VINAYAK LAMBAR
Pune
Summary
Mechanical R&D and Validation Professional with 13+ years of experience across automotive OEMs and industrial product development at Bajaj Auto, Cummins, Force Motors, Emerson and Copeland. Expertise in Applied Mechanics, Mechanical Validation, RLDA, vehicle- and engine-level component testing, certification testing, vibration and fatigue testing, structural instrumentation, failure analysis and product reliability. Experienced in test-method development, fixture design, data analysis, design qualification and laboratory improvement. Skilled in coordinating contract personnel, mentoring junior engineers and collaborating across engineering teams. Holds an MBA in Operations & Supply Chain Management, targeting Technical Leadership, Mechanical Validation and Reliability Engineering roles.
Overview
13
13
years of professional experience
Work History
Copeland (Emerson) India Technical Center
Engineer-2
Pune
01.2019 - Current
Key Responsibilities & Contributions
- Executed physics-of-failure-based applied mechanics validation for industrial products, translating engineering work requests into structured test activities and evaluating product performance against design qualification requirements.
- Conducted vibration, shock and fatigue validation, including resonance identification, mode-shape assessment, test-method development and interpretation of structural and functional behaviour; communicated findings, potential failure mechanisms and corrective-action recommendations to Product Engineering.
- Executed mechanical validation across diverse product portfolios, including electronic drives, lighting and luminaires, automation valves, RIDGID tools and hardware, UPS and power supplies, and HVAC components such as Oldham couplings, scrolls, shafts, counterweights, rotors, springs and copper tubing.
- Operated electrodynamic shaker systems and MTS vertical test systems with capacities of 3-kip, 5-kip and 11-kip using FlexTest controllers for cyclic and monotonic testing.
- Designed and improved test fixtures and adapters using Siemens NX, addressing mounting constraints and enabling practical test configurations for mechanical validation.
- Contributed to laboratory relocation, equipment recommissioning, troubleshooting, calibration coordination, safety improvements and maintenance activities to support laboratory operational readiness.
- Coordinated technical validation activities with Product Engineering and cross-functional stakeholders in Pune and global engineering teams, supporting failure investigations, design improvements and product qualification decisions.
- Supported laboratory operations through MRO activities, instrumentation procurement, equipment utilization, supplier coordination, safety initiatives and continuous improvement.
- Contributed to shaker recommissioning and equipment reliability improvements, including troubleshooting, blower-noise reduction and evaluation of alternative supplier solutions for laboratory infrastructure.
- Provided technical guidance and practical support to two junior engineers, sharing knowledge of testing methods, instrumentation, troubleshooting and laboratory practices.
- Developed a vertical mounting fixture/adapter for frame-type drive vibration testing, addressing an existing mounting constraint in the test setup.
- Investigated a foot-cover stress location through instrumentation and shaker testing, identified a sharp bend transition as a contributing stress concentration, and recommended a geometry improvement.
- Recommended 15+ potential improvements to a floating-lip-seal wear measurement bench to reduce setup time and engineering effort; distinguish recommendations from improvements subsequently implemented.
- Contributed to shaker recommissioning, blower-noise improvement, laboratory relocation and operational readiness during the Emerson-to-Copeland business transition.
- Recognized through Emerson I² awards and Copeland Spot/Bravo awards for contributions to innovation, safety, continuous improvement and laboratory activities.
FORCE MOTORS (R&D) LTD
Sr. Engineer
Pune
07.2018 - 01.2019
Key Responsibilities & Contributions
- Executed vehicle instrumentation and road-load data acquisition (RLDA) activities supporting durability validation, performance evaluation and real-world load characterization.
- Conducted vehicle benchmarking, teardown investigations and field-failure simulations to assess product performance, identify potential design weaknesses and support engineering improvements.
- Applied strain-gauging and vehicle instrumentation techniques to capture structural response and operational load data for durability assessment.
- Coordinated vehicle homologation and certification testing with external agencies, including ARAI and VRDE, supporting compliance with applicable regulatory and testing requirements.
- Collaborated with Design, Vehicle Evaluation and Validation teams throughout vehicle development cycles, aligning test execution, data analysis and reporting with engineering requirements.Executed vehicle benchmarking, teardown investigations, and field-failure simulation activities to evaluate product performance, identify potential design weaknesses, and support engineering improvements in product quality and reliability.
- Collaborated cross-functionally with Design, Vehicle Evaluation, and Validation teams throughout vehicle development cycles, aligning instrumentation, test execution, data analysis, and reporting with engineering requirements.
- Owned vehicle instrumentation and road-load data acquisition (RLDA) activities to support vehicle durability, performance evaluation, and real-world load characterization, enabling data-driven engineering assessments.
- Applied strain-gauging and vehicle instrumentation techniques to capture RLDA and structural response data, supporting load characterization, durability assessments, and evidence-based engineering decisions.
- Coordinated vehicle homologation and certification testing with external agencies, including ARAI and VRDE, supporting compliance with applicable automotive regulatory and testing requirements.
Cummins India Technical Center
Jr. Shop Manager -2
Pune
03.2016 - 06.2018
Key Responsibilities & Contributions
- Executed strain gauging, instrumentation and vibration measurements on engines, transmissions and genset components in test-cell and field environments, supporting structural assessment and product validation.
- Developed practical high-temperature strain-gauging capability for engine applications, instrumenting critical locations exposed to elevated temperatures and implementing shielding techniques to reduce radiant-heat effects.
- Conducted engine- and vehicle-level validation at test facilities and field locations, aligning instrumentation, data acquisition and test execution with engineering requirements.
