How the GoEngineer Simulation Team Is Expanding Customer Capabilities
Support from an experienced simulation team increases the capacity of expert engineers at the customer.
"There’s a reason why there’s an eraser on a pencil," you could say about the creative and iterative process of developing a product for the real world using simulation. In the early design stages, simulation allows companies greater leeway to experiment and innovate—to design with a pencil, rather than a pen.
Companies traditionally brought products to market through physical testing. They would physically design it, build it, break it, and redesign it until it was no longer broken. It’s a process that is both time-consuming and expensive, and also limiting in the types of tests that can be performed and what data it is possible to collect from them. With simulation, the story is different. We’re able to bring our customer's products to market a lot faster, allowing for better quality and better innovation. Simulation is no longer a nicety in the marketplace—it’s a necessity.
Joe Formicola is a simulation industry veteran. He founded and ran Caelynx, a Detroit-based CAE consultancy, for 15 years until it was acquired by CATI in 2020 and, in turn, GoEngineer in 2022. “I see simulation, whether done in-house or as a service, becoming even more of an important tool for product development. It’s becoming increasingly available because of its ease of use on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform and the connectedness to CAD, but also because of the computational capabilities that the cloud has allowed us to have."
If the advantages that simulation brings to an engineering firm are hard to overstate, so too are the benefits that come from working with an experienced simulation team.
This was the logic GoEngineer followed in late 2022 when they acquired CATI, including their Ann Arbor-based team of simulation consultants specializing in Abaqus, CST Studio Suite, and 3DEXPERIENCE SIMULATION. By bringing on a simulation team with decades of expertise in diverse fields, GoEngineer could better support their own customer base of SOLIDWORKS users by helping them integrate their CAD workflows to a wider range of advanced simulation tools.
However, as Joe is quick to point out, an expert simulation team is an enhancement to a company’s internal team, not a replacement. “We want our customers' expert engineers to have expert tools. But to create these types of easy-to-use workflows that connect to CAD and are very advanced, you need people with experience who have in-depth understanding of the physics solvers, of the CAD tools, and who are used to working with customers and helping them implement these tools.”
For as impressive as all that sounds, the depth and breadth of GoEngineer's simulation team can best be demonstrated by introducing some of the individual members. If your company needs simulation support, these are among the people ready to assist you.
Meet GoEngineer's Simulation Team
John Huhn
Consulting Services Engineering Manager | BS Mechanical Engineering, Western Michigan University
John has over 22 years of experience in the FEA consulting industry which he has spent building and solving models, generating results that correlate to physical testing, and helping customers find an engineering solution to their problem using simulation tools.
When he’s not working on simulations, he loves working out and being active outdoors. In fact, he has a titanium rod inside his tibia due to a snowboarding accident, but never fear—he’s fully recovered and still snowboards.
Carl Osterwisch
Technical Manager | BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Arizona
Carl works as a technical manager in the advanced simulation group headquartered in Ann Arbor, where he is responsible for support and training of our software customers using the SIMULIA portfolio tools: Abaqus, Isight, fe-safe, and Tosca. He also provides support and mentorship for our consulting projects.
Carl has been using CAE to help solve engineering problems since 1994, during which time his experience has primarily been in automotive engineering, especially engine components. His experience developing engines includes solar-powered Stirling electric generators, 3.4 meter bore compressors, and two-cycle weed whips.
Carl loves a challenge, which makes him an excellent fit for GoEngineer, where he finds a never-ending stream of interesting engineering and software problems every day. A favorite part of his job is when he is able to improve a design which must meet challenging constraints. He also likes helping software customers use the tools more efficiently.
Outside of work, Carl spends his time traveling with his wife, Jen. They enjoy visiting their son in Grand Rapids and driving cross-country to visit their daughter in Tucson, Arizona. They like to explore historic cities along the way and to backpack in public lands.
Shivani Patel
Application Engineer Manager | BS Aerospace Engineering, University of Texas at Arlington
Shivani manages the West Simulation Application Engineer team, which focuses on matching clients with the correct simulation products and onboarding them so that they are successful with the technology. She has worked for ten years in the value-adde reseller (VAR) channel out of Houston, Texas, primarily with clients in the oil & gas, high tech, and industrial machinery industries, focusing on large assembly performance and FEA & CFD analysis. During her time at university, she spent time with the student-built Formula Racecar team designing the clutch and gear shift systems.
