Pipeline Design & Engineering
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Product design and engineering services including consumer products, medical devices, and machine design | Producer of Being an Engineer Podcast
Pipeline Design & Engineering provides product design and mechanical engineering services to engineering companies needing to supplement their existing product design teams on an as-needed basis. We also offer design services to individual inventors. Our focus is on consumer products, medical devices, and heavy machinery.
06/12/2026
S7E25 Yesenia Avellaneda | Engineering, Medicine, and Manufacturing Leadership
Listen to the full episode here 🎧: https://www.buzzsprout.com/995575/episodes/19310780
Watch the full episode here ▶️: https://youtu.be/rgYE3Fg6NTc
Yesenia Avellaneda is an engineering leader whose career sits at the intersection of innovation, operations, and impact. Currently a Senior Project Engineer within Global Operations at Abbott, she has built a reputation for turning complex ideas into scalable, high-performing manufacturing systems. From leading New Product Introduction (NPI) efforts to executing international production transfers and launching entirely new facilities, Yesenia thrives where strategy meets ex*****on.
Her work has had measurable impact. She has led capital projects exceeding $5 million, driven production efficiency improvements, and implemented Lean manufacturing and Six Sigma methodologies to enhance quality and throughput. In one role, she helped boost line productivity by 200%, all while overseeing teams of 60+ personnel and ensuring compliance with rigorous FDA and regulatory standards . Her ability to align cross-functional teams—from product development to operations—has made her a key driver of successful product launches and operational excellence.
Yesenia’s academic foundation reflects her human-centered approach to engineering. She earned her bachelor’s degree in Human Physiology from the University of Oregon and later completed a master’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Portland. This unique combination allows her to bridge the gap between clinical needs and engineering solutions—an essential skill in the medical device industry.
Beyond her technical and leadership accomplishments, Yesenia is deeply committed to giving back. As Regional Vice President for SHPE Region 6 and a longtime advocate for underrepresented communities in STEM, she actively works to create inclusive pathways for future engineers. She’s also an experienced speaker, sharing insights on leadership, career growth, and navigating STEM as a first-generation professional.
In this conversation, Yesenia brings a rare perspective—one that combines hands-on engineering, large-scale operational leadership, and a mission-driven approach to making a broader impact in both industry and community.
Machine design starts long before CAD.
One of the biggest mistakes engineers make is opening CAD too early.
Before a single part is modeled, you need to understand:
• What problem are we solving?
• What are the process steps?
• What variability exists in the system?
• What assumptions are we making?
As Matt Ketterer explains, successful machine design is really about managing entropy.
Break the problem down into its simplest components.
Understand the inputs.
Understand the variation.
Then design the mechanisms that interact with those inputs.
Only after that should you start building the machine around them.
The best engineers don't jump into solutions.
They first define the problem so clearly that the solution becomes obvious.
What's the biggest machine design mistake you've seen engineers make?
Engineering students and early-career engineers: finding your first job is about more than submitting applications.
One of the best pieces of career advice from Larry Copponi, who has spent 40+ years helping engineering companies hire talent:
If you're just graduating, you probably don't have years of experience to showcase.
But you do have a network.
Reach out to:
• your parents' professional contacts
• former professors
• internship supervisors
• alumni
• engineers working at companies you admire
Most opportunities come through people, not job boards.
The engineers who build relationships often find opportunities faster than those who only submit resumes.
Watch the full conversation with Larry Copponi on the Being an Engineer podcast.
06/10/2026
For engineers looking to stand out in a crowded job market, learn a simple tactic in our newest episode that most candidates never use.
Larry Copponi has spent more than four decades helping engineering companies hire talent.
One piece of advice stood out:
Ask for the job.
If the interview went well, let the company know you're interested.
Not aggressively or awkwardly, but clearly.
Most candidates leave an interview hoping the company knows they want the role.
The strongest candidates make sure they know.
Would you ever ask for the job at the end of an interview?
06/08/2026
Engineering hiring has changed dramatically.
Want to learn what actually helps engineers stand out and what great companies do to attract top talent?
Meet Larry Copponi.
