New Product Development Engineer, Indexers and Conveyors

Position Description

New Product Development Engineer, Indexers and Conveyors

Mechanical

Company Overview:

DESTACO, a Dover Company, is a global leader in the design and manufacture of high-performance automation, workholding, and remote handling solutions.  The company serves customers in variety of end-markets, including the automotive, life sciences, consumer goods, packaging, aerospace, and nuclear sectors. 

Built on a legacy of over 100 years, DESTACO offers a comprehensive portfolio of products to engineer precise movement, placement and control solutions that drive productivity and uptime for manufacturers around the world.  The DESTACO family of products consists of industry-leading brands such as DESTACO Manual and Power Clamps, Camco and Ferguson Indexers, Robohand Grippers and CRL Manipulators and Transfer Ports. 

DESTACO is based in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and operates globally through ~800 employees across 12 locations.

Dover is a diversified global manufacturer with annual revenues of $7 billion.  The company delivers innovative equipment and components, specialty systems, and support services through three major operating segments: Engineered Systems, Fluids, and Refrigeration & Food Equipment.  Headquartered in Downers Grove, Illinois, Dover trades on the New York Stock Exchange under “DOV.”

Position Summary:

The New Product Development Engineer, Indexers and Conveyors is responsible for design of new products and improving existing products in order to meet stated project goals and product specifications. Products consist primarily of mechanical rotary indexers driven by AC motor and servo motor driven rotary cam indexers and Precision link conveyors.  He/she will be responsible for following the project scope, detailing the design, creation of drawings and models, testing, documenting, and reporting within a team environment.  He/she will identify and control design risks.  He/she will drive the project schedule, priorities, and track progress following a stage gate process.  He/she will communicate with vendors and other design and manufacturing engineers to conduct design and cost reviews, prepare for release and provide training and technical support. He/she will work within and communicate across various functional teams within DESTACO that will enable the successful development, launch, and support of new products.

The New Product Development Engineer, Indexers and Conveyors reports to the Global Product Manager, Indexers. The position is in wheeling, IL. The position requires the ability to work and communicate globally and virtually with vendors, product managers, applications engineering, marketing, manufacturing support teams.  Travel up to 10% to facilities in the U.S. and to some global locations may be required. 

Key Job Responsibilities included but not limited to:

• Promotes safety awareness with other key members of the plant team.  Promotes accident prevention and employee involvement with regard to safe work environment. Ensures employees have an understanding on the safety expectations of the organization.
• Designs and develops new products and Automation product extensions and enhancements, relating to linear, rotary, parallel motion products such as servo driven indexers, pick and place, robotic tools and conveying equipment.  
• Researches, collects and reports information on the ability and capacity of products and competing equipment (competitive analysis). 
• Generates 3D assembly models, manufacturing drawings, bill of materials, generates CAD files and specifications. 
• Work with Applications Engineering in resolving quality and production issues. May evaluate products, parts, or processes for cost efficiency and reliability.
• Assist in driving results with internal and external resources per the product development stage gate process and schedule.
• Executes testing of new products and obtains agency approvals where needed.
• Tracks and records design changes following ECN processes.
• Communicates with vendors and global teams to facilitate and resolve project issues. 
• Generates documentation needs and requirements.
• Generates Management project status reports comparing project schedule and objectives.
• Keeps informed of industry trends that may lead to new product offerings and future projects.
• Leverages continuous improvement tools to drive improvements.

Leadership Competencies aligned with Dover and executed in DESTACO with appropriate expectations for the job level:  

• Entrepreneurial Spirit: identifies opportunities to develop new solutions. Change agent, collaborates for results, manages risk, takes responsibility for all aspects of the organization.
• Global Strategic Mindset: Has strategic vision, possesses long term focus, creates breakthrough strategies to alter competitive dynamics in the market and establishes a series of competitive advantages yielding profitability that exceeds expectations of the organization.
• Customer Value and Market Focus: Knows and understands the global market and global manufacturing best practices. Ensures superior value delivered to customers/markets.

Job Requirements:

Experience:

• Requires a minimum of 3 years of design experience in mechanical design, specifications and design of mechanical elements.
• Solid understanding of core concepts including mechanics, kinematics, materials etc. 
• Experience in Mechanical/Mechatronic applications involving robotics, Gear drives, CAM mechanisms, Precision conveyors, VFD, servo drives, indexers, grippers, and linear devices is a plus.
• Requires working knowledge of Solid works design software both 2-D and 3-D (or equivalent)
• 2 years experienced in Mechanical/Mechatronic design of rotary or linear motion.
• Experience with mechanical transmission systems (gears, cam) design is a plus.
• Working knowledge of geometric dimensioning and part tolerances.
• Basic working knowledge of stage gate documentation such as: Product Specification, FEA, DFMEA, DVP&R, DFM, product validation, etc. preferred.
• Perform a full lifecycle product development (design, develop, test prototypes, manufacture and implement)
• Evaluate final product’s overall performance, reliability and safety.
• Alter and modify design to meet requirements and to eliminate malfunctions.
• Test and evaluate theoretical designs.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

• Results and very detail oriented, solution driven with project deadlines in mind
• High energy, strong interpersonal skills, prefers to work in team entrepreneurial environment
• Passion for hands-on involvement with strong initiative and exceed project goals
• Analytical thinker, ability to make decisions and problem solve based on data
• Adapts to customer and market trend changes with desire to learn new technology and methods
• Good communication skills including facilitating meetings, verbal, and written skills
• Ability to work in multi-cultural virtual teams maintaining significant involvement and team interaction
• Able to execute tasks independently with daily or weekly direction from manager

Education and Certification Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering preferred. 

Travel Requirements:

• Ability to travel 10% of the time.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, age, genetic information, or any other factors prohibited by law.