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Many years ago I took a business trip to Cadiz, Spain to visit one of our manufacturing sites for an automotive component. While we were in the city we stayed at a beautifully renovated monastery that had been relatively updated to modern standards but still retained the charms of the building. The bathroom was large and luxuries and had been …
I remember my first electrical design that I was tasked with developing while I was working as an electrical design engineer within our instrumentation group. This simple circuit was a backup switch in the event that the primary mechanism failed and would ensure that the driver would still be able to modulate the temperature within the vehicle. I sat down …
Have you ever watched the assembly process for a new vehicle? The basic structure of the vehicle begins at the start of the line and moves through the assembly process gradually adding features and form until the final vehicle drives off the assembly line. When a production process is started it does not stop until the assembly for that vehicle …
In my career as a Program Manager I’ve had many long conversations with our Materials Planning organizations. It seems, that no matter how much we coordinate the development activities during the early phases of our products as we approach the prototype and pilot stages where all parts must be representative of the end product, we are constantly waiting for parts …
Have you ever looked at a design and wondered why they made something the way that they did? Did you analyze the part and disassemble it looking at the infrastructure as to why the end product looked like it did? Did you puzzle over the innards of a part then put it back together and have parts left over but …
Throughout history, scientists and engineers have discussed the concept of perpetual motion. The attraction to this idea is that once an object is put into motion it will never stop and will circumvent the laws of physics never losing any energy due to drag, wear and tear or loss energy. Obviously, perpetual motion machines are not possible and when you …
Many of us have seen the movie Transformers where alien beings magically transform into vehicles of every make model and style. Their metal bodies magically transform into every shape imaginable from small and compact cell phones to heavy duty trucks and fighter jets. When they take on a more recognizable human like form, the components of their previous transformation like …
One of the major concerns within the automotive industry is to improve fuel efficiency in all the vehicles that we produce. To do this requires that we reduce the weight of the vehicle and improve aerodynamics while still maintaining structural integrity within the vehicle. One project that was implemented many years ago was to change the metal composition of the …
Industrial engineer, the title sounds rather ordinary, as if they ran out of words for the multitude of jobs available in the automotive industry and had to pick one that was still available. But the job description for this field really describes a specialty within the automotive industry that is essential to creating an efficient manufacturing process. The Industrial Engineer …
Have you ever sat down and read the entire instruction manual for a new appliance? These bulky documents list a tremendous amount of information, all of which seems irrelevant to the everyday user. After all, when you are trying to determine the correct temperature settings or how to activate the water filtration system you really are not concerned that your …
When you hear the words metallurgical or materials you tend to think of someone digging in a mine or prospecting in the mountains of California. (Yes, they still have mines and claims can be filed even today.) But these two terms encompass a whole area of expertise within the automotive engineering arena and are an integral part of every aspect of the …
Have you ever watched a movie starring Sherlock Holmes?This intuitive and intelligent investigator would take a seemingly inconsequential piece of information and use it to take him down an investigative path till a crime was solved. Sherlock Holmes launched an entire line of investigative analysis that resulted in the development of investigative techniques for criminals within the police force as …
Many years ago when I was still a student engineer working for an instrumentation manufacturing subsidiary I had the opportunity to work in the quality department of our company. The quality department was split into numerous different groups, each one responsible for various aspects of the product quality including functionality, production, materials and aesthetics. In this particular job rotation I …
The ads on the radio and TV are constantly there bombarding us with their end of year or holiday car sales all promising great deals on the automobiles that they insist we all must have. Each sales pitch promises great features on vehicles that we all must be dying to own and drive and seem to assume our existing vehicle …
Remember growing up and playing with tinker toys, Legos, and other construction themed toys? These toys came in a variety of shapes, sizes and colors and let your creative side go wild looking for new ways to assemble them into a functional shape. Sometimes you would try and build everyday items using the different styles of pieces and other times …
Remember when you were young and received a birthday or Christmas present that you had been asking for that you saw on TV? The pictures on the box would describe the wonderful features of the toy it contained inside but when you open the box the toy did not do what you expected. The Easy Bake oven rarely cooked the …
Did you use to play with rulers and tape measures when you were younger? Did you have a set of carefully organized measuring tools that you liked to keep to yourself instead of sharing with siblings? Were you very detail orientated and felt no cut should be made until you had measured two or three times to ensure its accuracy? …
Have you ever wondered why the light came on when you flipped a switch? Or puzzled over the wiring of two-way light switch when you were a child? Did you disassemble the family radio or reprogram the computer? Do you take apart and reassemble every electronic gadget you come across? If any of these areas sound familiar then a career …
Many of us have seen the popular TV series “The Walking Dead” which portray the stories and lives of people who are trapped in a zombie apocalypse but most importantly feature the ever present zombies. The concept of zombies seems to fascinate people worldwide with their mindless wandering and constant craving for living flesh. These mindless walking dead victims have …
Have you ever been to a football and enjoyed watching a marching band perform during halftime? Or watched a choreographed dance by a troupe of ballet dancers? These activities are possible because they are carefully orchestrated with timing, balance of resources and synchronization and in each of these cases the leader of the group is responsible for putting together all …