For more than 40 years, Larry has helped engineering organizations build teams that bring products to life. As VP of Staffing Solutions at Spanner, he works with companies across medical devices, robotics, consumer products, renewable energy, and more.
In this conversation, Larry shares:
• Why LinkedIn may be more important than your resume
• Common hiring mistakes engineering managers make
• What separates great engineering cultures from struggling ones
• How AI is changing the future of engineering careers
• The soft skills that help engineers win opportunities
If you've ever hired an engineer, interviewed for a role, or wondered how engineering careers are evolving, this episode is packed with practical insights.
Engineers looking to advance their careers often focus on technical skills.
Technical skills may get you the interview.
Soft skills often get you the offer.
Watch the full conversation with Larry Copponi on the Being an Engineer podcast.
06/05/2026
Interviewing for engineering roles can feel frustrating which is why we wanted Larry Copponi on this weeks episode.
Larry has spent more than four decades helping engineering companies hire talent. He knows what engineers need to be doing to get their foot in the door.
Listen to our latest episode of Being an Engineer Podcast for practical insights that you can take and apply today.
06/05/2026
S7E24 Larry Copponi | The Most Important Skill To Get Hired As An Engineer
Listen to the full episode here 🎧: https://teampipeline.us/being-an-engineer-podcast/
Watch the full episode here ▶️: https://youtu.be/Pyfwg6O5noQ
For more than 40 years, Larry Copponi has been working at the intersection of engineering talent and product innovation. Today, he serves as Vice President of Staffing Solutions at Spanner Product Development, where he helps companies across industries assemble the engineering teams they need to bring complex products to life.
Larry’s work spans sectors including consumer electronics, robotics, renewable energy, life sciences, and medical devices. His team specializes in placing highly skilled professionals—mechanical engineers, electrical engineers, product designers, industrial designers, and quality engineers—into organizations that are racing to transform ideas into real-world products. By deeply understanding both the technical landscape and the people who power it, Larry plays a critical role in helping companies scale their engineering capabilities.
Before joining Spanner, Larry spent more than 14 years as Division Manager at Pro Source Inc., supporting companies with contract engineering talent and CAD professionals to keep product development projects on schedule. Earlier in his career, he helped build recruiting and sales teams at TriMech Solutions, where he launched new recruiting initiatives focused on engineering and technical sales professionals.
Across decades in the recruiting and staffing industry, Larry has built a reputation for understanding the real needs of engineering organizations—matching the right talent to the right challenges and helping companies deliver products to market faster. His career offers a rare vantage point on how engineering teams evolve, how companies compete for talent, and what separates organizations that build strong technical cultures from those that struggle to grow.
In this conversation, Larry shares lessons from decades of working alongside engineering leaders, insights into the hiring challenges facing technical organizations today, and practical advice for both companies looking to build great teams and engineers navigating their careers.
06/03/2026
Engineering leadership is about solving problems, building trust, and helping teams improve.
The engineers who create the biggest impact often do something different.
They listen.
Jordan shared that some of his biggest process improvements came from talking with the people closest to the work. Operators, technicians, assemblers, and team members often know exactly where the bottlenecks are.
The challenge isn't finding the answers.
The challenge is creating an environment where people feel comfortable sharing them.
What is the best lesson you've learned from someone on the shop floor?
Lean manufacturing isn't about tools, charts, or buzzwords.
Jordan Kapitanoff didn't discover lean manufacturing through a textbook.
He discovered it through frustration.
"Why are we doing this? This doesn't make sense to do this twice."
That simple question led him down a path of continuous improvement and operational excellence.
One of the best definitions of lean I've heard is hidden in Jordan's story:
Find the things nobody values.
Remove them.
Spend more time on the things people actually care about.
Whether you're designing products, running projects, or managing operations, the principle is the same:
The goal isn't to do more work.
The goal is to eliminate the work that doesn't matter.
What's one process in your organization that people do simply because "that's how we've always done it"?
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Pipeline Design & Engineering, LLC
Phoenix, AZ
Opening Hours
| Monday | 8am - 6pm |
| Tuesday | 8am - 6pm |
| Wednesday | 8am - 6pm |
| Thursday | 8am - 6pm |
| Friday | 8am - 6pm |
| Saturday | 8am - 6pm |