‘All statements of fact in this report are true and correct and I have made claims of acquired

competencies in good faith.

The report is my own work and is a true representation of my personal competence in written
English.

I confirm that I understand that members of the engineering team in Australia are required to
display a commitment to exercising professional and ethical responsibility in all aspects of their
work ’.

I also understand that documentation submitted in support of my application may be referred to

the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) for integrity checking

Printed Name: MUHAMMAD DAMISH ZUBERI

Signature: ___________________________________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________________________________

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 1 of 16

 1st Episode

Daharki Site Expansion Project

a) Introduction
In the following narrative I will give a concise description of the activities I was in
involved in as a Site Planning Engineer for Descon Engineering Limited at Daharki Site
Expansion Project. Descon, a leading multinational EPCCM contractor, was awarded the
project by Engro Chemicals Pakistan Limited. Descon’s essential and critical role in this
case was of partial; Engineering, Procurement, Commissioning, and Complete;
Construction, Pre-commissioning, and Maintenance of the Ammonia and Urea Complex,
located in Daharki, Sindh province, Pakistan. The Engineering contractor responsible for
the detailed engineering for the project was Snamprogetti Saipem, a subsidiary of ENI
S.p.A. The project start date was August 2007 and the target completion date was set to
be April 2010.

b) Background
Engro Chemicals Pakistan Limited (now Engro Fertilizer Pakistan Limited) is one of the
leading Fertilizer producing companies currently operating in Pakistan. In order to cater
for the increasing demand for chemical Fertilizer in Pakistan and abroad, Engro ventured
for the largest Ammonia / Urea complex in Pakistan, with the largest Heat Train in Asia.
It’s designed at a tremendous capacity of 2,194 MTPD (metric tons per day) of Ammonia
& 3,834 MTPD of Urea.

My responsibilities for the Daharki Site Expansion Project included but were not limited
to the following:

• Area Planning for Reformer Unit (Furnace, Heat Effluent Exchangers, Steam Drum,
Waste Heat Boiler).
• Monitoring and updating Daily / Weekly Progress Reports and Weekly Level 4 Plan
for Reformer Unit.
• Supervision of Field Execution Team, and coordination with QA/QC and HSE
Departments for efficient time management.
• Administering consumable and non-consumable material status and utilization.
• Launching material Indents, Technical Queries in coordination with Procurement
Department.
• Maintaining direct contact with Client as well as Engineering Consultant and
Vendors.
• Provision of work to Sub-contractors and Third Parties.
• Maintaining and Expediting Welding inspection and Radiographic / Ultrasound Test
Reports.
• Providing Work-front to Welding, Rigging and Refractory Teams, such as Weld
Procedure Specification / PQR, Refractory Calculations.
• Studying and expedition of engineering design material such as Equipment and
Layout drawings, Isometric Drawings, Plot Plans, and other relevant technical
Documents.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 2 of 16

 • Maintaining resolute compliance of safety procedures and rules, as per Descon and
Engro Standards.

c) Personal Engineering Activity

C.E. 1.1 My preliminary goal on arrival on site was to get acquainted with the basics, then
gradually get a thorough understanding of the activities involved in the construction of
the Reformer Unit, the area I was deployed to mostly throughout my tenure on site. As
this was my first construction project, these few initial steps were critical for me and the
project as they would prove to be advantageous in my later role as acting site in-charge
for this unit. My personal engineering activities consisted included but not limited to the
following:

C.E. 1.2 HSE Policies and Procedures:

C.E. 1.2.1 I had to learn and assimilate these policies and procedures as safety always comes first.
Also I had to provide an exemplary role as an engineer in-order to implement and
maintain the strictest attitude towards HSE. I learned and advocated the;

• Use of Personal Protective Equipment

• Access and travelling through construction site
• Housekeeping Policies
• Importance of maintaining strict HSE protocols
• Prevention of LTIs (Loss Time Injury)
• Using PTW (Permit to Work)

C.E. 1.2.2 As an example of strict safety policies followed at site, I reviewed and modified the JSA
(Joint Safety Analysis) mandatory for entry of Vessels for work, in this case the
Secondary Reformer, for safe execution of work inside the vessel.

C.E. 1.3 Plant Unit Modules:

C.E. 1.3.1 It was a challenge to acquaint myself with fine details of every module of the unit. I set
myself to study the layouts, mechanical drawings and design parameters of the following
equipment:

• Primary Reformer
• Secondary Reformer
• Fuel Gas System (including Burners)
• Flue Gas System (including Blowers)
• Pneumatically actuated Damping System
• Cold & Hot Collectors
• Catalytic Convertor Tubes
• Effluent Heat Exchangers Package, including
o Waste Heat Boiler
o Ammonia Synthesis Heat Exchangers
o Steam Drum

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 3 of 16

 • All associated Piping Works
• Hot Insulation (including Pyroblocks, Firebricks and Ceramic Fiber) & Cold Insulation
• Process Gas Start-up Heater

