Being an Engineer

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Daniel Kurnianto has built his career at the intersection of mechatronics, lab automation, product management, and hands-on mechanical design. With more than 19 years at Formulatrix, he has led and contributed to the development of high-precision life science instruments, including crystallography and liquid-handling platforms used in research and pharmaceutical environments. His experience spans full product lifecycle work: concept development, detailed engineering, injection-molded consumables, motion control, fluidics, manufacturing, assembly, field support, and global customer deployment.  
At Formulatrix, Daniel’s work has included products like the NT8 Drop Setter and the F.A.S.T. Liquid Handling Platform, where he has combined deep technical fluency with product and team leadership. His background includes micro-scale injection molding, positive displacement liquid handling, fluidic manifolds, precision mechanisms, embedded systems, and DFMEA/GD&T-driven design reviews. That combination gives him a rare perspective: he is not only thinking about whether a design works in CAD, but whether it can be manufactured, assembled, maintained, supported, demonstrated, and improved over time. 
Outside of Formulatrix, Daniel is the inventor and founder of BOSeTAMPER, a handheld automatic electronic espresso tamper designed and engineered in Boston. The product is described as compact, battery powered, portable, and designed to deliver consistent, repeatable tamping pressure without requiring baristas or home users to apply that force manually. BOSeTAMPER won a Red Dot Product Design Award in 2024, and the public BOSeTAMPER site now highlights the availability of the new 3rd Generation 58mm PRO model with wireless charging and a travel case.  
For this episode, Daniel will take us inside the engineering journey behind the new 3rd Generation BOSeTAMPER. Rather than just talking about the finished product, the conversation will explore what changed from earlier versions, why some designs that look impressive on paper may not be the right designs for production, and how Daniel thinks about simplifying a product so it becomes faster, cheaper, and easier to machine, assemble, ship, and support. 
Daniel also brings a provocative engineering point of view from his work in high-end lab automation: in some systems, he cares more about precision than accuracy. That idea opens the door to a deeper discussion about real-world instrumentation, repeatability, customer expectations, cost, manufacturing reality, and how experienced engineers decide what matters most when a product has to survive outside the lab, outside the CAD screen, and in the hands of real users. 
LINKS: 
Daniel Kurnianto LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/danielkurnianto/ 
BOSeTAMPER website: https://bosetamper.com/ 
Aaron Moncur, host
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The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us
Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

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Paul Vizzio is a seasoned hardware engineering leader with deep expertise in building complex electromechanical systems and scaling them from early prototypes to full production. Currently serving as Director of Hardware Engineering at Proteus Motion, Paul led the end-to-end development of a patented 3D resistance training system that has been deployed in more than 400 locations across the U.S. and Canada. His leadership spanned the full product lifecycle—from system architecture and CAD design to manufacturing, supply chain development, and field deployment—culminating in a dramatic cost reduction to approximately 20% of the original prototype while improving assembly efficiency and scalability.  
Paul’s career reflects a strong ability to operate at both the startup and production scale levels. He has built and led cross-functional teams, driven design-for-manufacturing initiatives, and delivered production-ready systems on aggressive timelines, including bringing initial production units to market in under a year. His work consistently focuses on simplifying complexity—whether through system architecture decisions, supplier strategy, or thoughtful engineering tradeoffs. 
In addition to his work at Proteus, Paul is the founder of RemieDog, a direct-to-consumer hardware brand, and Vizeng, a consultancy that helps startups accelerate product development from concept to production. Through these ventures, he has worked hands-on across prototyping, injection molding, supplier sourcing, and go-to-market strategy—giving him a well-rounded perspective on both engineering and business execution. 
Paul is also deeply committed to the broader engineering community. He co-organizes a New York–based hardware meetup with over 14,000 members, serves as a visiting lecturer at Cornell Tech, and has been recognized as one of ASME’s Top 25 Early Career Engineers. Across all his work, Paul brings a practical, execution-focused mindset to hardware development—bridging the gap between ambitious ideas and real-world, manufacturable products. 
LINKS: 
Paul Vizzio LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paul-vizzio/ 
RemieDog website: https://remiedog.com/ 
Aaron Moncur, host
Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.
The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us
Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