- Executed and supported MTS, shaker, modal and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) testing, including instrumentation of a marine-engine oil pan at critical stress locations and a fan for a 1,000-ton mining-truck application.
- Analyzed engineering data using nCode and related tools, interpreting FFT, power spectral density (PSD), engine-order and waterfall plots, and Goodman/fatigue assessments to support engineering decisions.
- Prepared technical validation reports and recommendations for engineering stakeholders across multiple business units.
- Coordinated contract personnel and laboratory resources supporting instrumentation, test preparation and validation activities, providing practical technical guidance and helping ensure safe and reliable test execution.
- Investigated an engine-fan failure in an ELGi air-compressor application, identified a mounting washer below specification as a contributing factor, and supported validation following correction of the specification.
- Made customized load cell and Evaluated HBM and Vishay strain-gauge measurements.
- Received Spot and STAR awards for contributions to experimental testing and analysis projects.
Engineer
Bajaj Auto Ltd. (R&D)
Pune
07.2013 - 03.2016
Key Responsibilities & Contributions
- Executed vehicle instrumentation and durability validation for three-wheeler and four-wheeler commercial vehicles, including the RE60 quadricycle platform.
- Implemented vehicle instrumentation using strain gauges, wheel force transducers (WFTs), LVDTs, and steering and brake sensors to capture structural loads and vehicle responses.
- Conducted road-load data acquisition (RLDA), torture-track testing and vehicle-level evaluations to characterize operating loads and assess vehicle durability.
- Prepared vehicles for RLDA by loading and unloading dead weights to simulate driver and passenger conditions and achieve required vehicle loading and axle-load distribution.
- Acquired test data using HBK data acquisition systems and SoMat systems, performed post-processing in nCode and prepared technical reports.
- Applied full-bridge and half-bridge strain-gauging configurations, supporting sensor calibration, measurement reliability, laboratory 5S and safe testing practices.
- Developed practical improvements to dead-weight handling, LVDT mounting fixtures and sensor-fixture installation, improving test setup practicality and protecting equipment.
- Performed rainflow cycle counting and fatigue-life estimation using measured load histories to support vehicle durability assessments.
- Developed practical solutions for dead-weight handling and instrumentation fixture installation.
- Contributed to Kaizen and Safety Innovation initiatives, receiving recognition for continuous improvement and safety.
Education
MBA - Operations & Supply Chain Management
Pune University
Pune01-2024
B.Tech - Mechanical Engineering (AMIE
Institution of Engineers (India)
Kolkata01-2018
Diploma - Mechanical Engineering
Government Polytechnic
Malvan01-2013
Skills
Mechanical Engineering & Product Validation
- Applied Mechanics
- Mechanical & Mechatronic Product Validation
- Vibration & Shock Testing Using Electrodynamic Shakers
- Fatigue & Durability Testing Using MTS Systems
- Vibration Analysis, Resonance Identification & Mode Shape Evaluation Using LMS
- Structural Integrity Assessment
- Product Reliability & Design Qualification
- Root Cause Analysis & Failure Investigation
- Automotive Vehicle, Engine & Powertrain Validation
- Component-Level Testing & Certification Testing
- Strain Gauging, Instrumentation & Sensor Calibration
- Road Load Data Acquisition (RLDA)
- Vehicle Test Driving: Torture Track, Slalom, Braking Tests and Figure-of-Eight
- Vehicle-Level & Engine-Level Instrumentation
- Customized Strain-Gauge-Based Sensors/Load Cells & In-House Calibration
- Technical Reporting & Engineering Recommendations
- Electrodynamic Shaker Systems & Vibration Controllers
- MTS Servo-Hydraulic Test Systems
- HBK SoMat eDAQ & SoMat XR Data Acquisition Systems
- VBOX & LMS Test Systems
- nCode GlyphWorks
- ReliaSoft Weibull
- Minitab
- Siemens NX
- TCE & Catman
- Technical Resource & Contract Personnel Coordination
- Technical Guidance & Junior Engineer Mentoring
- Test Method Development & Validation
- Test Fixture Design, Modification & Optimization
- Equipment Recommissioning & Calibration Coordination
- Laboratory Maintenance, Repair & Operations (MRO)
- Laboratory Dashboards & KPI Monitoring
- Laboratory Safety, 5S & Continuous Improvement
- Cross-Functional Engineering Collaboration
Personal Information
- Marital Status : Married
- Languages known : English, Marathi, Hindi
- Address : Kiwale, Pune
- Languages known : English, Marathi, Hindi
CAREER ACHIEVEMENTS:
- Bajaj Auto: Kaizen Award and Safety Innovation Award.
- Cummins India: Spot Award and STAR Awards for experimental testing and analysis contributions.
- Emerson: Six I² awards for innovation, continuous improvement, safety and laboratory initiatives.
- Copeland: Monthly Spot Awards and Bravo awards for project contributions, innovation and safety.
Timeline
Copeland (Emerson) India Technical Center
Engineer-2
01.2019 - Current
FORCE MOTORS (R&D) LTD
Sr. Engineer
07.2018 - 01.2019
Cummins India Technical Center
Jr. Shop Manager -2
03.2016 - 06.2018
Engineer
Bajaj Auto Ltd. (R&D)
07.2013 - 03.2016
MBA - Operations & Supply Chain Management
Pune University
B.Tech - Mechanical Engineering (AMIE
Institution of Engineers (India)
Diploma - Mechanical Engineering
Government Polytechnic