1. Describe your job as if you were explaining it to a five-year-old.
In my role as a Systems Engineer, I harness cutting-edge technologies, including data, software, and hardware, and seamlessly incorporate them into an existing platform and system to increase efficiency.
2. What types of projects are you working on at the moment?
I’m currently involved with an autonomous intelligent vehicle (AIV), essentially a mobile robot. I’m in the process of developing a demonstration to showcase how the robots can move around in the plant. My long-term objective is to enable the robot to interact with the personnel at the customer’s plant. The goal is to familiarise operators with the robot’s autonomous capabilities.
Regarding the robot’s intended tasks, I aim to simplify the work of the plant engineers when it comes to transporting heavy raw materials from the storage area to the production lines. Ultimately, our primary objective is to minimize the downtime associated with engineers having to manually transport pallets or boxes around the plant.
3. How did you get into the industry?
I was given the ability to upskill myself in the last three years. This proves the concept that competencies can be enhanced wherever you are in the world. Shane (Shane Loughlin, SL Controls co-founder and Chief Digital Architect) gave me the ability to upskill myself back in Nigeria. Upskilling myself presented opportunities for coming over to Ireland to work.
4. What is your proudest moment (work life or personal life)?
My proudest moments occur whenever I achieve a goal. This can happen daily, and it’s that exhilarating “eureka moment” when I realize that my efforts have paid off, and everything is functioning as intended. For instance, at work or in my comfort zone, when I’m writing a complex program and it performs flawlessly, that’s when I feel the most content.
5. What’s the best advice you could give to someone thinking of coming into this industry?
I recommend that you remain open to continuous learning. Whether you’re receiving advice, encountering new technologies, or engaging with new ideas, be ready to learn and benefit from the knowledge and experiences of others. Learning from people, and understanding their perspectives, cultures, and ways of life is essential for personal growth and progress.
6. Outside of work, what are you most passionate about?
Gaming! I love gaming, so I play games a lot when I am free. I love cars too – reading up on cars, and technologies around cars. And finally, music, I play the keyboard.
7. What’s the best thing about working for life sciences customers (pharma, MedTech, etc)?
The ability to help someone, somewhere, that you do not know – helping them indirectly. Trying to solve a problem is the thing I find most interesting when working in the life sciences sector.
8. What is the best thing about being on the SL Controls team?
SL Controls is, to me personally, more than a team – I would call it a family in the sense that you can interact with people easily. It is so smooth that you can easily talk to anyone. If you have problems or need advice, there is a network where everyone is connected.
Finally, it is a place where your skills are maximized as you upskill yourself in every area.