Mike Rafferty

About

Versatile and creative project manager and product development engineer. My job is to take an idea that's been sketched on a napkin and develop it to the point where it can be put into production at a profit. I manage all aspects of projects, from estimates and budgets and schedules, to supervision of engineers and designers, to client relationships and vendor coordination. I pay attention to aesthetics, ergonomics, manufacturability, performance and cost. I thrive on technical and organizational challenges. Products that I've designed have been manufactured worldwide, from small batches through million-unit runs.

A few highlights:

- Deciphered and improved a revolutionary padlock design that was malfunctioning and wasn't ready for mass production. After meticulous refinement and adjustment, it was successfully put into production by my customer and sold widely in the USA.

- Led a team of engineers to design a set of all-plastic injection molded shopping carts. In addition to being attractive and full of unique features, the carts are nearly indestructible. Watching one of them undergo a 1600 lb overload test will permanently banish the term "cheap plastic" from your vocabulary. The carts are currently being sold nationwide.

- Engineered a unique conference room table that includes power and data hubs in retractable pods, a touch-screen control panel in a hidden pocket, light pipes and pivoting wing surfaces. It will be on the market in late 2017.

- Led a team of mechanical engineers during development of a high performance dairy robot.

While my primary career has always been in product development, I wove a surprisingly successful mini-career as an artist into a 10 year period beginning in the late 90s. In recent years I've spent evenings and weekends on KVgear, a company I founded to design and manufacture accessories for musical instruments.

All of these capabilities come together as I solve design and engineering challenges for my clients.