Joshua Hauskins, among Control Engineering Leaders Under 40 for 2010

Want to meet the next generation of manufacturing automation and controls leaders? In November 2010, Control Engineering highlights 19 young professionals from around the globe who are making their marks in everything from system design to academia. These leaders aim to inspire others to get involved in engineering and resolve local and global challenges through smarter applications of automation and control technologies. Meet Joshua Hauskins ...

November 15, 2010

Joshua Hauskins, 30            

Engineer, 4 years

Nissan            

983 Nissan Drive                   

Smyrna, TN USA

www.nissan-global.com/EN/index.html        

Job function: Operations or Maintenance

Academics: Technical diploma in Electronics Technology from Tennessee Technology Center at Hartsville, TN; B.S. in Information Technology from University of Phoenix; Limited Licensed Electrician in the State of Tennessee

Achievements: My contributions include receiving a “Value-Up” award for my involvement in implementing robot welding on axles to eliminate the quality concerns caused by operators. Several of my projects have been presented in our “Go and See” showcase, which is a way of displaying projects in our plant to promote visibility and cross-deployment. These include:

– I worked to make Trim and Chassis at Nissan in Smyrna more environmentally friendly by automatically shutting down power consumption devices after periods of inactivity.

– I designed a way to keep urethane beads within a consistent +/-1 mm specification on a glass that has a +/-2 mm variance on each side, as well as compensating for equipment wear. The robot measures the glass using photo eyes and encoders, then offsets the program path to adjust the bead automatically.

– I developed the PLC and HMI architecture for downloading data from a control system, and now we are using the data throughout the plant for quality monitoring.           

Non-work hobbies: Freshwater fishing is one of my preferred hobbies, but I felt like I had reached a plateau with the pastime. I expanded my love of the sport to include fly fishing because it seemed challenging, it is more involved, and it allowed me to use my love of art and exercise my creativity to tie new flies. I also love to draw but have never painted, so I started oil painting this year as well.

Engineering hobbies: Last year, I designed and built a fish tank that created a circulating, artificial current to allow a certain type of baitfish to live on my boat. I engineered the container, the amount of flow required, and the controls for running the pumping system of my boat’s power supply. I enjoy making engineering part of my home projects to see if I can make them better and continue to challenge myself, even in areas that are only for entertainment. I find enjoyment in trying to improve common items by looking at them from a new perspective.

More? I am a single father and have been since my son was three years old. After 14 years in the Boy Scouts of America, I am an Eagle Scout, and completed the achievement with a bronze palm. I completed my B.S. during that time while working a full-time job in an engineering capacity.

Start in controls: My late grandfather was a career maintenance electrician. When I began college, he gave me the recommendation to learn PLCs because they were the future of industry. After programming one, I was enthralled by automation and controls and decided to make a career in the field and continue expanding my knowledge. Since then, I have never been able to get my fill, so I continue to thrive on writing code in all languages and designing the components that the automation brings to life.         

Return to main article: Control Engineering Leaders Under 40, class of 2010

– Compiled by Renee R. Bassett for Control Engineering.

See www.controleng.com/awards for other winners and other recognition programs for all ages.


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