Shahed Fazluddin

• Lead multi-disciplinary teams on a range of technically complex projects

Responsible for group operations on multiple government funded (PG and DSI) contract R&D projects.

• Management role in CSIR Manufacturing Cluster business operations, strategic planning, preparing funding proposals and business plans to ensure group financial sustainability.

• Key project focus areas are process development towards localization/commercialization of advanced manufacturing technologies, e.g. metal powder atomisation, metal injection moulding.

Project Leader: Localization of atomisation technologies to produce spherical metal powders for additive manufacturing, metal injection moulding and powder metallurgy.

• Project Leader: Establishment of technology incubator for industrialization of Metal Injection Moulding (MIM) technology for the South African market

• Team Leader: Market analysis and business plan develoment for the localization of metal powder atomisation and metal injection moulding processes.

• Completed several techno-economic and value chain analysis projects (aluminium, steel, titanium) and technology road-mapping (advanced materials, EVs, etc).

• Technical lead on the CSIR project for establishing a circular economy framework for the South African manufacturing industry.

• Responsibility for operations, safety and quality management of AME Mechanical Testing Facility and Powder Characterization Laboratory.

• SHEQ management of various test facilities and laboratories as OHSA Section 8 (2) appointee including SANAS ISO-17025 accredited mechanical testing and powder labs.

Managerial responsibilities and achievements:

• Coordinate staff development programs to ensure required skillsets are deployed as required for success in their roles.
• Monitoring of group performance on a regular basis to identify areas for improvement.
• Establish clear goals and expectations for the team, promoting accountability and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Assessment of operational and safety risks associated with projects and devising mitigation strategies to protect company interests from potential losses or liabilities.
• Developed a collaborative work environment through open communication and regular team meetings, enhancing overall group performance.
• Conducted regular performance evaluations and provided constructive feedback to team members, contributing to professional growth and development.
• Maintained clean and well-organized production areas to avoid violations or unnecessary work delays due to hazards or inefficient layouts.
• Implemented innovative solutions for complex problems, leading to successful project completion within deadlines.
• Managed budgets and resources efficiently, optimizing allocation to maximise return on investment.

• Led a specialist engineering team on the development and commercialization of the CSIR Titanium Powder Process (alternative to Armstrong, Kroll, FFC & TiRO processes).

• Conducted pilot studies on both batch and continuous process designs for the CSIR Ti-Powder Process leading to successful stage gate conclusion.

• Developed an SA titanium value chain and industry roadmap including detailed techno-economic analysis of a South African upstream titanium beneficiation complex to inform the national titanium beneficiation strategy.

• Role includes technology management of the CSIR Ti-Powder Process patents, TRL’s and associated technology demonstrators emanating from the process developments.

• Responsibilities included SHEQ management of the titanium pilot plant (MHI facility) as Section 8 (2) OHSA representative.

• Fulfilled managerial roles in business operations, strategic and financial planning including human capital development.

• Member of management team in charge of cross-cutting R&D projects on additive manufacturing and powder metallurgy.

• Optimized engineering processes by implementing innovative solutions and streamlining workflows.

March 2011 – Aug 2017: Principal Engineer, Element Six (Production), Springs, South Africa

• Fulfilled roles as Group Leader (High Pressure Systems) and Principal Engineer (Production Development) responsible for process development and continuous improvement focused on ensuring production targets and product quality metrics are consistently achieved.

Project completed as Project Manager:

• Process migration of Syndrill production from belt to cubic press systems – successfully improved product performance, process yield at lower overall cost (2 years > R100m).

• Gasket replacement program on Mk9 & Mk10 belt press systems – successfully completed ensuring product quality & process yields maintained (2 years > R10m).

Projects completed as Team Leader:

• Led ultra-high pressure (8 GPa) process team - successfully established process for premium Syndrill product enabling company to achieve market leading position.

• Lead team for establishing dynamic impact testing of Syndrill product - successfully developed lower cost (-60%), improved method for polycrystalline diamond.

Supervisory Roles:

• Supervision of team responsible for materials testing and characterization (physical & mechanical properties, chemical analysis, structural analysis & tribology).

• Supervision of product development team responsible for development of key components utilized in the manufacturing process for E6 PCD (polycrystalline diamond) products.

• Streamlined communication channels among various teams to facilitate seamless information exchange during project execution phases.
• Enhanced product quality by conducting thorough analysis and identifying areas for improvement.
• Conducted technical evaluations of engineering designs and test results.
• Developed and maintained relationships with suppliers to facilitate quality and timely delivery of materials.
• Developed comprehensive engineering documents for all projects.

• Short-term contract as consultant tasked with compiling data and information pertaining to the intellectual property (IP) on the PBMR core structures and fuel.

• Examined existing documents and blueprints to best update and maintain project records.

• Fulfilled roles as project manager, team leader, technical lead, and material specialist.

• Duties included quality assurance, technical audits and regulatory compliance.

• Technical lead on material specifications and design datasheets of key materials and components for reactor core structures.

• Technical Lead on core structures materials development and qualification including materials irradiation test program (value > $10M).

• Technical lead on techno-economic evaluation and selection of materials test reactors (MTRs - NRG, ORNL, RIAR) for core structures materials irradiation test program.

• Technical liaison with strategic suppliers on the manufacture, acceptance testing and QA of materials and components including technical/quality audits of the suppliers.

• Member of engineering design team responsible for reactor core design and engineering, including associated design analysis (CFD, FEA, NEA) and testing.

• Team leader on the development of predictive model of reactor graphite oxidation rate under normal and accident conditions (safety case).

• Technical lead for resolution of reactor materials and component safety requirements in compliance to regulatory (NNR) requirements, i.e.

o LD-1094: Quality & Safety Management Requirements for the PBMR

o RD-0034: Quality & Safety Management Requirements for Nuclear Installations

• Created detailed reports documenting project findings and recommendations enabling informed decision-making among executive leadership teams.
• Coordinated with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of new technologies and processes into existing systems.
• Evaluated vendor proposals for equipment purchases, selecting the best options based on cost-benefit analysis and long-term value.
• Collaborated with stakeholders to develop project scopes, objectives, timelines, and deliverables in alignment with business goals.
• Analyzed business and [Type] technical requirements to determine system design, potential issues and related cost for each project request.
• Developed and implemented procedures to verify compliance with engineering standards.
• Conducted research to identify and evaluate new technologies and concepts.
• Developed comprehensive engineering documents for all projects.
• Conducted technical evaluations of engineering designs and test results.
• Documented and developed engineering procedures and processes.

o RD-0036: Qualification Requirements for PBMR Core Structure Ceramics)

• Contributor to licensing pre-application of PBMR design as basis for US NGNP, viz:

o NGNP Concept Design - Composites R&D Issues, NGNP-NHS-RPT-TI002, Rev 0, Oct 2008.

o High Temp Materials - Ceramics, S R Penfield, PBMR Doc 10693 Rev A, May 2009.

o High Temp Materials for PBMR Design, NGNP-LIC-NHS-RPT-L-00028 Rev A, April 2010.

March 1995 – Dec 1998: Senior Engineer, Eskom Technology Group, Rosherville, S Africa

• Conducted extensive failure investigations of power plant materials and components for Generation and Transmission divisions.

• Completed various applied research projects aimed at resolving operational and maintenance problems in Eskom power plant.

Technical support on materials characterization and testing for electrical, mechanical and chemistry divisions.

• Determined equipment failure root cause and implemented solutions.