In her free time you may find her on the sand volleyball court or hiking, where her highest altitude reached is 17,600 feet (her sea-level lungs were not a fan of the oxygen levels)!
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Robert Warren
Application Engineer Manager | BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Akron
Robert manages the Software Presales Simulation Application Engineer team, which focuses on meeting and exceeding customer expectations in all things simulation software. He has 15 years of experience in the SOLIDWORKS VAR channel, ten of which are specifically focused on simulation, along with eight years of industry experience as an analyst, design engineer, and R&D engineer spanning multiple industries including heavy machinery, power generation, and transportation.
During his time at Akron, Robert completed electives focusing on FEA and CFD, and is also a SOLIDWORKS Simulation Elite AE, which is the highest certification for application engineers specializing in Dassault Systèmes software.
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Dragan Maric
Lead Engineer | BSE & MSE Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan
Dragan is the simulations team’s Lead Engineer, responsible for managing and leading projects. Although he has 18 years of FEA experience, his main focus is on product development.
A product developer and innovator both in his free time and at work, Dragan’s favorite part of his job involves running trade-off studies and acquiring engineering insights.
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Jeff Lendermon
Senior Simulation Product Specialist | BBA – Operations Management, University of Houston
Jeff has over 30 years of experience in the Plastic Injection molding industry, where he’s spent time optimizing mold designs, manufacturing facilities, and production floor processes. He applies his design and management experience to help customers see the benefits of utilizing the tools for injection molding and factory floor simulation.
When he’s not assisting customers, he is an avid runner, cyclist, and volunteer for his local running, cycling, and triathlon groups.
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Marcel Ingels
Senior simulation Specialist | BS & MS Biomedical Engineering, University of Toledo
With nine years of experience in the sim space, Marcel’s primary role lies in leading simulation projects in the medical device, aerospace, automotive, and defense industries, and in providing technical support and training on Abaqus and the 3DEXPERIENCE portfolio. His previous experience includes conducting analysis for a spinal implant start-up company and as a research assistant at an orthopedic research institute, where he focused on CAE analysis of impact biomechanics and orthopedic devices.
His chief interests include nonlinear material mechanics, cloud computing, and crash analysis, and he especially enjoys watching analysis results correlate with physical tests. Marcel is also a triplet and an avid paddleboarder.
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Shaun Bentley
Simulation Team Lead | BS Mechanical Engineering, Lawrence Technological University
Shaun Bentley is passionate about applied mathematics and engineering, which led him to pursue and understand real world applications of FEA, CFD, kinematics, dynamics, and 3D & 2D modeling. He teaches many simulation classes to both new and advanced users attending training at GoEngineer.
Since 2006, Shaun has been working with simulation tools to solve real world engineering problems. With every new project, he seeks to find ways to push simulation to its uppermost limits, even going so far as to write bespoke code and macros. He has passed the Michigan FE exam and mentors or consults for virtually any industry that uses SOLIDWORKS, especially automotive and automated tools. He is a speed 3D modeling champion and one of the first Certified SOLIDWORKS Experts in Simulation in the world.
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Kunal Khot
Senior CAE Engineer | BS Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering Pune & Automotive Engineering postgraduate degree, University of Brighton
Kunal has been an automotive CAE engineer for roughly 15 years, with work experience across three continents. Kunal’s expertise lies in performing durability, NVH, and crash simulations for different automotive domains including driveline, axle, closures, transmission, seats, body structure, chassis, and suspensions.
For Kunal, the best part of his job comes when he is able to look at a part that is failing the test criteria for a customer, and not only offer a solution that allows that part to pass their criteria, but which is also manufacturable, cost effective, and efficient.
During his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking, playing soccer or cricket, and mountain biking.
Clint Patton
Electromagnetics Senior Applications Engineer | BS & MS Electrical Engineering, Missouri University of Science and Technology
Clint started using simulation tools while working on his master's degree with the Missouri S&T EMC Laboratory. He has over 16 years of experience designing, simulating, and testing electronic devices.
