Episode 02: Nathan Brooks
Interview with Controls Engineer at Mercedes-Benz
Episode 3: Show Notes
As cars continue to evolve, so too must the manufacturing processes and assembly lines that produce them. Nathan Brooks is a Control Engineer for Mercedes Benz, and is therefore in the position of designing some of the world’s most state-of-the-art systems for automobile manufacturing. Nathan joins us on the show to speak about how he got to where he is as well as share a few of the exciting problems and technologies he works with daily. We kick things off by hearing about Nathan’s early days as an electrician’s apprentice in Michigan and how it introduced him to debugging industrial electronics. Making the transition into software was the natural next step for him and we hear about how he worked in this capacity by building and installing assembly lines in the automotive industry. We fast forward to Nathan’s position at Mercedes and get an inside glance into the high-end technologies he is currently designing. He talks about a new assembly line model and a system for tracking errors he designed, and shares many of the other fascinating problems on the forefront of technology he gets to solve. We speak about the move toward Manufacturing 4.0 and Nathan stresses the central role that big data and machine learning will play in this journey. So for all this and a lot more in this great conversation about cutting-edge technology with Nathan, tune in today!
Key Points From This Episode:
Nathan’s experience as an electrician’s apprentice debugging and rewiring old machines.
The early exposure Nathan got to industrial electronics and how he moved into automotive software.
How Nathan built and installed assembly lines for different engineering companies.
The processes around adjusting assembly lines and how walls and relays work.
What the work Nathan does for Mercedes involves: supervising the control room operators.
A new manufacturing line system Nathan designed that uses two of everything.
The influence of Mercedes Benz on high-end manufacturing and how they are at the forefront.
The day-to-day challenges of a Control Engineer in an automated manufacturing facility.
A full-stack application Nathan designed to track and isolate faults in the assembly lines.
Nathan’s perspectives on training versus learning on the job through trial and error.
Advice from Nathan for manufacturers about the importance of capturing data.
How Nathan sees himself as primarily a problem solver and why he loves it so much.
The AI that Nathan is helping Mercedes build and what the future holds.
Thoughts on future technologies like flying cars and how to power them efficiently.
Cool new features in the Mercedes workshops like AGVs and the possibilities they offer.
The relationship between the American and German Mercedes groups.
Which piece of equipment Nathan would get if he could have anything approved in his budget.
Why predictive analytics is everybody’s top priority in the move toward manufacturing 4.0.
Tweetables:
“Right now, I'm responsible for the controls room.” — Nathan Brooks [0:07:48]
“We are going to be all-electric by 2030. Which is interesting because Daimler Mercedes invented the combustion engine.” — Nathan Brooks [0:11:35]
“Those kinds of problems happen pretty typically. The technology changes or the requirement changes and it becomes more complex and we have to create a solution to facilitate or accommodate that.” — Nathan Brooks [0:14:55]
“I always want to follow the problems. If there is a problem I want to be there to solve it. I’m not the guy that is going to be turning a lot of screwdrivers. I’m the guy that is going to be solving problems that don’t already have answers. That’s where my niche is.” — Nathan Brooks [0:21:15]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
The Industrial Movement on Twitter
The Industrial Movement on Facebook