Mechanical Engineer Location -Lafayette, Indiana Key Responsibilities Technical Leadership Lead the design and development of custom lifting fixtures, lifting devices, material handling equipment, and manufacturing support tooling for engine and generator set assembly operations. Develop innovative solutions that improve operator safety, ergonomics, productivity, and manufacturing efficiency. Perform engineering calculations and analyses to ensure compliance with applicable safety factors and lifting standards. Review and approve detailed designs, engineering drawings, and bills of material generated by the engineering team. Conduct structural evaluations utilizing FEA and other engineering analysis methods to validate lifting fixture performance and durability. Support fixture fabrication, testing, installation, commissioning, and troubleshooting activities. Manufacturing Support Interface with Caterpillar manufacturing, production, safety, and quality teams to identify requirements and define project scope. Visit assembly lines and workstations to evaluate existing processes and collect field measurements. Develop concepts and layouts that integrate with current manufacturing operations. Participate in design reviews, risk assessments, and safety evaluations. Coordinate with suppliers and fabricators throughout the fixture development process. Project Management & Team Leadership Serve as project lead for all assigned lifting fixture programs. Direct and supervise a team of four offshore mechanical engineers located in India. Create work packages, assign engineering tasks, and establish project priorities. Monitor project schedules, budgets, deliverables, and resource utilization. Conduct regular technical reviews to ensure design quality and compliance with standards. Mentor and develop junior engineers through technical coaching and design reviews. Create and maintain engineering documentation, specifications, calculations, test reports, and design records. Support change management activities and engineering release processes. Required Qualifications Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering or related engineering discipline. Experience designing lifting fixtures, lifting devices, material handling equipment, or manufacturing tooling. Experience supporting industrial manufacturing environments.
Strong understanding of:
Structural mechanics Machine design Welded structures Material selection Design for manufacturability Load path analysis Safety factor calculations Experience performing or reviewing FEA analysis. Proficiency with Creo Parametric. Experience creating detailed engineering drawings and GD&T documentation. Strong project management and leadership skills. Excellent communication and customer-facing abilities.