable, Maintainable and User-friendly equipment and systems
Thorough knowledge on Electrical/Electronic Controls, Hydraulics, Pneumatics, Power Transmission, Boilers, Compressors and other Mechanical Systems
Give Safety a Top Most Priority. Experienced in Risk Assessment and Hazard analysis
Well experienced and highly skilled in Project management from Concept to Design, Cost Estimation, Scheduling, Reporting, Gate Reviews, Procurement, Execution (Construction Coordination, QC, etc.), Trials and Validation that involves good Management skills, Communication skills and Team work.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Sai Automation LLC Feb 2025 - present
System Integrator/Owner
Cargill Inc North America May 2023 – Feb 2025
Automation, Instrumentation, Electrical (AEI) Solutions Architect
Support 110 Plants in USA, Canada & Mexico
Created Standards for AEI.
Created Standards on PLC programming, Instrument Installations
Developed PLC program and HMI for Truck Loading and Corn inspection.
Green Field Project design, standardization & support
Cargill Inc Hammond, IN Oct 2021 – May 2023
Eastern Region Electrical Hub Lead
Lead Electrical Engineers on Reliability and Projects
Manage Electrical Systems in 5 Plants - Hammond, Dayton, Memphis, Indy and Paris
Plan for Periodical PM, System Upkeep, Obsolescence Upgrade, Power Factor Improvement, etc
Design new system for Expansion.
UGN Inc Valparaiso, IN Aug 2020 – Sep 2021
Manufacturing Services Manager
Manage the Maintenance and Engineering Dept.
Manage Capital and Over Head Budget
Part of the Senior Management Team reporting to the Plant Manager.
Created a good PM plan and reduced the overall downtime by 50%
Reorganized the Maintenance and Engineering Dept for better accountability and Responsibility.
Was able to make a huge impact within a short period by coming up with good Engineering practices, Maintenance Training, Accountability and PM program.
Came up with a PLC programming standard with Control Narrative, Fault messages, testing, etc.
Bridgestone Tire Operations Des Moines, IA November 2011 – Aug 2020
Engineering Manager
Manage a Team of Electrical and Mechanical Engineers on a 250,000,000 sq. ft facility with 1500 Teammates.
Provide leadership and direction to Engineering Department, including: Project Management, Machine Design, Control Systems, Continuous Improvements
Took up some independent projects and Worked on AutoCAD and PLC programming. Train Maintenance crew on new installations and latest technologies.
Plan and coordinate capital projects and investment to maintain and improve Safety, Quality, Throughput and reduce manufacturing costs. The Budget has ranged from $10M to $50M per year
Develop Engineers by helping them continuously improve their performance, education, training and skill level
Perform budget estimation, project planning, scheduling and costing
Direct Continuous improvement efforts to improve Plant efficiency
Evaluate and approve projects for technical appropriateness, alignment with corporate strategies, and return on investment
Provide technical and managerial guidance to both Plant and Senior Management as related to: capacity, manufacturing process, factory information systems, machinery, equipment, controls, and other areas as requested
Lead the Strategic Capital investment plan for the plant
Designed Mechanical, Electrical and Programming for an old machine and improved production by 200% with better quality and User-Friendliness.
Created a user-friendly Project Management Standard that has been well accepted by my team of Engineers and the customers
Introduced M.S project tool to the plant and got all the Engineers trained
First one to introduce the concept of Design review, Risk Assessment, Cross Functional Team Involvement for all the Engineering projects
Consistently ON Budget and on schedule for the last 8 years on Capital and Expense, The Capital Budget has ranged from $10M to $50M per year. The Expense Budget ranged from $3M to $5M per year
Created a score card for Engineers to keep track of their projects and achievements
Encouraged all the Engineers to use DMAIC for problem solving and do it right the first time.
Came up with a creative SharePoint tool to manage the workload of Engineers.
Initiated 4 major Automation Projects to get 20 Refinements
KOCH Nitrogen Company LLC Fort Dodge, IA September 2008 – November 2011
Reliability Engineer/I&E Supervisor
Designed and executed Controls with Yogokawa DCS
Managing projects Starting from Vendor selection, Managing Project Managers, Construction Managers, Engineering Consultants, etc.
