Wes Ralph

December 2000

MBA, focusing in Managerial Finance DePaul University June 2004, with distinction

Job Title: 787 Major Subcontract Integrator
Employer: Hamilton Sundstrand Aerospace

My wife Jennifer and I on vacation last summer in Portland, Oregon. Jen is also a
graduate of UWP, with a degree in Civil Engineering in May of 2002. She is currently
seeking her Master's degree in Civil Engineering from Kansas State University.

Job Description:
Oversight and integration of the HS-Electric Systems major subcontractors for the Boeing 787 aircraft. We currently have subcontractors based in France, Japan, and Austria. Work to ensure that the right experts at HS are working with the right experts at the suppliers at the right time in order to meet program milestones. Assist the procurement group with contractual items such as contract reviews, trade studies, and change negotiations. Monitoring of schedule and prioritization of tasks within HS and the subcontractors to ensure that everyone is getting what they need to continue to successfully execute the program.

This position requires a broad knowledge of topics that include (but are not limited to) power systems, circuit design, software design, communications systems, reliability, quality, and operations. The most important skill vital to success is the ability to work with a variety of different people and cultures.


UWP Experience:
Getting my EE degree at UWP was definitely the right decision. UWP has a diverse teaching staff that is hands-on and energetic. For a couple of years at Platteville, I was a tour-guide. The professors at UWP make an above and beyond effort to get to know their students; the result is a relaxed and comfortable learning environment.

When not studying in Ottensman Hall, free time was spent with friends doing a variety of athletic activities, including basketball, golf, volleyball, and soccer. I worked as a grader and assisted the University in student recruitment efforts. In 1999, I was the president of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society.

Your experience at Platteville can be whatever you want it to be! Mine was great, and I hope yours will be, too.


TYPICAL WORK DAY:
On a typical day, I will spend a significant amount of time talking to the various functional groups within HS and the subcontractors to ensure that they are planning and working together well. Any given day includes at least half of the following tasks:
Attend one or more teleconferences and take meeting minutes. Prioritize and assign tasks to engineers at both HS and the subcontractors. Answer questions about the state of things at the subcontractors and keep people informed of their progress. Analyze program risks and find the right people at each company to mitigate them. Plan meetings. Assess potential technical changes for commercial impacts. Review contract language. Write statements of work for potential outsourcing projects. Review subcontractor schedules. Review and provide feedback on engineering coordination memos from other HS engineers. Travel to Boeing and/or subcontractors when needed. Review of technical data from subcontractors, including presentation material for formal design reviews.


Sample Project Description:
In the Spring of 2004, I was working in the preliminary engineering group providing technical support of new business proposals. For the Airbus A400M airplane, HS proposed a secondary electric power distribution center, similar to systems on the Embraer 170 and the Boeing 787. Amongst five competitors, HS was selected to participate in a "plateau" phase. The HS engineering team worked with Airbus (in Toulouse, France) for several months in order to further refine the technical specification to ensure that HS and Airbus had a common understanding of the requirements. I had the opportunity to travel to France several times last summer to work with Airbus on this task. It was neat to work directly with the customer to assess what they needed and why.


Additional pictures:
I do not have a picture of any of my past projects at HS since they are proprietary, but instead I will offer a picture of a Boeing 747 taken out the window from the airport in Frankfort, Germany. The 747 Electric Power Generation System (EPGS) is made by HS-Electric Systems.



Other Comments:
UWP can provide the tools and the attitude that are necessary to be successful. I hope that you become a part of that tradition .