Esteban S.

Experience

• Founder & Engineering Consultant Esteban Soto · Self-employed May 2026 – Present 3 mos Guadalajara, Jal., Mexico Independent engineering consultant specializing in product development, industrialization and manufacturing systems.c
  
  Services include:
  
  • Mechanical product development
  • Product architecture
  • Manufacturing engineering
  • Design for Manufacturing (DFM)
  • Product industrialization
  • Parametric CAD development
  • Manufacturing systems
  • Engineering consulting
  • Technical visualization
• Global Product Industrialization Lead | R&D Project Manager GEA refrigeration Canada · Full-time Apr 2022 – Present 4 yrs 4 mos Vancouver, BC, Canada Led R&D and mechanical product development projects for industrial food\-processing and freezing equipment, combining hands\-on mechanical design with project and engineering leadership\.
  
  Designed, digitized, modified, and developed complex industrial machinery and mechanical assemblies using 3D CAD, primarily Autodesk Inventor, with additional SolidWorks experience\. Many systems contained thousands of individual components requiring precise alignment, dimensional control, mechanical interfaces, tolerances, and coordinated assembly\.
  
  Responsibilities included 3D part and assembly design, mechanism development, equipment digitization and reverse engineering, design calculations, tolerance definition, GD&T, manufacturing drawings, BOM development, design reviews, prototyping, fabrication support, assembly, testing, troubleshooting, and design validation\.
  
  Worked closely with manufacturing, suppliers, machinists, fabricators, installation teams, and multidisciplinary engineering groups to ensure designs could be manufactured, assembled, installed, maintained, and operated reliably\.
  
  Played a key engineering role in the development and industrialization of the ProStacker modular spiral\-freezing platform, taking the product from R&D through prototype, zero\-series manufacturing, installation, and production readiness\. The program involved 30\+ contributors across five countries and required the integration of complex mechanical assemblies, fabricated stainless\-steel structures, precision components, and manufacturing processes\.
  
  Developed parametric product architecture that centrally controlled interfaces, tolerances, and clearances across multiple machine configurations, contributing to an estimated 50% reduction in engineering effort through component and drawing reuse\.
  
  My R&D work at GEA also resulted in co\-inventorship on two international patent applications:
  
  • **WO2024130404A1 — Belt Conveyor and Method of Controlling a Belt Conveyor**
  • **US20230294927A1 — Sprocket Wheel for Edge\-Driven Belt Conveyor Systems**
  
  Extensive experience taking mechanical designs from CAD through fabrication, physical assembly, testing, installation, and production release\.
• Product Development Engineer GEA Refrigeration Canada · Full-time Apr 2020 – Apr 2026 6 yrs Vancouver, BC, Canada Worked in R&D and product development for large-scale industrial food-processing and freezing equipment, developing mechanical systems from concept through detailed design, validation, manufacturing, and production release.
  
  Designed and redesigned complex mechanical components and assemblies using 3D CAD, working with large industrial machines containing hundreds to thousands of interconnected components. Responsibilities included mechanical design, 3D modeling, assembly development, manufacturing drawings, tolerance definition, GD&T, BOM development, design reviews, prototyping, fabrication support, testing, troubleshooting, and manufacturing implementation.
  
  Redesigned a large spiral drum system, reducing the BOM component count by approximately 50% through standardization, poka-yoke assembly features, and laser-cut alignment references. The design eliminated significant manual measurement during assembly while accommodating field welding, modular shipment, and approximately 3.2 million lb-in of transmitted torque.
  
  Worked directly with R&D, manufacturing, procurement, suppliers, fabricators, assembly teams, and field personnel to ensure designs were practical to manufacture, assemble, install, and maintain.
  
  Led product-development activities from initial concept and engineering development through physical validation and production release, developing extensive experience translating complex CAD designs into functional industrial machinery.
• Design Engineer GEA Refrigeration Canada · Contract Oct 2016 – Apr 2017 6 mos Vancouver, BC, Canada Worked as a mechanical Design Engineer developing and documenting components and assemblies for large-scale industrial food-processing and freezing equipment.
  
  Created and maintained 3D CAD models, complex mechanical assemblies, manufacturing drawings, and engineering documentation supporting fabrication and production. Developed scalable parametric engineering models used to control dimensions, interfaces, and configurations across industrial equipment designs.
  
  Supported product standardization and manufacturing execution by translating engineering requirements into accurate, manufacturable components and assemblies.
  
  Worked with large mechanical systems requiring precise coordination between fabricated structures, machined components, purchased parts, and interconnected assemblies, building the technical foundation for my subsequent roles in product development and R&D at GEA.
• Design Egineer Fold Tech · Full-time Feb 2015 – Feb 2015 0 mos Vancouver, BC, Canada Worked as a mechanical Design Engineer developing configurable and modular industrial products from concept through detailed design, prototyping, and manufacturing documentation.
  
  Created 3D CAD models, mechanical assemblies, production drawings, and technical documentation for fabricated and manufactured components. Supported the development of configurable product platforms designed to accommodate multiple product variations while maintaining common components and standardized manufacturing methods.
  
  Participated in prototype development and validation, working through design iterations to resolve mechanical, assembly, and manufacturing issues before production.
  
  Worked closely with fabrication and manufacturing to translate CAD designs into physical products, developing practical experience in design for manufacturing, component interfaces, tolerances, assembly methods, and production-ready engineering documentation.