The Handling Specialty team includes a dedicated group of applications engineering professionals who play a crucial role in the successful operation of the business. An applications engineering group typically comprises engineers, technologists, and specialists responsible for reviewing specifications, feasibility assessments, and conceptual design solutions for specific end-user requirements. This team is critical to the overall success of a project and, in particular, complex projects involving custom-engineered material handling equipment. Well-executed applications engineering efforts are essential to ensure material handling processes are performed efficiently, safely, and effectively.
Applications engineering requires a thorough understanding of the customer’s needs and business objectives and deep technical expertise with relevant technologies and solutions development. Applications engineers typically work alongside technical sales professionals to define and understand the customer’s scope, specifications, and requirements and then develop solutions to address each crucial element.
How Applications engineering plays a critical role
Applications engineering plays a decisive role in the initial stages of a project by providing technical expertise, guidance, recommendations, and support to customers looking to implement solutions to improve their manufacturing operations. They can help customers understand the capabilities and limitations of products and how they can be utilized to meet specific production requirements. For custom-engineered material handling projects such as those provided by Handling Specialty, this role is typically involved with the following activities:
- Understanding the requirements – Applications engineers work with project stakeholders to obtain and clarify critical information about the requirements, functional and technical specifications, budgets, and timelines.
- Feasibility assessment and concept development—The team thoroughly evaluates the application’s requirements to confirm the feasibility of developing an effective solution. Various engineering tools, including 3D design software, simulations, finite element analysis, and traditional engineering calculations, are utilized to develop concepts that address the specific application needs.
- Technical support to Sales and Customers—The applications group provides input and support to the technical sales team in developing comprehensive technical and commercial proposals, conceptual drawing packages, 3D renderings, and presentations. They also participate in customer meetings to address technical questions and clarify the scope of work and project responsibilities.
- Project implementation – Once a project has been formally engaged, the applications team provides vital design and project details to the engineering group. This includes participation in project kickoff meetings both internally and with customers, as well as ongoing support to the engineering and operations groups throughout each project.
What an Applications Engineering Team Looks Like
A team of professional and highly experienced engineers, designers, and advanced engineering specialists is critical to efficiently developing solutions to unique requirements and solving complex material handling challenges. A well-executed applications engineering group develops those concepts and solutions. It provides technical guidance throughout the project, from design and manufacturing to installation, ongoing maintenance, and long-term support.
Handling Specialty has more than sixty years of experience in providing custom-engineered material handling solutions to companies in the automotive, rail/transportation, aerospace, power generation, entertainment, steel/metals, and advanced manufacturing sectors. Handling Specialty provides safe, efficient, and heavy-duty solutions for production applications involving large capacities, high-duty cycles, unique configurations, robust environments, stringent processes, quality, and safety demands. Handling Specialty builds big things to help its customers build big things.
