Benjamin Hittie

Experience

• 

  Leach Wallace Associates, Inc

  Aug 2017 - Apr 2018

  HVAC Mechanical Design Engineer

  - Designed mechanical and plumbing systems for large-scale hospital additions and renovations- Adhered designs to comply with national and international building codes- Drafted mechanical drawings by hand, in AutoCAD and in Revit- Conducted extensive site surveys requiring effective interpersonal skills and coordination with hospital staff

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  Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.

  Apr 2018 - Mar 2022

  - Coordinate and collaborate with global multi-disciplinary new product development team including electrical engineers, industrial designers, patent lawyers, compliance engineers, sourcing engineers, and marketing personnel- Prepare and present project updates to management and leadership throughout the milestone process- Interface with component suppliers and sourcing engineers during a period of significant inflation, component shortages, and trade tariffs, requiring an agile global vision for manufacturing and sourcing redundancy- Fulfill mentoring role in new engineers’ onboarding processes, CAD training, and development, as well as foster an encouraging and enjoyable team atmosphere- Execute significant CAD responsibilities including interface control document, component, and assembly creation, and cross-disciplinary collaboration through Product Lifecycle Management software- Integrate data collected from face-to-face user research conducted with customers, distributors, and warranty service centers utilizing fully functioning prototypes and competitor analysis units Show less - Designed new product assemblies in 3D and 2D, consisting of injection molded plastic, blow molded plastic, cast and machined metal, sheet metal, and powdered metal components- Engaged in the new product development milestone process including initial user research, competitor product analysis, early concept prototyping, development, pre-production sample builds and testing, mature product support, and warranty return analysis- Conducted mechanical component studies, patent infringement investigations, diagnostic teardowns, finite element analysis simulations, use and handling sessions, and quantitative data acquisition- Supported simultaneous development of multiple ongoing projects, each in varying milestone stages- Traveled to Suzhou, China to assist with pre-production build, interact with suppliers, observe manufacturing processes and assembly line procedures, and engage personally with international colleagues Show less

  • Senior Mechanical Engineer - DeWALT

    Jun 2021 - Mar 2022

  • Mechanical Engineer - DeWALT

    Apr 2018 - Jun 2021
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  LifeStraw

  Mar 2022 - Sept 2023

  Product Engineer

  - Designed new product assemblies consisting of injection molded plastic, blow molded plastic, pressed and welded sheet metal, compression molded silicone, powder coating, laser etching, and screen printing- Coordinated and collaborated with global multi-disciplinary new product development team including industrial designers, CAD drafters, test lab technicians, patent lawyers, regulatory, supply chain, and marketing personnel- Simultaneously developed multiple ongoing projects, each in varying development stages including initial user research, competitor product analysis and IP research, early concept prototyping, iterative development, pre-production sample builds and testing, product launch, and mature product support - Prepared and presented project updates to management and senior leadership throughout the new product development process- Managed and reviewed significant amounts of CAD creation and modifications through collaboration and delegation with globally based CAD drafters- Created and maintained product BOM’s for numerous products and dozens of SKU's through all stages of development including relevant mass production change notices- Produced realistic product renders for internal use as well as occasional packaging artwork- Interfaced directly with suppliers throughout the product development process including early DFM discussions, tooling design, FPI modifications, mass production release, and production running changes- Took part in multiple tooling relocations between suppliers, countries, and continents as well as their ensuing review and re-validation- Traveled internationally to South Korea for product build and interfacing with suppliers/international colleagues, as well as to Kenya to support humanitarian efforts of the business- Researched, proposed, and implemented IT solutions to improve engineering team efficiency such as improved CAD package and PDM software Show less