Being an Engineer

Aaron Moncur

The Being An Engineer podcast is a central repository in which we collect and share industry knowledge & best practices associated with the discipline of engineering. We hope that engineers throughout the world will benefit from this content as they connect with the companies, technologies, people, resources, and opportunities that are relevant to their engineering or engineering-adjacent roles. Contact us at info@teampipeline.us. Intro and Outro music by John Martell

  1. -11 h

    S7E29 Heylands Lowry| Building an Engineering Culture of Continuous Improvement

    Send us Fan Mail Heylands Lowry is a globally experienced continuous improvement and operational excellence leader with deep expertise in Lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and organizational transformation. Over the course of his career, he has helped companies across medical devices, aerospace, and manufacturing build sustainable systems that improve efficiency while strengthening culture and employee engagement. Known for his ability to connect with people at every level of an organization, Heylands focuses not just on process improvement, but on creating lasting behavioral and cultural change.   Most recently, Heylands served as Director of Continuous Improvement at Intuitive, where he developed and deployed company-wide Lean and Six Sigma training initiatives that reached hundreds of employees across multiple events and workshops. His work included embedding DMAIC methodologies and Lean principles into core business processes while mentoring cross-functional teams on strategic improvement initiatives. One notable achievement involved reducing a surgeon payment cycle from three months down to fewer than five business days.   Prior to Intuitive, Heylands spent nearly fifteen years at Edwards Lifesciences, where he held leadership roles focused on business excellence and Lean deployment. During that time, he led numerous high-impact initiatives, including productivity improvements, throughput increases, inventory optimization, and multimillion-dollar Six Sigma projects. His contributions earned him repeated recognition as Top Talent within the organization, a distinction reserved for fewer than ten percent of employees.   Earlier in his career, Heylands led process improvement initiatives at Panasonic Avionics Corporation and served as a Six Sigma Champion at ITT Industries, where he was selected as one of only 48 employees out of 9,000 for advanced Six Sigma leadership training. Across these roles, he helped organizations streamline operations, prioritize high-value projects, and create scalable infrastructures for continuous improvement.   In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to sustain continuous improvement efforts inside large organizations, why cultural buy-in matters more than most leaders realize, and how engineers and technical professionals can become more effective problem solvers, mentors, and change agents inside their teams.    LINKS:  Heylands Lowry LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/heylands-lowry-64211a99/  Heylands Lowry website: https://www.intuitive.com/en-us  Aaron Moncur, host  PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    39 min
  2. 3 juil.

    S7E28 Justin Rittenhouse | What Engineering School Doesn’t Teach You About Industry

    Send us Fan Mail Justin Rittenhouse is a mechanical engineer, educator, and industry leader whose career sits at the intersection of advanced engineering analysis, manufacturing innovation, and mentorship. With a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering and degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Justin has built a strong technical foundation in structural mechanics, computational methods, and advanced simulation tools such as FEA and DEM. His academic journey is complemented by hands-on expertise in programming, material testing, and product development.  Professionally, Justin has spent more than 11 years in industry, including roles with Fortune 500 companies, where he has led projects from early concept through commercialization. His experience spans designing custom cable assemblies for defense and commercial applications, developing automated testing systems using embedded hardware like Arduino, and leading the creation of high-efficiency manufacturing lines that significantly improved throughput.   In addition to his industry work, Justin has a strong passion for teaching and mentorship. He has served as both an assistant professor and instructor of mechanical engineering, where he taught CAD, FEA, manufacturability, and material testing, while also leading senior design programs and advising student engineering teams. His ability to translate complex technical concepts into practical, real-world understanding has made him a valuable guide for aspiring engineers navigating their early careers.  Justin is also the author of Secret Keys to a STEM Degree, where he shares actionable strategies for succeeding in demanding technical programs—focusing not just on studying harder, but on thinking differently, avoiding common pitfalls, and building the habits that lead to long-term success. Drawing from his own experiences, including overcoming personal challenges such as being born with a cleft lip and palate, Justin brings a deeply human perspective to engineering—one rooted in resilience, growth, and continuous improvement.  Today, Justin is driven by a mission to help engineers better understand what the profession truly looks like, how to transition effectively from school to industry, and how to build confidence in the face of uncertainty. His work bridges theory and practice, offering practical insights that engineers can apply immediately to their careers.  LINKS:  Justin Rittenhouse LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-rittenhouse-phd/  Justin Rittenhouse website: https://justinrittenhousephd.com/  Buy Justin’s book on Amazon: https://a.co/d/04FtX62u   Aaron Moncur, host  PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    50 min
  3. 26 juin

