I am Azhar, a Masters by Research student at RMIT University. I am a technical person always seeking new advancement in technology in mechanical engineering. I have 15 years of industrial experience working with multinational companies in leading roles including engineering manager.
I have liked mechanical engineering since my childhood when I spent most of my time trying reverse engineering. I started my Masters by Research degree in February 2021 in Mechanical & Manufacturing Engineering. My area of research is thermal modelling of laser powder bed fusion process using the finite element analysis software suite ABAQUS. I have a Bachelors degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Masters degree in Industrial Engineering & Management.
Skills
- Plant automation
- Implementation of computerised preventive maintenance system (MEX, SAP)
- Contractor management
- Project management
- Compliance of environment, health, and safety (process & occupational) standards
- Working with geometry, assembly, meshing, and job management within the ABAQUS FEA software suite
- Thermal history correlations between thermal simulation model of AM process and the real build part properties
MRes Project
Prior work
2017-2019: Engineering Manager, FMC United PVT LTD, Lahore, Pakistan
Responsibilities
Planned and executed preventive/predictive maintenance plans & strategies to ensure reliable equipment operation, and managed maintenance budget to meet corporate financial objectives. Coordinated contractors, suppliers, and site teams on quality standards, health, safety, and environmental compliance. Implemented operational excellence activities to achieve asset reliability and continuous process improvement.
Achievements
- Optimised manufacturing operations & equipment effectiveness through decreasing maintenance downtime by 10%
- Received Innovation Award in annual sales conference held in Karachi, Pakistan in 2018 for automation resulting in 45% reduction in labour and 30% increase in production capacity
- Received sustainability award from EHS corporate Director in year 2029 for reduction of intensities of waste generation, energy consumption, and GHG emissions
- Carried out de-bottlenecking project for industrial granular formulation plant by testing and redesigning under capacity exhaust air stream & upgrading its drying efficiency
- Conceptualised & installed reliable, retrofit automation for granular formulation plant & packing line, increasing output by 30%
- Implemented a personal protective equipment program based on risk categories by conducting arc flash studies
2008-2017: Maintenance Engineer, FMC United PVT LTD, Lahore, Pakistan
Responsibilities
Managed team responsible for maintenance of plant assets, engineering projects, and engagement-of-production department. Implemented inspection, testing, and preventive maintenance schedules for critical equipment & machines. Developed SOPs for maintenance activities, considering HAZOP and the requirements of life-critical safety standards.
Achievements
- Led the capital project ‘Enhancement of Facilities’, managing a CAPEX budget of $550,000 for installation of a herbicide formulation & packing facility, and development of the associated piping & allied utilities. Lifted company sales by 10%.
- Received awards for project management for completion of enhancement-of-facilities project at FMC United (PVT) Ltd.
- Improved plant operational uptime by 5% by applying preventive maintenance, root cause analysis, failure mode, and effect analysis
- Achieved 92% score at corporate health, safety, and environment audits – the highest score across the Asia Pacific region
- Increased product storage capacity 40% by installation of dynamic pallet systems, cutting $250,000 from rental warehousing costs
- Improved availability of spare parts from 65% to 95% using criticality matrix & improved plant efficiency via use of lead-time studies, flexibility of parts, and improved budget allocations
- Designed & in-house fabricated fully automatic eight-head volumetric pesticide filling line (EC & SC formulation). Locally developed fully automatic cap-feeding & cap-tightening system for PET & HDPE bottles. Collectively, these modifications resulted in an increase in production capacity of pesticide products by 10% and a 15% reduction in direct labour costs.
- Upgraded site maintenance program by adopting a proactive approach including the application of modern tools, i.e. thermal imaging camera, vibration testing, and alignment tools
- Designed & installed overhead crane for charging FIBC (flexible intermediate bulk container) into a dispersion tank. This eliminated the manual charging operation and the risk of explosion due to electrostatic charges of technical carbofuran with reference to its critical minimum ignition energy (MIE) value.
- Developed process layouts & process safety information (PSI) for formulation tanks, filling lines, and process equipment as per API and ASME codes & standards. Directly monitored the fabrication works, testing, and installation & commissioning of insecticide filling lines as per defined quality standards.
- Conducted Corporate Environmental Audit of FMC Suzhou Plant (China), in March 2011
2005-2008: Assistant Manager Maintenance, Haleeb Foods, Lahore, Pakistan
Responsibilities
Established preventive maintenance program to achieve zero breakdowns of critical equipment. Developed maintenance schedules for Stork Ultra High Temperature Treatment (140°C for 3 seconds) plants, pasteurisers, homogenisers, and falling film evaporators. Coordinated production departments to execute the tasks of upgrading process lines and installing equipment. Conducted daily inspections & produced reports to communicate any abnormality to the Maintenance Manager for rectification.
Achievements
- Upgraded cleaning in place (CIP) system during annual maintenance turnaround, resulting in 40% saving in cleaning detergent and total elimination of manual handling of corrosive chemicals
- Developed & implemented a preventive maintenance culture to achieve maximum availability of machines & equipment and uninterrupted supply of utilities. Unplanned breakdowns were reduced by 30% in just two years.
- Installed & commissioned a reverse osmosis water treatment system & filling line for commercial production of bottled drinking water. This project added 10% to sales volume.
- Installed fully automated batch standardising & formulating unit of TETRA ALFAST, eliminating manual operations & improving ‘right first-time’ batch formulation by 80%
References
[1] Hu, H., Ding, X. & Wang, L. (2016). ‘Numerical analysis of heat transfer during multi-layer selective laser melting of AlSi10Mg’. Optik, 127(20), 8883-8891,
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