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Yesenia Avellaneda is an engineering leader whose career sits at the intersection of innovation, operations, and impact. Currently a Senior Project Engineer within Global Operations at Abbott, she has built a reputation for turning complex ideas into scalable, high-performing manufacturing systems. From leading New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts to executing international production transfers and launching entirely new facilities, Yesenia thrives where strategy meets execution. 
Her work has had measurable impact. She has led capital projects exceeding $5 million, driven production efficiency improvements, and implemented Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance quality and throughput. In one role, she helped boost line productivity by 200%, all while overseeing teams of 60+ personnel and ensuring compliance with rigorous FDA and regulatory standards . Her ability to align cross-functional teams—from product development to operations—has made her a key driver of successful product launches and operational excellence. 
Yesenia’s academic foundation reflects her human-centered approach to engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon and later completed a master’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Portland. This unique combination allows her to bridge the gap between clinical needs and engineering solutions—an essential skill in the medical device industry. 
Beyond her technical and leadership accomplishments, Yesenia is deeply committed to giving back. As Regional Vice President for SHPE Region 6 and a longtime advocate for underrepresented communities in STEM, she actively works to create inclusive pathways for future engineers. She’s also an experienced speaker, sharing insights on leadership, career growth, and navigating STEM as a first-generation professional. 
In this conversation, Yesenia brings a rare perspective—one that combines hands-on engineering, large-scale operational leadership, and a mission-driven approach to making a broader impact in both industry and community. 

Yesenia’s microphone had a slight delay during recording, so you may notice some minor timing lags throughout the conversation. We apologize for the delays and appreciate your patience. 

LINKS: 
Yesenia Avellaneda LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yesenia-avellaneda/ 
https://shpe.org/ 
Aaron Moncur, host 
Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.
The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us
Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

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For more than 40 years, Larry Copponi has been working at the intersection of engineering talent and product innovation. Today, he serves as Vice President of Staffing Solutions at Spanner Product Development, where he helps companies across industries assemble the engineering teams they need to bring complex products to life. 
Larry’s work spans sectors including consumer electronics, robotics, renewable energy, life sciences, and medical devices. His team specializes in placing highly skilled professionals—mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, product designers, industrial designers, and quality engineers—into organizations that are racing to transform ideas into real-world products. By deeply understanding both the technical landscape and the people who power it, Larry plays a critical role in helping companies scale their engineering capabilities. 
Before joining Spanner, Larry spent more than 14 years as Division Manager at Pro Source Inc., supporting companies with contract engineering talent and CAD professionals to keep product development projects on schedule. Earlier in his career, he helped build recruiting and sales teams at TriMech Solutions, where he launched new recruiting initiatives focused on engineering and technical sales professionals. 
Across decades in the recruiting and staffing industry, Larry has built a reputation for understanding the real needs of engineering organizations—matching the right talent to the right challenges and helping companies deliver products to market faster. His career offers a rare vantage point on how engineering teams evolve, how companies compete for talent, and what separates organizations that build strong technical cultures from those that struggle to grow. 
In this conversation, Larry shares lessons from decades of working alongside engineering leaders, insights into the hiring challenges facing technical organizations today, and practical advice for both companies looking to build great teams and engineers navigating their careers. 
 
LINKS: 
Larry Copponi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/larry-copponivpstaffingsolutionsspannerpd/ 
Spanner Website: https://www.spannerpd.com/ 
Aaron Moncur, host 
Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.
The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us
Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus

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Jordan Kapitanoff is a mechanical engineer by training and a transformation leader by practice. A graduate of Kettering University with a BSME and an MBA from Aurora University, Jordan built his career at the intersection of engineering, operations, and culture change. Over the years, he has consistently stepped into roles where systems, teams, and processes needed elevation — and delivered measurable results. 
At Bison Gear & Engineering, Jordan moved from Application Engineer to Innovator, and later to Supervisor of Quality Innovation and Sustainability Engineering Manager. There, he led initiatives grounded in A3 problem solving, DMAIC, and lean thinking — not just to fix problems, but to transform how teams approached quality and continuous improvement. He also launched a new innovation and product development consulting division inside the organization, demonstrating an entrepreneurial drive even within established companies. 
His leadership continued to evolve at G&W Electric and later at tmax Group, where he served in operations excellence and operations management roles. Across these organizations, Jordan focused on production management, lean process improvement, and aligning communication across departments — recognizing that operational excellence is just as much about people as it is about process. 
Today, Jordan is channeling that experience into entrepreneurship. As Co-Founder of CoForge Technologies LLC and Head Coach at Thinking Kap Personal and Career Coaching, he works at the convergence of operational performance and personal leadership development. With a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt from Villanova University and service as a board member of The Association for Manufacturing Excellence (AME), Jordan continues to advocate for systems thinking, continuous improvement, and empowering professionals to take ownership of their growth. 
 
LINKS: 
Jordan Kapitanoff LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordan-kapitanoff-5b821817/ 
CoForge Website: https://www.coforge.com/ 
Aaron Moncur, host 
Subscribe to the show to get notified so you don't miss new episodes every Friday.
The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment like cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us at www.teampipeline.us
Watch the show on YouTube: www.youtube.com/@TeamPipelineus