Controls Engineer
General Motors
At General Motors I work on both sides of manufacturing engineering. On the plant floor, I deliver and validate new automation. In software, I build tools that help the wider Automation organization design that automation. My scope covers a robotic final line, EV battery mini-stack automation at Factory ZERO and Orion Assembly, production reliability, supplier deliverables, and an AI design-audit platform that I built as the sole developer.
Responsibilities
- Test, validate, and audit automation systems to make sure they meet throughput and production requirements
- Make sure suppliers meet project deliverables through each phase of a project
- Analyze production data and downtime reports to minimize recurring alarms, reduce production roadblocks, and increase system efficiency
- Modify controls logic as needed to implement approved process changes
- Complete the engineering execution checklists required for the equipment buyoff process
- Escalate persistent issues to senior leadership and track them on the open issues list
- Take part in safety talks and team meetings that build safety awareness and help prevent incidents and injuries
Key achievements
- Cut recurring alarms by 50% through production data and downtime analysis
- Built, as sole developer, an AI platform available to all GM Automation engineers and suppliers
- Reduced wiring, power, and network design audits from hours or days to minutes
- Shipped the platform through 1,200+ tests, Docker, CI/CD, and Kubernetes on Azure
- Validated EV battery mini-stack automation supporting Cadillac, HUMMER, and Equinox battery builds
Tools & skills: PLC · Robotics · Atlas Copco · Machine Vision · EV Battery · Python · FastAPI · React · PostgreSQL · pgvector · LLM / RAG · YOLO · OCR · Docker · Kubernetes · Azure · CI/CD · Equipment Buyoff · Safety
Case studies:AI Design-Audit PlatformRobotic Final LineEV Battery ValidationAlarm ReductionEquipment Buyoff
01Automating a manual final line with new-to-industry robotics
- What I did
- I'm automating a final line that was previously manual, using new-to-industry robotics to assemble doors, hoods, fenders, and door and hood hinges.
- How
- The work is about integration: pairing the robots with best-fit Atlas Copco bolt runners, bolt and U-nut feeders, net form and pierce tooling, and variation-reduction cameras that measure gap and flush. Each element has to work together as one coordinated process.
- Impact
- Closures and fenders are among the most visible parts of a vehicle. Automating their assembly, with gap and flush measured inside the process, brings fit-and-finish control directly into the line.
02Validating EV battery mini-stack automation
- What I did
- I validated automation for EV battery mini-stack production at Factory ZERO and Orion Assembly.
- How
- I tested and audited the automation against its throughput and quality targets, so the equipment was proven before it was relied on for production builds.
- Impact
- This work supported battery builds for Cadillac, HUMMER, and Equinox, part of GM's electric vehicle programs.
03Testing, validation, and controlled PLC changes
- What I did
- I test, validate, and audit automation against throughput and quality targets, and I update PLC logic when changes are approved.
- How
- Logic changes go through approval before I implement them, so every modification to running equipment is deliberate and traceable rather than ad hoc.
- Impact
- Throughput and quality targets are how a line is judged. Holding automation to them, and controlling how logic changes, protects both.
04Reducing recurring alarms with production data
- What I did
- I analyze production data and downtime reports to find and eliminate recurring alarms.
- How
- Rather than reacting to individual faults, I look for patterns in the data: which alarms keep coming back and where downtime accumulates. Then I target the root causes.
- Impact
- This work cut recurring alarms by 50%.
05Driving suppliers and closing open issues
- What I did
- I drive supplier deliverables and buyoff checklists, and I track open issues to closure with leadership.
- How
- Buyoff checklists turn 'the equipment is done' into a verifiable list of criteria. Tracking open items with leadership keeps every issue owned and visible until it's resolved.
- Impact
- Automation programs depend on many suppliers. Disciplined buyoffs and issue tracking keep delivery on track and accountable.
06Equipment buyoff and safety
- What I did
- I complete the engineering execution checklists that the equipment buyoff process requires, and I take part in safety talks and team meetings.
- How
- Execution checklists record that equipment meets its requirements before it's accepted. Safety talks spread awareness of why safe practices matter on the floor.
- Impact
- Equipment is accepted on documented evidence, and the team is better placed to avoid safety incidents and injuries.
07Building an AI design-audit platform as sole developer
- What I did
- I built an AI platform, available to all GM Automation engineers and suppliers, that audits wiring, power, and network designs.
- How
- The platform reads electrical drawings and checks them automatically, flagging issues such as power supply overloads and missing safety devices.
- Impact
- Design audits that took hours or days now take minutes, and problems are caught at the design stage.
08Architecting and shipping the platform
- What I did
- I architected the platform's full stack and own its delivery to production.
- How
- Python/FastAPI on the backend, React on the frontend, and PostgreSQL with pgvector for data and embeddings. An LLM and RAG assistant, YOLO and OCR for reading drawings, and single sign-on. It ships through 1,200+ tests, Docker, CI/CD, and Kubernetes on Azure.
- Impact
- A tool used across an engineering organization has to be dependable. The test suite and automated delivery pipeline make it maintainable by a single developer.
