MILWAUKIE, OR – ECD announced today that it is continuing its engineering department expansion and has hired a software and manufacturing engineer, further bolstering its team as it accelerates current product line enhancements and NPI initiatives.

Nicholas Chase, Senior Software Engineer, comes to ECD with an impressive decade-long career, which includes software engineering experience at EDA companies Mentor Graphics Corporation (now Siemens EDA) and, most recently, Synopsys, Inc. He has a strong focus on sound design principles, continuous improvement, and has broad programming language proficiency. At ECD, Chase’s responsibilities entail driving development process efficiency, ensuring product software provides an intuitive and responsive user experience, and implementing robust testing procedures. He has already completed a significant project for ECD’s Baking Division with the integration of food safety KillStep Calculator functionality into the new touchscreen M.O.L.E.™ EV6 thermal profiling hardware. Chase holds a B.S. in Software Engineering from Oregon Institute of Technology.

Manufacturing Engineer Rahul Bilakanti oversees production and quality for ECD’s in-house manufacturing operation, which produces M.O.L.E. thermal profilers, SmartDRY™ desiccant cabinets, soldering machine verification pallets, and baked goods and oven sensors. Since joining the company, Bilakanti has contributed to manufacturing waste reduction through the use of 3D-printed fixtures, is leading the implementation of digitized manufacturing processes to streamline workflows, and is focused on improving production efficiency through collaborative DFM procedures. Bilakanti’s previous experience includes quality and manufacturing engineering positions at Abbott Labs and Japan Aviation Electronics’ Automotive Group. He graduated magna cum laude from the University of Southern California, where he earned a B.S. in Biomedical Engineering.

Speaking about the engineering staff growth, ECD President Tara Fischer says, “We are launching new products at an unprecedented pace, with three M.O.L.E. EV-series thermal profilers developed and commercialized within the last year,” she explains, underscoring the company’s ambitious five-year R&D roadmap. “So far, our team has executed our strategy perfectly. Nick and Rahul bring fresh eyes and outstanding credentials to our engineering department and have already been instrumental in our success. We are thrilled to have them on board!”

Chase and Bilakanti began their roles at ECD in November 2023. They are based in the company’s Milwaukie, OR headquarters.

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