Sathish Kumar Sundaram
Associate Technical Manager
Tokyo
Summary
Technical Manager with 20+ years of global experience leading New Product Development (NPD), engineering programs, and mechanical product development across Medical Devices, Aerospace, HVAC, and Industrial Manufacturing. Currently supporting Leading Medical Systems manufacturer, Japan, managing medical device engineering programs including design, verification, mechanical safety evaluation, and product improvement initiatives. Proven expertise in leading cross-functional global teams, managing complex engineering projects, and driving product lifecycle execution from concept to release in regulated environments.
Overview
3
3
Certifications
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Associate Technical Manager and Onsite Coordinator
Yanmar Energy Systems, Japan
- Led end-to-end mechanical product development from concept and detailed design through engineering release, ensuring alignment with customer requirements, quality standards, and project milestones.
- Directed mechanical design activities, including concept development, detailed design, manufacturing drawings, design reviews, and engineering change implementation.
- Managed cross-functional collaboration with customers, design, analysis, manufacturing, and offshore engineering teams to ensure successful project execution.
- Administered product structures, Engineering BOMs, and configuration management using Windchill PLM throughout the product development lifecycle.
- Drove Design for Manufacturing (DFM) and Design for Assembly (DFA) initiatives to improve manufacturability, product quality, and cost efficiency.
- Led structural, static, modal, and CFD analyses for critical system components, validating designs and recommending engineering improvements to enhance performance, reliability, and durability.
- Optimized thermal management and airflow performance through CFD simulations, improving cooling efficiency, heat dissipation, and acoustic performance of product assemblies.
- Supported manufacturing readiness, prototype builds, design verification, and product validation activities to ensure seamless transition from development to production.
- Client: Yanmar Energy Systems, Japan
- Project: Managed mechanical product development programs for Gas Heat Pump (GHP) air-conditioning and power generation systems.
Engineer Lead
Kitz Corporation, Japan
- Managed ECO, Engineering BOM, and Manufacturing BOM processes.
- Led engineering change implementation activities.
- Mentored engineers on PLM processes and engineering data management.
- Coordinated customer requirements in Japanese.
- Industrial Valve Manufacturing Company
- Client: Kitz Corporation, Japan
- Project: ECO and BOM Management.
Engineer Lead
Spirit Aerosystems
- Led should-cost engineering initiatives by developing cost models for manufactured and supplier components using manufacturing processes, material selection, and product design parameters.
- Developed standardized manufacturing knowledge templates and automated cost estimation tools to improve the accuracy, consistency, and efficiency of should-cost analysis.
- Designed parametric cost models and analytics dashboards to evaluate cost trends, identify outliers, and support data-driven cost optimization decisions.
- Performed supplier cost benchmarking by comparing purchase prices against should-cost estimates, identifying cost reduction opportunities and supporting strategic sourcing decisions.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams, including Engineering, Supply Chain, Procurement, and Manufacturing, to identify Value Analysis/Value Engineering (VAVE) opportunities and optimize product cost without compromising quality or performance.
- Prepared VAVE business cases with estimated cost savings and presented engineering recommendations to Integrated Product Teams (IPTs) to support design optimization and supplier negotiations.
- Leading American aerospace manufacturer- Tier1 supplier.
- Client: Spirit Aerosystems
- Project: Should Costing and VAVE of Aero Structural Parts.
Engineer Lead
Churyo Engineering Co., Ltd. Japan
- Planning, allocation, estimation for various project related tasks.
- Mentoring the team members and enhancing their technical and domain expertise.
- Creation of Definition Document and other project related document for Continuous improvement
- Understanding of various drawing release gates.
- Study of log files created at various drawing release gates for defect preventive and continuous improvement process.
- Electrical Wire Harness Installation Report creation for different gauge wires to prevent redundant wires and check catastrophic failure Condition.
- Client: Churyo Engineering Co., Ltd. Japan
- Project: Design and analysis of the mid fuselage of an Asian Regional Jet.
Technical Manager and Onsite Coordinator
HCL Japan Ltd.
04.2019 - Current
- Lead engineering project portfolios covering medical device NPD, CAE sustenance, test fixture development, competitor analysis, and engineering improvement initiatives.
- Video processor NPD with full mechanical safety design and verification, including IEC 60601-1–based mechanical safety testing.
- Managing the CAE sustenance project by defining scope, creating and controlling work packages, and driving deliverables for efficient offshore execution and product improvements.
- Led Optics Test Fixture Development through full requirement analysis, structured design reviews, and complete maturity matrix creation to ensure alignment with system and regulatory needs.
- Directed cross functional DR reviews and validation planning, strengthening design robustness and compliance for optical test systems.
