SYSTEM ONLINE · ENGINEERING PROFILE

José Pablo Padilla Velázquez

Lead Engineer — Advanced Manufacturing, Test & Automation Systems

Manufacturing engineering leader with a track record spanning advanced manufacturing engineering, automated test systems, and industrial automation for high-volume production. Leads multidisciplinary teams — mechanical, electrical, controls, and software — across the full project lifecycle, from customer requirements and RFQ feasibility through validation, deployment, and production ramp-up at regional and international scale.

Background combines process-side thinking — capacity analysis, layout optimization, one-piece-flow, and CAPEX/ROI evaluation — with hands-on depth in LabVIEW, TestStand, Python, C#, and Allen-Bradley PLC/HMI control. That mix is what allows moving fluidly between the business case for a new test platform and the low-level firmware and instrumentation work needed to actually build it, standardize it, and hand it off to production with full traceability.

Worked with: Carrier Amazon Vertiv Acuity Brands Methode TE Connectivity Ford Chrysler
8+
Years in Test & Automation
4
Engineers Led
9+
Projects Delivered (current role)
Chicago · Indiana · California · Vietnam
International Deployments
Career Timeline

Professional Experience

Lead Applications Engineer ● present 09/2025 — Present
MachineCare · Apodaca, Nuevo León

Currently leading MachineCare's applications engineering group, owning technical direction for automated test and industrial automation programs from RFQ through production ramp-up — coordinating mechanical, electrical, controls, and software disciplines across each project's full lifecycle.

  • Lead a multidisciplinary team of up to 4 engineers across test engineering, industrial automation, PLC/HMI systems, and software development.
  • Delivered 9 projects for customers including Carrier, Amazon, and Vertiv, spanning automated test stations and industrial automation systems, with full ownership from concept through production deployment.
  • Perform equipment cost estimation, cost-benefit analysis, and payback period calculations to support CAPEX decisions on new test and automation systems.
  • Set technical direction for automated test platforms, aligning controls, software architecture, instrumentation, capacity/layout requirements, and PFMEA-driven process documentation.
  • Drive engineering standardization and documentation quality, improving deployment efficiency and long-term maintainability across projects.
  • Oversee development of scalable validation systems using LabVIEW, Python, C#, and Allen-Bradley PLCs with full traceability.
  • Mentor engineers and strengthen cross-functional execution, reducing project handoff friction across disciplines.
Senior Applications Engineer 03/2025 — 09/2025
MachineCare · Apodaca, Nuevo León

Stepped into applications engineering at MachineCare with a hands-on role spanning software, firmware, and validation — the foundation that led into the Lead Applications Engineer position six months later.

  • Led automation and test-engineering projects from concept to deployment, improving system reliability, scalability, and production readiness.
  • Developed software for test and automation systems using LabVIEW, TestStand, Python, and C#.
  • Performed firmware programming, electrical testing, and RF signal analysis to validate product performance.
  • Designed and implemented assembly and automation solutions, including sensor and hardware selection.
  • Built and managed database systems for integration and traceability, and performed circuit analysis.
Advanced Manufacturing / Test Station Development Engineer 09/2021 — 01/2025
Universal Electronics · Apodaca, Nuevo León

Over three and a half years at Universal Electronics, built and standardized the test-station infrastructure supporting the company's remote control, sensor, and thermostat product lines — the role that grew the deepest bench of LabVIEW/TestStand and mechanical-design-tool experience.

  • Led development of standardized test stations for remote controls, sensors, and thermostats, improving repeatability across product lines.
  • Applied LabVIEW, TestStand, Inventor, SolidWorks, Minitab, MySQL, C#, Python, and C++ to implement advanced testing methodologies.
  • Partnered with cross-functional teams to integrate test stations into manufacturing and accelerate production ramp-up.
  • Defined and executed MSA (GR&R) studies in Minitab and Excel to validate measurement systems and improve test reliability.
Advanced Manufacturing Engineer 05/2021 — 09/2021
Universal Electronics · Apodaca, Nuevo León

Entry point into Universal Electronics, focused on automating manufacturing processes and strengthening quality assurance — the groundwork that led into the Test Station Development role.

  • Automated manufacturing processes for remote controls, sensors, and thermostats by integrating software and hardware systems.
  • Conducted rigorous testing and quality assurance to uphold product standards and reduce escapes.
Test Development Engineer 03/2019 — 05/2021
Acuity Brands (via TASK) · Guadalupe, Nuevo León

Specialized in lighting and sensor product testing, pairing mechanical test-fixture design with LabVIEW-based functional test development — the role that built out the light-property analysis and continuity-testing specialization.

  • Developed and integrated test stations for lighting products and sensors using LabVIEW, TestStand, Inventor, SolidWorks, Minitab, MySQL, and varied instrumentation.
  • Specialized in continuity testing, vision systems, firmware flashing, functional testing, and light-property analysis.
  • Performed MSA (GR&R) studies in Minitab and Excel to validate accuracy, repeatability, and reliability in production.
Test & Automation Engineer 01/2018 — 02/2019
Maquinados y Tecnología · Obregón, Sonora

First role out of university — the starting point for everything that followed: LabVIEW-based automated test development, robotic test integration, and production-database traceability, working directly against TE Connectivity's automotive harness programs.

  • Supported TE Connectivity as primary customer, maintaining and developing test systems for automotive brands including Ford and Chrysler.
  • Developed test applications for automotive harnesses — HiPot, continuity, power measurement, functional testing, and vision-based inspection — in LabVIEW.
  • Applied robotic arms for automated test operations and integrated PLCs, cameras, and CPLDs with custom LabVIEW applications.
  • Built and managed production databases: automated data logging, traceability, query optimization, reporting, and long-term storage.