Darwin D. Mitchell
Darwin@DarwinMitchell.com

	
Objective:	A position in Manufacturing Engineering or a related field with emphasis on "hands-on" experience, which would allow me to utilize my educational, engineering, and manufacturing background.	
	
Experience:		
March 2013 to
Present 	Akebono Brake Corporation, Elizabethtown, Ky. 
Senior Project Engineer – Disc Caliper Machining 	
	·	Key member of the Disc Caliper Machining Project Engineering team which is responsible for engineering design and support for new product start ups for Akebono Plants located in the United States and Mexico.	
	·	Used Solid Edge 3D Modeling software to design part holding fixtures for machining of disc caliper castings with a variety of different clamping methods used on SKG Rotor Mill machines, Nachi Broaching machines, Murata 2 Axis CNC lathes, Toyoda 4 Axis CNC horizontal mills, and Fanuc RoboDrill CNC 3 & 4 Axis machines.	
	·	Researched new fixture design concepts by analysis of previous fixture designs as well as consulting with production line personnel  to improve on operator ergonomics , to increase machine productivity, and to Poka-Yoke (fool proof) operator loading position of castings into fixture.	
	·	Modified and developed touchscreen programs using Mitsubishi GOT Designer, Fanuc Picture, and Toyoda Screen-mate software programs to reduce machine changeover setup time, reduce operator error recovery time, and improve maintenance diagnostics.	
	·	Modified and developed PLC Ladder Logic using Mitsubishi GX Developer, Fanuc Ladder, and Toyopuc PCwin software programs to accommodate touchscreen changes and reduce machine cycle times.	
	·	Used NCPlot software to analyze and develop G-Code Programming and macros, for setup of Murata CNC Lathes, Toyoda CNC Mills, Okuma CNC Mills, Komatsu NTC CNC Mills, Fanuc CNC RoboDrills.	
	·	Provided engineering support for Single Axis CNC Milling machine rebuild and controls retrofit which involved specification of Fanuc CNC Hardware components, development of Fanuc CNC and PMC Ladder programming , debug, and run off testing.	
	·	Evaluated process capability, for equipment adjustment and qualification, using a Renishaw Equator 300 gauging system with Prolink software as well as a variety of precision measuring instruments and custom gauging fixtures to obtain measurements of trial production parts to ensure accuracy with print specifications to meet customer quality requirements of 1.67 PPK. 	
	·	Trained and instructed operators to changeover, operate, and adjust tooling offsets on production CNC machines. Also provided set-up sheets and instructions for mistake free changeovers created with Microsoft Word and Excel software.	
	
July 2011 to    
March 2013	General Electric Appliances, Louisville, Ky. 
Senior Advanced Manufacturing Engineer - Generalist 	
	·	Horizontal Axis Mission 1 team member responsible for engineering design, development, procurement, and installation of Front Load Dryer Assembly Line. Duties include plant layout, process flow development, and procurement of multi-million dollar high assembly line production equipment.	
	·	Developed preliminary operator work sequences by reviewing product drawings in Pro E and Solid Works to determine assembly processes and manpower needs required for manufacturing of Dryer Product.	
	·	For product design confirmation build, used inexpensive materials to develop a full scale model of  a Dryer Assembly line were production processes, work sequences, and line layout could be previewed and studied to improve the specification and reduce cost of production equipment as well as reduce head count from preliminary manpower assessments.	
	·	Used AutoCad 2012 to develop plant layout and part fixture drawings.	
	·	Produced equipment specifications used for quotations, procurement, and installation of over 3 million dollars worth of the Dryer Assembly line equipment which included Main Assembly line conveyor, Packaging equipment, and Sub-assembly support equipment.	
	·	Worked with team members consisting of union factory personnel in the development of over 80 operator workstations for Dryer Assembly which involved using 3P and & 7 ways lean principle techniques to produce fixtures, part presentation, and standard work instructions.  	
	·	Benchmarked other GE Businesses (Roper Plant & Mabe Mexico Plant) for best practices of Lean manufacturing and applied them to HA Dryer Equipment Specifications and work cell layouts.	
	
Feb 1991 to    
to July 2011	Akebono Brake/Ambrake Corporation, Elizabethtown, Ky. 
Manufacturing Engineer Feb'91 to Oct'94. 
Level II Engineer Oct'94 to Jan'96. 
Senior Engineer Jan'96 to July'11    	
	·	Responsible for engineering design and support for all manufacturing processes in the Drum Brake Area which includes forming and blanking press operations, resistive and projection welding, roll forming, adhesive application, oven curing, machining, grinding operations, and assembly.	
	·	Demonstrated the ability to troubleshoot complicated machine problems while under the pressure of maintaining a J.I.T. production system.	
	·	Design and development of forming, compound, and progressive dies.	
	·	Machine and fixture design combined with hydraulic, pneumatic, PLC, vision systems, barcode systems, and servo control systems, using AutoCAD and Solid Edge 3D Modeling software.	
	·	Programming and troubleshooting of PLC, HMI, CNC, Visual Basic, and Servo motor controls.	
	·	Worked closely with Sales personnel in development of quotation proposals that involved reviewing customer product drawings to obtain cost estimates of tooling and production equipment.	
	·	Hands-on experience using Toyota Production System techniques through the participation in Kaizen continuous improvement activities utilizing standardize work charts, operator work analysis, machine cycle time analysis, change-over analysis, and line balance charts to eliminate Muda (waste) to improve process efficiency.	
	·	Over 20 years experience in a lean manufacturing environment using Kanban (pull) system, quick change-over, and small lot production concepts.	
	·	Quality Control support that involved process capability studies, development of Poka-Yoke (fool proof) devices, and fixture calibration to insure customer quality satisfaction.	
	·	Research and development of manufacturing processes to improve productivity and quality.	
	
July 1989 to
Jan 1991    	V.B.M. Corporation, Louisville, Ky. 
Project Engineer	
	·	Responsible for electrical and hydraulic engineering design for the Challenger product line.	
	·	Designed and prototyped relay and PLC based controls for hydraulic lift systems.	
	·	Developed PLC programming which interfaced electrical inputs with hydraulic component outputs.	
	·	Developed electrical and hydraulic schematics as well as assembly drawings using AutoCAD 10.	
	·	Performed field service on hydraulic lift systems, which involved installation and troubleshooting.	
	·	Provided manufacturing support by the development of wiring harnesses and assembly wiring manuals.	
	·	Demonstrated the ability to communicate with manufacturing personnel in arriving at the best possible design.	
	
Education:		
Graduated     
Dec 2003    	Bellarmine University, Louisville, Ky. 
Master of Science in Applied Information Technology    	
Graduated     
Dec 1989    	Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Ky. 
Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology    	
Graduated     
Dec 1986    	University of Louisville, Louisville, Ky. 
Associate of Applied Science    in Electrical Engineering Technology    	
		
References:	Available upon request