C.E. 1.3.2 In doing so, I made it mandatory upon myself to get accustomed with the necessary
Codes and Standards, for instance for refractory works of the start-up heater, anchor
pins had to be welded to the panels of the heater. The pins carried the code TP 310,
whereas the panel plates were of AISI 304 (Stainless Steel), this is where I intervened
with the welding team to point out that in-fact ER Ni-Cr-3, a filler wire used for Gas Metal
Arc Welding, should be used in place of E-309, an electrode used for Shield Metal Arc
Welding. This was critical for the final firing of the heater, as the joint would have been
too weak to hold the 25mm ceramic fiber insulation sheets against the heater panels. In-
order to proceed I asked the QA/QC department to develop a Weld Procedure
Specification to complete the work on time, to avoid any delays.

C.E. 1.3.3 Each equipment had associated drawings and documents (such as data sheets), which I
studied in-order to guide the field execution team towards systemized installation of the
equipment. For example, the Cold Collector had 12 segments in total, of which 6 had to
be placed on slide supports. However, the base plate of the cold collector segment had
to be welded with a 5 mm stainless steel plate, which then had to be placed on top of a
Teflon plate (to minimize friction) and was finally placed on the sliding support.

C.E. 1.3.4 As I was in-charge of the area at that time it was my responsibility, so I guided the
execution team to carefully fabricate the plates and place the cylindrical cold collector
segments such that they are completely in-line with the supports.

C.E. 1.4 Technical Procedures and Specifications:

C.E. 1.4.1 This is where I worked hard to gain insight into the proper engineering practices to
successfully plan and execute (supervise) the job at hand.

• Refractory Casting and Dry-out

• Fabrication and Installation of Refractory Shuttering
• Rigging Operations
• Welding procedures and specifications
• Installation of Heavy Equipment, Supports, Panels
• Execution of piping works in conjunction with Piping & Instrumentation Diagrams and
Piping Isometrics
• Codes and Standards
• Implementation of Quality Inspection Plan

C.E. 1.5 Project Management:

C.E. 1.5.1 As a site planning engineer I had to be proficient in project planning tools, therefore, I
learnt the use of Primavera Project Planner P3, to aid me in guiding the team through
the project cycle. I modified the plan on several occasions to accommodate changes
devised by my superior. However, I was in-charge of updating the plan on weekly basis
and to accommodate any other necessary changes. For example, the Risers &
Downcomers interconnecting the Boiler / Exchangers to the Steam drum had to be
radio-graphed thrice;

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 • First radiographic test had to be done after Root & Hot Pass welding of the joint then;
• Second after Filling / Capping of the Joint;
• And third after post-weld heat treatment of the joint which in this case reached
temperatures above 600 ˚C.
This was especially important for thick butt welds, which are prone to poring.

C.E. 1.5.2 Moreover, time and budget were my primary concerns for the efficient completion of the
project. Due to constraints, these parameters had to be monitored on a daily basis so as
not to exceed the allotted estimation.

C.E. 1.5.3 I thoroughly familiarized myself with the governing codes and standards as it would
prove to be essential in some cases. As an example, the Risers and Downcomers
(Waste heat Boiler components) materials specifications were in accordance with a
different standard being followed by BORSIG (vendor).

C.E. 1.5.4 Therefore, I requested the QA/QC department of Engro and Descon to formulate a
standard WPS in lieu of the ones already being followed, such as the one specified by
GRANZIERA (Vendor) for the Cold Collector. For instance the filler wire for an A-105 to
A-105 valve / 16Mo3 Reducer was specified as EML 5 / Argon, in terms of the WPS
already being followed, this was equivalent to ER-70 S3. This helped in clarification of
the general uncertainties faced by not only me and my team, but the client as well.

C.E. 1.6 Quality Assurance / Quality Control (QA/QC) Compliance:

C.E. 1.6.1 I had to maintain constant correspondence with QA/QC department throughout the
project tenure, not only because it was essential in terms of contractual agreement but
because I was obligated to uphold the highest level of quality in my teams work.
C.E. 1.6.2 I requested the QA/QC department by filing a Request for Inspection and Testing (RIT)
form for a whole range of inspection activities including:

• Welding Inspection Report

• Dimensional Inspection Report
• Material Inspection Report
• Welding Procedure Specification
• Inspection Report of Steel Structural Erection

C.E. 1.7 Electrical & Instrumentation (E&I) Compliance:

C.E. 1.7.1 Although the E&I department was separately responsible for its activities, I had to help
my team in paving the way for its activities, as E&I activities preceded, succeeded or ran
in parallel with mechanical ones. This required tremendous planning and
correspondence with E&I department to ensure timely and conflict-free installation of:
• Pressure / Temperature / Level Transmitters
• Control Valves
• Actuating Equipment
• Cable Trenches / Trays

C.E. 1.8 Communication:

C.E. 1.8.1 The area I was working in comprised pupils from different ethnic and language
backgrounds, such as Italians, Germans, Australians, and most from different regions of

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 5 of 16

 Pakistan. I connected to all of them on a personal note so as to reduce tensions and
impose a friendlier atmosphere. I showed considerable patience and poise to curtail any
issues related to miscommunication as the language barrier was a major cause of
misunderstandings.

