Mallory: Continuing with our employee profiles, today we are joined by Hugh Lowry, Special Projects Engineer, to learn more about his role here at Elemex. Thank you for joining us Hugh.
Hugh: Thanks for having me.
Mallory: Can you please explain in your own words what you do at Elemex?
Hugh: So, the official role is Special Projects Engineer, but, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Basically, what I mean by that is that I handle all sorts of certifications and testing that might go on in the company as well as any rapid prototyping and R&D activities.
Mallory: Interesting – so cool. What is the most fulfilling part of your job?
Hugh: Probably the idea of taking something from a design phase and seeing it all the way through to an actual commercial phase. Something like, you know, solar or different extrusion ideas to designing something on a computer-based workspace and then taking it out into the field. It is a really fulfilling part of my job.
Mallory: Absolutely. What does a typical day for you look like?
Hugh: Well, the nature of the job kind of varies on a day-to-day basis but I would say something like maybe doing a couple of designs in the morning, maybe throwing that on the rapid prototyper, maybe having a test call with the lab in the afternoon to discuss our certifications. Then maybe at the end of the day, looking at the fit of that 3D printed part and doing some testing with that.
Mallory: Can you tell us a little bit about the EllisDon project that you worked on?
Hugh: For sure! That is the project we are standing next to right now. It was our first project with solar – so Solstex is our line. Um, it was a really challenging project, just due to the nature of solar and the nature of trying to integrate a BIPV cladding on to a structure.
Mallory: What were some considerations that this job had over standard projects?
Hugh: Well, the first consideration was definitely the electrical aspect. We had to take into account a lot of different factors like the characteristics of the panel and the safety requirements of electrical systems which is an entirely new kind of field for us. But, with the help of EllisDon and some of our other partnerships, we gained the technical knowledge to get it done.
Mallory: That is great. Were there any specific challenges that you had to overcome?
Hugh: Specifically, the panels themselves. We had trouble sourcing a panel that would stand up to our rigorous testing and our rigorous standards. But we finally settled on one and that is the panel you can see behind us.
Mallory: Fantastic. What do you enjoy doing when you are not working?
Hugh: Aside from the usual things like exercise and sports, I have a couple of niche hobbies. Like, I really enjoy smoking meats and other types of foods and I really enjoy playing with my dog.
Mallory: That is awesome. Thanks for taking the time to speak with us today Hugh and keep up the good work. Thank you for watching and don’t forget to subscribe.
