You’ll need abilities past engineering, says controls engineer

Michael Cawley discusses the essential and surprising abilities he applies in his day-to-day position at Abbott.

A controls engineer at healthcare firm Abbott, Michael Cawley, who relies in Donegal, works on the manufacturing of FreeStyle Libre steady glucose screens.

This monitor is a tool he additionally makes use of himself for therapy of his T1 diabetes, Cawley tells SiliconRepublic.com. “I get pleasure from fixing issues and serving to enhance the expertise that helps individuals dwelling with diabetes.”

If there’s such a factor, are you able to describe a typical day on the job?

My day often begins at 8am on-site in Abbott’s Diabetes Care division in Donegal, the place I work within the sensor print line division as a controls engineer. This is step one within the course of that produces sensors which might be important for diabetes care, so holding the road working easily is crucial. At 8.15am, we’ve a brief however centered engineering and operations assembly the place we align on priorities and assign duties. It’s a good way to maintain everybody on the identical web page and guarantee crucial actions are tackled first.

From there, no two days are the identical. I may be troubleshooting tools, programming PLCs, fine-tuning imaginative and prescient or motor management techniques for IQA {qualifications}, or collaborating on course of enhancements. Managing workload is a steadiness of structured planning and reactive problem-solving. I maintain a prioritised job listing and keep versatile for surprising points.

The final word objective? Maintain the road working easily and safely whereas driving steady enchancment, as a result of each sensor we produce performs a job in bettering lives.

What varieties of initiatives do you’re employed on?

I work on a wide range of initiatives, from troubleshooting to optimising present techniques to commissioning new manufacturing strains. We’re additionally implementing new approaches to accommodate upcoming merchandise, which provides an thrilling layer of innovation. Working alongside skilled controls engineering colleagues and addressing day-to-day points has developed my expertise.

These initiatives are crucial as a result of they assist assure the required provide of gadgets that make an actual distinction to diabetes care worldwide.

What abilities do you utilize each day?

Each day, I depend on a mixture of technical and tender abilities. On the technical aspect, PLC programming, motor management and imaginative and prescient system configuration are core to my work. I additionally use diagnostic instruments like JMP to watch efficiency and troubleshoot points rapidly. Past that, problem-solving and flexibility are important as a result of manufacturing environments can change right away. My earlier expertise in a number of roles – as an operator, course of lead and validation engineer – has been invaluable. It gave me a deep understanding of producing processes, high quality requirements and workforce dynamics, which I draw on recurrently.

What shocked me most was how a lot I’d want abilities past engineering. Mission administration, stakeholder communication and balancing priorities below stress have grow to be a part of my day-to-day. I additionally didn’t anticipate to spend a lot time analysing knowledge, however it is a essential ability for driving enhancements and making certain alignment throughout groups.

What are the toughest components of your working day and the way do you navigate them? 

Debugging a PLC program or analysing knowledge in JMP requires focus, however surprising points on the road can come up at any second and wish fast consideration. Switching between structured duties and reactive problem-solving will be demanding. To handle this, I block time for crucial work the place potential. One other problem is sustaining focus throughout commissioning phases, which frequently contain lengthy hours and tight deadlines. Clear communication with the workforce and setting lifelike expectations helps maintain issues on observe.

Do you’ve gotten any productiveness ideas that allow you to by way of the day?

One among my greatest productiveness ideas is to doc all the pieces in OneNote. In controls engineering, there are a number of varieties of coding, which suggests chances are you’ll be monitoring points over a number of software program platforms. Good documentation is important because it offers clear data to colleagues who might must work on the identical points later.

For knowledge evaluation and troubleshooting, I depend on JMP to rapidly establish traits and root causes, which hurries up decision-making. One other tip is to dam time for deep work when potential, particularly throughout programming or diagnostics, so I can preserve focus and ship top quality outcomes.

What abilities and instruments are you utilizing to speak every day together with your colleagues? 

Most of my communication occurs by way of Microsoft Groups for fast updates, video calls and coordinating duties. For formal updates, together with communication with distributors, e mail remains to be extensively used. Face-to-face communication on the manufacturing ground can also be important; you possibly can clear up issues sooner and be sure you have robust alignment between engineering and operations groups.

Probably the most vital communication abilities in my position is explaining advanced controls points or software program updates to colleagues who might not have a technical background. I deal with breaking down the knowledge clearly and concisely with out sounding condescending. This helps preserve belief and ensures everybody understands the affect of modifications on manufacturing and high quality.

How has this position modified as this sector has grown and developed?

I’ve solely been on this position for 3 years, so I haven’t seen all of the long-term modifications as I’m nonetheless gaining expertise. Nevertheless, it’s clear how rapidly {hardware} and software program variations change with advances in expertise. Even in a short while, I’ve seen elements and platforms needing updates to maintain up with new requirements and options.

What do you get pleasure from most concerning the job?

I really like drawback fixing. There’s an actual sense of satisfaction in diagnosing or resolving a problem, implementing an answer, and seeing the manufacturing line run easily once more. I additionally benefit from the selection and complexity of the work. As a consumer of the FreeStyle Libre 2 Plus sensor we manufacture in Donegal, realizing that the techniques I assist to take care of contribute to producing gadgets that enhance the lives of individuals with diabetes makes my job much more significant.

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