He started working with GoEngineer in February 2023 supporting CST Studio Suite. He enjoys working on RF, EMI/EMC, and signal and power integrity problems. In his free time, Clint enjoys being outside fishing, hunting, and camping.
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Cory Ostrow
Senior Design Engineer
Cory’s primary focus is being a simulation consultant on advanced projects, with a current focus on full-scale crash simulations for a leading global medical device manufacturer. His experience includes 20 years of working directly with simulation on design for manufacturing in the automotive tier 1 stamping and casting space. While Cory loves to mesh, translating results into design improvements in CATIA is what he does best.
About 20 years ago, Cory designed and modeled a simulation for a 50-foot-tall backyard roller coaster, then built it from raw materials with a small crew. It is still running today and hasn’t resulted in any major injuries.
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Bill Reuss
Senior Application Engineer Specialist, Simulation | BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Louisville Speed School of Engineering
Bill handles pre- and post-sales for SOLIDWORKS’s analysis suite of products. Previously, he spent seven years working on the design and analysis of medical and surgical devices, followed by another seven years working on the design and analysis of beverage equipment. Since 2010 he has been working with the GoEngineer team on CAD/CAE sales and support.
Bill enjoys working with a variety of customers, learning about their design and analysis challenges, and helping them solve problems that make their products better.
To say that Bill loves to play golf is an understatement. He currently organizes and runs a golf league that is now in its 24th year of play. Over the course of 5,000+ rounds of play, he is the only person to hit a hole in one.
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Matt Sherak
Senior Simulation Product Specialist | BS Mechanical Engineering Technology, Metropolitan State University of Denver
Matt works as an Elite Application Engineer and Senior Simulation Product Specialist. His job is to find simulation solutions that match customer needs, and to assist them via training, mentoring, consulting, and support. His favorite part of the job is meeting customers from all different industries and backgrounds and sharing his knowledge of simulation with them. Matt’s recent focus has been on cloud simulation tools and the additional opportunities that adds for our customers.
Although Matt started at GoEngineer as a 3D printer tech and quickly made his way up the ranks to the simulation team, he still maintains an enthusiasm and love for additive manufacturing.
More from Matt:
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Thomas SChlitt
Project Engineer, Advanced Simulations | BS Mechanical Engineering, University of Dayton & MS Nuclear Engineering, Air Force Institute of Technology
Known for being the one at the movie night that pauses the film every 10 minutes to discuss the inaccuracies of one explosion or another, Thomas has a passion for understanding the governing physics behind systems in our world. He primarily leverages the advanced simulation tools within the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform for his simulation consulting opportunities.
Prior to adopting the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, he brought with him approximately 5 years of Abaqus and finite element analysis experience. Projects of interest include the analysis rotating systems and custom simulation scripting using Python/VBA. His previous experience includes black-box optimization, stochastic radiation transport simulation, and high-energy density dynamic simulation.
In his free time, Thomas has a number of hobbies that range from backpacking through national parks to recipe video content creation.
From from Thomas:
Contact GoEngineer to bring your simulation capabilities to the next level.
GoEngineer is able to offer something few competitors can match. As the former CEO of Caelynx, Joe Formicola has already seen the value a dedicated simulation team can provide customers, and he is eager to bring these services to GoEngineer’s customer base. “We can take SOLIDWORKS CAD and 3D simulation and marry the two on the 3DEXPERIENCE Platform, and then bring services to the community that are better than anything else.”
In many ways, FEA & CFD as a service is following in the footsteps of SaaS models, which allow businesses to better manage their expenditures. Few companies have the resources to support a large simulation team with a skill set as diverse as GoEngineer’s. But with the GoEngineer simulation team to back them up, they can be assured of expert consultation in even the most niche fields, whenever they need it.
Whether you’re interested in working with simulation for the first time or eager to help your engineers achieve their best, the team at GoEngineer is ready to work with you. Contact our service representatives to learn more.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published in June 2023 and has been updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
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About Zack Yates
Zack Yates is GoEngineer's Software Product Marketing Manager based out of Ann Arbor, MI. He comes to the position after many years as a consulting CAE Analyst with a focus on Abaqus. He has a degree in music from the University of Michigan and loves to be creative, learn new things, and travel the world.
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