I was on a Leadership role to decide on the projects considering the ROI, productivity improvements, Plant issues etc. Identify potential improvements, come up with creative solutions, get approved and execute till completion and validation
Independently Manage Engineering Projects starting from $100K to $1M
Trained I&E techs on latest technologies, Plan for Maintenance shutdowns and Plant Turn around
Worked on a $23M project to upgrade our Legacy Control System. I was the primary person from our plant to manage and coordinate all the design and construction. This was a Corporate driven project with myself as the in-charge from the Fort Dodge Plant
Managed the Engineering Consultant for clearly defining the work scope to bid for Construction, Design and Control system
Conducted design reviews with our Operations/Maintenance and representatives from other plants, The plan was to standardize this design to all the five plants in US and Canada
Came up with Pre-Check Quality standards that improved our efficiency during Cutovers by 50%
Identified more than 50 potential reliability issues in the plant and came up with a plan to fix all the issues with a capital of around $1M
Came up with permanent solutions for problems that existed for many years in all our Nitrogen Plants Expert with proper Root Cause Analysis
Actively participate in Hazard analysis and Maintain proper documentation for PSM and Follow all the rules and codes applicable to Process Industries. Created standards for Instrument Installations, wiring and Programming Standards
Created Freeze Protection standards that suit Iowa weather and implemented the Freeze Protection project
Introduced Lean tools to our Maintenance and Operations. This has been so successful that our sister plants have bench marked our best practice
EATON Automotive, Ann Arbor MI, Belmond, IA October 2002 – September 2008
Sr. Electrical Engineer
Managed the Electrical Techs, Train Engineers and Maintenance on latest technology
Design Machine Controls with PLCs, CNCs, MMIs, Drives, Vision, Robotics, etc.
Maintain spares for all equipment. Analyze root cause for break downs and take preventive actions.
Installed two new production lines, one with 23 and another with 16 different types of machines.
Converted 21 Machines with Obsolete CNC controls to latest Allen Bradley PLC with Motion Controls. Saved $400,000, by doing all the design and build in house. Developed creative OEE software that saved $150,000 on outsourced packages.
Actively involved in Lean activities like TPM, Kaizen, Six Sigma, 8D, etc. Saved $300,000 in scrap reduction in 2007. Increased production by 1000 parts/day (11,000 to 12,000) in one of our production lines using Lean tools.
TESTEK Inc. Livonia, MI February 2001 – September 2002
Project Engineer
Design of PC based Controls for testing Aircraft Generators, Fuel Pumps, Engine controllers, Etc. Interact with customers to get their exact requirements. Oversaw Project from Design to Build – From Concept to Completion, trials and validation
Lakshmi Machine Works Ltd. Coimbatore, India September 1992 –February 2001
Asst. Manager – Research and Development
Development of Electrical and Electronic Controls for Textile Machines
Job involves Market Research, Development of New Concepts, prepare Project proposals for Management approval, Conduct Trials and Validation, Launch products in a timely manner, Training Customers/Service Personnel, Negotiate with Vendors for best Price and Service, etc. Represent our organization in International Textile Exhibitions and other sales forums
Launched Ten new types of machines in the World market in 8 years. All the machines were well accepted by the customers and they were produced at the rate of 300 machines/month
Devised a concept of machine networking without computers and registered an international patent.
T. I. Cycles of India Chennai, India April 1989 – September 1992
Design Engineer
Design of Electrical and Electronic Controls for Special Purpose CNC Machines, Assembly Conveyors and Development of Low-Cost Automation, documentation of Operation Manual and Trouble shooting Procedures.
New Concept development, Raising Proposals, Design, Manufacturing and Establishing trials.
Designed and executed an automatic assembly line for export market
T.V.S. Suzuki Ltd. Hosur, India January 1986 – April 1989
Foreman – Maintenance
Managed and Trained the maintenance Techs. Commissioning of new machines and Day to Day maintenance
Planned for PMs, analyzed the root cause for all major issues to avoid repetition
Maintained proper spares with fewer inventories
EDUCATION:
M.S.,(Electronics and Controls) – 1991, Birla Institute of Technology and Science Pilani, India
B.S.,(EEE) – 1985, College of Engg, Anna University Chennai, India