    S7E27 Daniel Kurnianto | The Engineering Journey Behind the World's First Electronic Coffee Tamper

    Send us Fan Mail Daniel Kurnianto has built his career at the intersection of mechatronics, lab automation, product management, and hands-on mechanical design. With more than 19 years at Formulatrix, he has led and contributed to the development of high-precision life science instruments, including crystallography and liquid-handling platforms used in research and pharmaceutical environments. His experience spans full product lifecycle work: concept development, detailed engineering, injection-molded consumables, motion control, fluidics, manufacturing, assembly, field support, and global customer deployment.   At Formulatrix, Daniel’s work has included products like the NT8 Drop Setter and the F.A.S.T. Liquid Handling Platform, where he has combined deep technical fluency with product and team leadership. His background includes micro-scale injection molding, positive displacement liquid handling, fluidic manifolds, precision mechanisms, embedded systems, and DFMEA/GD&T-driven design reviews. That combination gives him a rare perspective: he is not only thinking about whether a design works in CAD, but whether it can be manufactured, assembled, maintained, supported, demonstrated, and improved over time.  Outside of Formulatrix, Daniel is the inventor and founder of BOSeTAMPER, a handheld automatic electronic espresso tamper designed and engineered in Boston. The product is described as compact, battery powered, portable, and designed to deliver consistent, repeatable tamping pressure without requiring baristas or home users to apply that force manually. BOSeTAMPER won a Red Dot Product Design Award in 2024, and the public BOSeTAMPER site now highlights the availability of the new 3rd Generation 58mm PRO model with wireless charging and a travel case.   For this episode, Daniel will take us inside the engineering journey behind the new 3rd Generation BOSeTAMPER. Rather than just talking about the finished product, the conversation will explore what changed from earlier versions, why some designs that look impressive on paper may not be the right designs for production, and how Daniel thinks about simplifying a product so it becomes faster, cheaper, and easier to machine, assemble, ship, and support.  Daniel also brings a provocative engineering point of view from his work in high-end lab automation: in some systems, he cares more about precision than accuracy. That idea opens the door to a deeper discussion about real-world instrumentation, repeatability, customer expectations, cost, manufacturing reality, and how experienced engineers decide what matters most when a product has to survive outside the lab, outside the CAD screen, and in the hands of real users.  LINKS:  Daniel Kurnianto LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielkurnianto/  BOSeTAMPER website: https://bosetamper.com/  Aaron Moncur, host PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    50 min
  4. 19 juin

    S7E26 Paul Vizzio | From Prototype to Product: How Paul Vizzio Engineered RemieDog Into a Real Hardware Business

    Send us Fan Mail Paul Vizzio is a seasoned hardware engineering leader with deep expertise in building complex electromechanical systems and scaling them from early prototypes to full production. Currently serving as Director of Hardware Engineering at Proteus Motion, Paul led the end-to-end development of a patented 3D resistance training system that has been deployed in more than 400 locations across the U.S. and Canada. His leadership spanned the full product lifecycle—from system architecture and CAD design to manufacturing, supply chain development, and field deployment—culminating in a dramatic cost reduction to approximately 20% of the original prototype while improving assembly efficiency and scalability.   Paul’s career reflects a strong ability to operate at both the startup and production scale levels. He has built and led cross-functional teams, driven design-for-manufacturing initiatives, and delivered production-ready systems on aggressive timelines, including bringing initial production units to market in under a year. His work consistently focuses on simplifying complexity—whether through system architecture decisions, supplier strategy, or thoughtful engineering tradeoffs.  In addition to his work at Proteus, Paul is the founder of RemieDog, a direct-to-consumer hardware brand, and Vizeng, a consultancy that helps startups accelerate product development from concept to production. Through these ventures, he has worked hands-on across prototyping, injection molding, supplier sourcing, and go-to-market strategy—giving him a well-rounded perspective on both engineering and business execution.  Paul is also deeply committed to the broader engineering community. He co-organizes a New York–based hardware meetup with over 14,000 members, serves as a visiting lecturer at Cornell Tech, and has been recognized as one of ASME’s Top 25 Early Career Engineers. Across all his work, Paul brings a practical, execution-focused mindset to hardware development—bridging the gap between ambitious ideas and real-world, manufacturable products.  LINKS:  Paul Vizzio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-vizzio/  RemieDog website: https://remiedog.com/  Aaron Moncur, host PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    41 min
  5. 12 juin

