Plant Engineering

Many companies have embraced lean manufacturing concepts but haven’t always extended those insights to maintenance procedures. Learn 10 tips to apply to compressed air systems. Figure 1: Leaks are the purest form of waste, costing the average company 20% to 30% of the compressed air they produce. Courtesy: Kaishan USA Learning objectives Understand the importance of applying lean principles to the maintenance of production equipment. Learn how to identify and eliminate waste across the plant floor.

Oil does far more than reduce friction in rotating equipment. It seals clearances, carries away heat, prevents corrosion, suspends contaminants and protects bearings. Lose any one of those functions and the rest of the machine follows. Courtesy: Kaishan USA Grease insights Many things can go wrong with any piece of rotating equipment. But they usually have two things in common: The problem was avoidable and it started with the lubricant.

Meet the 35 rising professionals whose expertise is helping solve problems, strengthen operations and develop the industry’s next generation of talent. Modern industry depends on engineers who can turn complex challenges into workable solutions—whether that means bringing a new production system online, restoring a critical process, strengthening quality systems or giving operators better tools to do their jobs.

Adam Tokarski, 35 Lead Engineer – New Product Development FS-Elliott Export, PA, United States What Makes Adam an Engineering Leader Adam has established himself as both a technical expert and an engineering leader. Over the past year, he has led concurrent product design, development and testing efforts while guiding the New Product Development team through demanding technical challenges and aggressive project schedules.

Dimitri Novickoff, 38 Director of Engineering FS-Curtis St. Louis, MO, United States What Makes Dimitri an Engineering Leader Dimitri is the kind of leader people gravitate toward. His positive attitude, approachable personality and willingness to help make him a trusted resource for colleagues across the organization. As director of engineering at FS-Curtis, Dimitri combines technical excellence with a collaborative leadership style.

Andrew Reffner, 36 Plant Manager Kaishan Compressor USA Loxley, AL, United States What Makes Andrew an Engineering Leader As plant manager at Kaishan USA, Andrew has made a strong impact in just seven to eight months. He has challenged complacency, raised expectations across the manufacturing floor and helped drive significant productivity and quality gains.

Manny Villarreal, 32 Electrical Engineer Chance Rides LLC Wichita, KS, United States What Makes Manny an Engineering Leader Manny is an electrical engineer in the amusement ride manufacturing industry whose work directly supports the design, reliability and production of electrically driven ride and transportation systems. He stands out for taking ownership of under-resourced areas, correcting legacy electrical designs and improving system reliability and manufacturability.

Courtney Pickett, 28 Product Specialist, ABB NEMA Motors Division ABB Fort Smith, AR, United States What Makes Courtney an Engineering Leader Courtney brings a blend of technical and business expertise to her role as product specialist in ABB’s NEMA Motors Division. With a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA, she connects engineering precision with market strategy, guiding motor products from concept through launch.

David Miller, 29 Product Manager, Industrial Products FS-Elliott Export, PA, United States David What Makes David an Engineering Leader David brings 6½ years of experience delivering complex, customer-focused compressed-air solutions. Throughout his career, he has engineered hundreds of customized applications, consistently demonstrating technical excellence, problem-solving ability and a strong commitment to customers.

Stephen Fike, 37 Principal Assured NDT West Palm Beach, FL, United States What Makes Stephen an Engineering Leader As principal of Assured NDT and Risk Assured, Stephen stands out as a risk engineer who bridges the gap between technical inspection and real-world outcomes. With more than a decade of experience advising Fortune 500 companies, insurers and facility operators, he has advanced how organizations identify hidden electrical and infrastructure risks.