Configuration and release
Rebuilt CAD, drawings, BOMs, controlled documentation, configuration practices, and engineering release discipline.
Experience · Executive capability building · July 2024–2026
RDT Engineering-System Transformation
Building the Engineering System Behind a Mandatory Portfolio Transformation
A mandatory low-GWP/A2L and safety-standard transition created the opportunity to strengthen the engineering system around the portfolio. Walter corrected the regulatory path and built or materially improved the technical, organizational, validation, documentation, manufacturing, supplier, and field-support infrastructure required to execute the transition and support future growth.
Portfolio contextApproximately $35M
Regulatory pathLow-GWP/A2L
Applicable standard60335-2-89
TransformationEngineering system
01 · Business objective
Execute the required portfolio transition while building a stronger engineering system.
RDT needed to transition a commercial-refrigeration portfolio to low-GWP/A2L refrigerants while moving applicable equipment from legacy UL 1995 certification into the UL/IEC 60335 framework. The work had initially followed 60335-2-40 even though the applicable refrigeration equipment required 60335-2-89.
Correcting the path became part of a broader effort to strengthen product definition, configuration control, validation, predictive design, supplier coordination, manufacturing readiness, field learning, and repeatable engineering release practices.
02 · Role and authority
Walter directed the engineering function while major capital approval remained with company executives.
As Director of Engineering, Walter held broad engineering ownership across product development, mechanical, electrical and controls engineering, validation, laboratory capability, compliance, engineering documentation, supplier technical decisions, manufacturing-engineering support, and major technical capital recommendations.
Final financial approval for major capital remained with company executives.
03 · Engineering capability built or materially improved
The product transition and the engineering organization advanced together.
Simulation and validation
Implemented design verification, DFMEA, DVP&R, VapCyc and CoilDesigner capability, and LabVIEW-based data acquisition.
R&D laboratory
Designed and built internal laboratory capability to strengthen testing, technical decisions, and product learning.
Certification governance
Corrected the applicable standard, established direct technical relationships with UL and Intertek/ETL, and reorganized certification records.
System root cause
Connected field evidence to system-level diagnosis, condenser-circuit redesign, controls corrections, and more durable product decisions.
Manufacturing and suppliers
Improved supplier economics, reduced component variety, evaluated alternative manufacturing architectures, and strengthened readiness for portfolio change.
Starting point
Knowledge-dependent and reactive
Product definition, configuration control, predictive design, certification governance, sourcing, field learning, and formal R&D capability depended heavily on institutional knowledge and reactive problem solving.
Improved system
Controlled, measurable, and repeatable
Controlled documentation, simulation-backed design, formal validation, functioning R&D infrastructure, stronger certification governance, improved supplier economics, lower warranty exposure, and an engineering system able to support subsequent platforms.
04 · Business and operating value
Keep realized, measured, and modeled value distinct.
Warranty exposure
The 2024 annual warranty-spend baseline was approximately $1.2M. Improvement began appearing around February 2026. The confirmed source reports subsequent spend below $100K and an approximately 92% reduction; the period represented by the below-$100K result remains undefined.
Supplier economics
Approximately 9–11% compressor volume-pricing improvement in a historically greater-than-1,000-unit-per-year category.
Manufacturing transformation
Approximately $913K in modeled four-year savings from the copper-fabrication business case, with a roughly $400K-class original automation concept reduced to an approximately $290K quoted configuration through redesign and scope optimization.
Business value
Millions of dollars in realized and modeled value. The broader estimate is not presented as fully realized, and purchase-order intake is not represented as recognized revenue.
05 · Durable capability
The result was an engineering system capable of supporting what came next.
The work left behind stronger product definition, technical evidence, laboratory capability, certification governance, manufacturing choices, supplier economics, field-to-engineering learning, and repeatable execution. The portfolio transition became the catalyst for a stronger operating system and a better platform for continued improvement.
What the work demonstrates
Improve the system, deliver the outcome, and build the capability to keep improving.
Walter led the organization, product, laboratory, compliance, manufacturing, supplier, field-performance, and business-economics work as one engineering system. Davis Executive Engineering applies that same system-level leadership to growth, transformation, improvement, major initiatives, and recovery when needed.