    S7E25 Yesenia Avellaneda | Engineering, Medicine, and Manufacturing Leadership

    Send us Fan Mail Yesenia Avellaneda is an engineering leader whose career sits at the intersection of innovation, operations, and impact. Currently a Senior Project Engineer within Global Operations at Abbott, she has built a reputation for turning complex ideas into scalable, high-performing manufacturing systems. From leading New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts to executing international production transfers and launching entirely new facilities, Yesenia thrives where strategy meets execution.  Her work has had measurable impact. She has led capital projects exceeding $5 million, driven production efficiency improvements, and implemented Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance quality and throughput. In one role, she helped boost line productivity by 200%, all while overseeing teams of 60+ personnel and ensuring compliance with rigorous FDA and regulatory standards . Her ability to align cross-functional teams—from product development to operations—has made her a key driver of successful product launches and operational excellence.  Yesenia’s academic foundation reflects her human-centered approach to engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon and later completed a master’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Portland. This unique combination allows her to bridge the gap between clinical needs and engineering solutions—an essential skill in the medical device industry.  Beyond her technical and leadership accomplishments, Yesenia is deeply committed to giving back. As Regional Vice President for SHPE Region 6 and a longtime advocate for underrepresented communities in STEM, she actively works to create inclusive pathways for future engineers. She’s also an experienced speaker, sharing insights on leadership, career growth, and navigating STEM as a first-generation professional.  In this conversation, Yesenia brings a rare perspective—one that combines hands-on engineering, large-scale operational leadership, and a mission-driven approach to making a broader impact in both industry and community.  Yesenia’s microphone had a slight delay during recording, so you may notice some minor timing lags throughout the conversation. We apologize for the delays and appreciate your patience.  LINKS:  Yesenia Avellaneda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesenia-avellaneda/  https://shpe.org/  Aaron Moncur, host  PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    31 min
  6. 5 juin

    S7E24 Larry Copponi | The Most Important Skill To Get Hired As An Engineer

    Send us Fan Mail For more than 40 years, Larry Copponi has been working at the intersection of engineering talent and product innovation. Today, he serves as Vice President of Staffing Solutions at Spanner Product Development, where he helps companies across industries assemble the engineering teams they need to bring complex products to life.  Larry’s work spans sectors including consumer electronics, robotics, renewable energy, life sciences, and medical devices. His team specializes in placing highly skilled professionals—mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, product designers, industrial designers, and quality engineers—into organizations that are racing to transform ideas into real-world products. By deeply understanding both the technical landscape and the people who power it, Larry plays a critical role in helping companies scale their engineering capabilities.  Before joining Spanner, Larry spent more than 14 years as Division Manager at Pro Source Inc., supporting companies with contract engineering talent and CAD professionals to keep product development projects on schedule. Earlier in his career, he helped build recruiting and sales teams at TriMech Solutions, where he launched new recruiting initiatives focused on engineering and technical sales professionals.  Across decades in the recruiting and staffing industry, Larry has built a reputation for understanding the real needs of engineering organizations—matching the right talent to the right challenges and helping companies deliver products to market faster. His career offers a rare vantage point on how engineering teams evolve, how companies compete for talent, and what separates organizations that build strong technical cultures from those that struggle to grow.  In this conversation, Larry shares lessons from decades of working alongside engineering leaders, insights into the hiring challenges facing technical organizations today, and practical advice for both companies looking to build great teams and engineers navigating their careers.    LINKS:  Larry Copponi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-copponivpstaffingsolutionsspannerpd/  Spanner Website: https://www.spannerpd.com/  Aaron Moncur, host  PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    42 min
  7. 29 mai