- Conduct competitor product teardown and should-cost analysis to evaluate cost drivers and BOM cost.
- Coordinating bilingual support for the ESG packaging material alternate-selection project, ensuring smooth communication between customer and offshore teams.
- Client: Olympus Medical Systems Corporation, Japan
- Project: Video System Centre product development, CAE sustenance project, Optics Test Fixture Development, Competitor product tear down Should costing and ESG packaging material projects.
Engineer Lead and Onsite Coordinator Japan
Infosys Limited
12.2010 - 04.2019
- Led end-to-end Windchill PLM implementation support for Japanese customers, acting as the primary liaison between customer stakeholders and offshore teams to ensure successful deployment and business alignment.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams across Engineering, Design, Manufacturing, Quality, and IT to gather business requirements, define PLM workflows, and standardize engineering processes across global organizations.
- Managed CAD–PLM integration using Windchill Work Group manager, PDMLink, ProjectLink, SolidWorks, AutoCAD enabling seamless product data management, engineering change control, and configuration management.
- Provided global L2/L3 engineering application support, resolved complex CAD/PLM issues, coordinated multi-site incident resolution, and drove continuous improvements to enhance engineering productivity and system performance.
- Developed training programs, and best practices while partnering with Japanese customers to improve user adoption, engineering collaboration, and digital product development processes.
- Client: Johnson and controls – Hitachi Air Conditioning, Japan
- Project: CAD and PLM Support.
Senior Research Fellow
Aeronautical Development Agency
03.2008 - 12.2010
- Modelling & Assembly of landing gear components inside the landing gear bay cavity
- Aerodynamic load calculation for MLG (Main Landing Gear) Door and Air brake (based on ESDU sheet & Wind Tunnel data).
- Wind tunnel Data Analyses (Force & Moment Test, Intake Test).
- Coordination in the process of Design and Fabrication of scaled model and inspection activities.
- Project Planning for MAK-2 aircraft wind tunnel model.
- Analyses & Improvement of Intake Aerodynamic Performance.
- Participated in Tejas Wind Tunnel Simulation at NAL & IITK.
- Project: LCA (Light Combat Aircraft)
Graduate Engineer Trainee
Aeronautical Development Establishment
05.2007 - 02.2008
- Modelling and Detailing of Aircraft components (Rotary actuators, Aileron actuators, Actuator links) and Wing components.
- Creation of assembly and sub assembly.
- Analyses & Improvement of Intake Aerodynamic Performance.
- Participated in Tejas Wind Tunnel Simulation at NAL & IITK.
- Project: Nishanth – UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle)
Technician
Avon oxygen (P) Limited
07.2006 - 04.2007
- Maintenance of “Quality Control Documents” as per CAR145.
- “Hydro Static Test” of Aircraft Oxygen Cylinder and Life vest.
- Planning and coordination for delivery of parts to customer.
- Project: MRO of Aircraft Components.
Education
M.B.A - General Management
01-2010
B.E - Aeronautical Engineering
01-2006
Skills
Engineering
New Product Development (NPD)
Design Reviews (DR)
Continuous Improvement
DFM / DFA
GD&T
ECR/ECO management
BOM Management
PLM Systems
Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
Should Costing & Value Engineering (VAVE)
Project & Program Management
Project Planning & Execution
Resource Management
Schedule & Milestone Control
Cross-functional Team Leadership
Customer Stakeholder Management
Risk Management
Offshore Engineering Management
Medical Device Engineering
Medical Device Product Development
Design Verification & Validation
IEC 60601-1 Mechanical Safety
Test Fixture Development
Quality Management Systems (QMS)
Engineering Documentation
Familiar with ISO 13485
IQ, OQ and PQ
Technical reports and Test protocols
Bilingual
8 years working onsite in Japan
Japanese customer business requirement
Interpretation support
Certification
JLPT N3 Certified
Timeline
Technical Manager and Onsite Coordinator
HCL Japan Ltd.
04.2019 - Current
Engineer Lead and Onsite Coordinator Japan
Infosys Limited
12.2010 - 04.2019
Senior Research Fellow
Aeronautical Development Agency
03.2008 - 12.2010
Graduate Engineer Trainee
Aeronautical Development Establishment
05.2007 - 02.2008
Technician
Avon oxygen (P) Limited
07.2006 - 04.2007
B.E - Aeronautical Engineering
Engineer Lead
Churyo Engineering Co., Ltd. Japan
Engineer Lead
Spirit Aerosystems
Engineer Lead
Kitz Corporation, Japan
Associate Technical Manager and Onsite Coordinator
Yanmar Energy Systems, Japan