Illinois Tool Works ITW  
 

A very unique company, ITW has over 850 business units that operate mostly independently, manufacturing a wide variety of advanced industrial products, components, and technology. I spent nearly four years working in the ITW Technology Center, an internal engineering, design and business strategy resource for the corporation, helping these divisions in many different roles, including product design and development, market strategy, customer insights and understanding, and project management.


  ActiveMetal  
ITW acquired ActiveTouch, a new touch-sensitive technology offering superior durability. I managed development of the first product line, ActiveMetal, a series of push-button switches for high-risk and high-stress environments. Beginning with a proof-of-concept prototype, I refined the design for efficient and consistent assembly, managed team-based design work, coordinated vendor interactions, and oversaw production launch.

After being released to electronics catalogs like Newark and Mouser, the ActiveMetal line was so well-received, sales projections tripled within the first year of production, and the product line has since expanded to numeric keypads and other formats and is now available in a wider selection of materials.

 
Heikaus Heikaus, a German manufacturer of stretch packaging equipment, wanted to enter the American market, but discovered that their equipment could not accommodate the slightly larger American pallets.  In less than three months, I modified the design to fit,  delivering a solution that was simple to implement with just one component to replace, improved the usability for the machines’ operators, and minimized Heikaus’s delays in getting to market.
 
GaleWrap Walker ITW Stretch Packaging Systems wanted to add a low-cost pallet wrapper to their product line to attract customers who would otherwise hand-wrap pallets with stretch film.  The design had to be inexpensive and easy to use, yet durable enough to last in an industrial environment.  I delivered a fully-functional prototype, gaining valuable project management and mechanical design experience along the way.
   
Berkel X13

Berkel, a manufacturer of deli slicers and other commercial food equipment, developed an innovative slicer offering improvements in performance, safety, cleaning, and ergonomics.  Brought onboard after much of the design work was complete, my task was to develop and execute a validation program.  My test results and recommendations improved the X13’s quality and safety, and ensured a more robust product for customers.