    S7E23 Jordan Kapitanoff | Screw Manufacturing, LEAN Processes, and Investing for Engineers

    Send us Fan Mail Jordan Kapitanoff is a mechanical engineer by training and a transformation leader by practice. A graduate of Kettering University with a BSME and an MBA from Aurora University, Jordan built his career at the intersection of engineering, operations, and culture change. Over the years, he has consistently stepped into roles where systems, teams, and processes needed elevation — and delivered measurable results.  At Bison Gear & Engineering, Jordan moved from Application Engineer to Innovator, and later to Supervisor of Quality Innovation and Sustainability Engineering Manager. There, he led initiatives grounded in A3 problem solving, DMAIC, and lean thinking — not just to fix problems, but to transform how teams approached quality and continuous improvement. He also launched a new innovation and product development consulting division inside the organization, demonstrating an entrepreneurial drive even within established companies.  His leadership continued to evolve at G&W Electric and later at tmax Group, where he served in operations excellence and operations management roles. Across these organizations, Jordan focused on production management, lean process improvement, and aligning communication across departments — recognizing that operational excellence is just as much about people as it is about process.  Today, Jordan is channeling that experience into entrepreneurship. As Co-Founder of CoForge Technologies LLC and Head Coach at Thinking Kap Personal and Career Coaching, he works at the convergence of operational performance and personal leadership development. With a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University and service as a board member of The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), Jordan continues to advocate for systems thinking, continuous improvement, and empowering professionals to take ownership of their growth.    LINKS:  Jordan Kapitanoff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-kapitanoff-5b821817/  CoForge Website: https://www.coforge.com/  Aaron Moncur, host  PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    52 min
  8. 22 mai

    S7E22 Amelia Howe | Developing Medical Device Injectrodes for Pain Reduction, & Project Management Best Practices

    Send us Fan Mail Amelia Howe is a biomedical engineer and R&D project manager whose career spans startups, research labs, and established medical device companies. She currently leads cross-functional development programs at COLTENE, where she coordinates teams across engineering, quality, regulatory, and manufacturing to bring new medical devices from concept to international launch. Amelia’s journey into engineering began with a pivotal shift early in her academic career. While studying at The University of Akron, she transitioned from nursing to biomedical engineering after discovering the field through biomechanics research. Working in Dr. Brian Davis’s lab, she contributed to innovative research on shear forces and biomechanics, helping analyze how human movement affects pressure and stress on the body. After graduating summa cum laude, Amelia joined Neuronoff, Inc. as its first employee. In the fast-moving startup environment, she wore nearly every hat imaginable—conducting research, developing prototypes, establishing quality systems, and contributing to core patents. She played a key role in the early development of the Injectrode neuromodulation technology while helping build the company’s quality management system toward ISO 13485 compliance. Over time, Amelia gravitated toward project leadership, recognizing that even highly talented engineers need structured coordination to ensure complex products make it through development. She moved into project management roles, overseeing multiple technical programs simultaneously and aligning engineering, regulatory, and business teams around clear timelines and milestones. Today, in addition to her role at COLTENE, Amelia is launching Chrysalis Business Consulting, where she provides project management and business development support to medical device startups. With both an engineering background and an MBA from Quantic School of Business and Technology, she brings a rare perspective that blends technical depth with strategic business insight.   LINKS: Amelia Howe LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ameliaehowe/ Company website: https://www.linkedin.com/company/chrysalis-business-consulting-llc/ Aaron Moncur, host PDX 2026 is October 20-21 in Phoenix, AZ. Attendee tickets are 50% off August 3-7 only. Learn more and register at https://pdexpo.engineer/  Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday. The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

    52 min

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À propos

The Being An Engineer podcast is a central repository in which we collect and share industry knowledge & best practices associated with the discipline of engineering. We hope that engineers throughout the world will benefit from this content as they connect with the companies, technologies, people, resources, and opportunities that are relevant to their engineering or engineering-adjacent roles. Contact us at info@teampipeline.us. Intro and Outro music by John Martell

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