New Product Development Engineer - De Forest - Big Joe Forklifts

Description

Overview:

Big Lift, along with its parent Company, EP Equipment, is the fastest growing manufacturer of lift trucks in the world and is widely considered the most innovative player. Big Joe was founded in 1951 and is well known for its vast portfolio of high-quality electric lift trucks and its focus on exceptional customer service.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform the following satisfactorily; other duties may be assigned.

Project Management

• Independently manage lift truck development projects including, but not limited to new product development, product line extensions, and product improvement projects. Project types will primarily focus on class 1, class 2, and class 3 electric lift trucks, but will also include a range of batteries/chargers and autonomous mobile robots
• Effectively partner with the design and product management team in China on the project schedule, deliverables management, and design feedback. Hold weekly or bi-weekly mtgs with them with limited guidance. Maintain weekly conversations with EP design teams via WeChat
• Collaborate as the main liaison with our North American product management team and European technical engineering team counterparts to try to achieve global alignment.
• Hold monthly executive committee review on project status to ensure roles and responsibilities are clear and achieved with limited guidance.

Plan/Track

• Proactively coordinate and plan effective virtual design reviews with design teams.
• Work with product management team to ensure they effectively identify and come up with a field test plan: Develop testing sites, analyzing and implementing customer feedback into existing and future products
• Review target specs versus actual design differences
• Collaborate closely with product management team on competitive benchmarking exercises to identify any gaps and to ensure our products and solutions remain competitive in the marketplace.
• Track all design change requests in prototype, pilot, and production phases
• Proactively lead thorough reviews, inspection, and tests of the new trucks. Test engineering responsibilities would include:
• Oversee Energy Consumption, high level performance testing: acceleration/gradeability/top speed, lift speed, software parameter evaluation, hydraulic pressure/flow/temperature testing, physical truck measurements as needed.

Develop/Test

• Proactively develop and maintain effective virtual design reviews with design team
• Partner with project management team to effectively identify and come up with a field test plan: Develop testing sites, analyzing and implementing customer feedback into existing and future products
• Review target specs versus actual design differences
• Collaborate closely with commercial product management team on competitive benchmarking exercises to identify any gaps and to ensure our products and solutions remain competitive in the marketplace.
• Track all design change requests in prototype, pilot, and production phases
• Proactively lead thorough reviews, inspection, and tests of the new trucks. Test engineering responsibilities would include:
• Manage the R&D test center and lab equipment
• Ensure proper organization/cleanliness of the lab space
• Oversee Energy Consumption, Mast deflection, Stability Test, high level performance testing: acceleration/gradeability/top speed, lift speed, software parameter evaluation, hydraulic pressure/flow/temperature testing, physical truck measurements as needed.
• Perform other tests as needed on current product models to help resolve field issues or for special engineering request.

Launch

• Collaborate with the product management team to effectively develop and ensure all documentation/deliverables are ready for product launch. These responsibilities include but are not limited to posting the parts manual on the support site, setting up PNs in ERP, reviewing/editing operations/service manuals, ensuring all compliance testing is completed, and spec sheets are finalized
• Partner with the product management team to review production configuration standard features and options for all new development projects.
• Review truck decal drawings to ensure product consistency and compliance
• Review stability calcs, and work with EP on final capacity ratings in a timely manner
• Ensure all truck files are organized in Sharepoint and moved over to current product engineering team
• Participate in routine quality audits of the launched trucks
• Facilitate effective post launch lessons learned meeting with sales, aftermarket and commercial product management teams in addition to the international design teams in China, U.S., and Europe.
• Additional testing, evaluation, and project management support may be required based on workload on the following electrical engineering projects: chargers, batteries, controllers, new technology options, and autonomous projects.

Experience and Education:

• Bachelor's in mechanical engineering ideally but would consider electrical engineering.
• Min 5-10 years experience
• 3-7+ years in project management experience; PMP certified preferred
• Teamcenter experience
• Hands-on mechanical or electrical aptitude
• Electrical, mechanical, and hydraulic knowledge/understanding is preferred. Ability to read electrical and hydraulic schematics.
• Product development experience ideally in lift truck industry or can be in heavy machinery, off highway equipment, mobile equipment industry.
• Strong knowledge of lift truck design and components
• Experience and familiarity in new product development stage gate process