C.E. 1.8.2 For instance, RCR Heat Treatment Pty. Ltd. (Australian) was hired for the dry out of
refractory of Secondary Reformer, Waste Heat Boiler and Cold Collector. A team of four
persons (English Speaking) along with the blower heat train equipment arrived to carry
out this procedure. Most of the supervisors and workers at site could only communicate
in Urdu (a native language). Therefore, I proceeded to take the role of an interpreter
between the two teams.

C.E. 1.8.3 The first layer of refractory had to be dried out at 250 C and the final layer at 450 C.
Therefore, I planned and supervised my team for the timely completion of casting of
refractory, this included;
• Calculating total tons of refractory for each layer and;
• Distributing it over the duration between dry-outs.

C.E. 1.8.4 The shuttering, a very critical part of the casting, had to fabricated and installed at exact
dimensions. Moreover, the casting had to be done overnight so as to cure for certain
time and temperature. Furthermore, the shuttering had to be fabricated using Low
Carbon Steel (ASTM A-53) sheets of different thicknesses. Therefore, I deduced a re-
order level of different materials (consumable and non-consumable) and tools required
along with the total required over the time period. This brought about a target and
forecasted status for the items.

C.E. 1.9 Challenging Situation:

C.E. 1.9.1 I had to bear not one but many challenging situations as I was site in-charge of the
whole Reformer Unit, with manpower ranging from 250 to 350 at a time. During this time
any loss of time and money was to be on my shoulders. Therefore, I fulfilled my job with
zeal and dedication gaining a complete contentment in my capabilities from the company
as well as client.

d) Summary
This project was my first construction project and to be able to lead a very large team of
experience personnel has been very beneficial experience for me. I coordinated
between disciplines, client and vendors continuously through the tenure and have
gained a wider knowledge and know-how of activities and challenges of executing large
scale projects. In a nutshell, my work experience on the project strengthened my abilities
both as a planning and a mechanical engineer.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 6 of 16

 2nd Episode
Maintenance Shutdown & Associated Activities
a) Introduction
In my 2nd episode I will narrate my account of engineering activities I performed in Attock
Refinery Limited located in the outskirts of Rawalpindi, Pakistan. I was selected from a
large pool of engineers, fresh and experienced, to serve and lead as a Senior
Management Trainee from August 2008 to July 2009. ARL (Attock Refinery Limited) is a
pioneer in crude oil refining, successfully operating for more than 80 years. Its
nameplate capacity stands at 40,000 Barrels per day.

b) Background
I was recruited in ARL primarily as a Senior Management Trainee (Mechanical),
however, I was performing my duties as a Mechanical / Planning Engineer. The
maintenance department was distributed into different sections, I was designated to
Plant Maintenance 2 which included the following areas:

Plant Area:
• 5,500 BPD Crude Distillation Unit.
• 10,000 BPD Heavy Crude Unit (2 - STAGE i.e. Atmospheric and Vacuum).

Utilities Area:
• 7.5 MW Power Plant (included three 2.5 MW Gensets) running on Furnace Fuel Oil.
• Boilers (2 x 12 ton per hour Superheated Steam Boilers and 3 x 10 ton per hour
saturated steam Boilers).
• Air Compressor House (one 2-phase multistage compressor at 350 m3 per hour).

I performed numerous tasks through the duration of my tenure there; however, I will
narrate my account through the major activities I performed.

My responsibilities included:
• Study of Equipment and Layout drawings, Piping Isometric Drawings, Operation &
Maintenance Manuals and other technical Documents.
• Feasibility, supervision and monitoring of; Corrective / Routine / Preventive
Maintenance and Trouble-Shooting of various Plant equipment.
• Coordination of Projects; Planning and Supervision of Maintenance / Installation
activities in addition to Shutdowns / Turnaround jobs of refinery plants.
• Study and Management of Equipment hierarchy, Assets Catalogue and its
classifications, and Equipment History documentation.
• Development of Preventive Maintenance Schedules and Standard Operating
Procedures.
• Expedition and Management of Work Orders, Job plans, Job tasks, Job material,
Safety plans and Tools.
• Administration of Inventory records for equipment spare parts.
• Study basic refinery chemical processes.
• Launching Purchase Inquiries, Material Requisitions and Purchase Orders.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 7 of 16

 • Liaise with Contractors, Suppliers and other inter-refinery departments for various
major and minor projects.
• Study and Application of necessary Engineering Codes and Standards (API and
ASME).
• Preparation & Analysis of Comparative (Technical and Commercial) Statement / Bid
Evaluation for Procurement of material.
• Monitor Key Performance Indices, Cost evaluation and analysis of maintenance jobs
using Computerized Maintenance Management System (Maximo 6.2).
• Optimization of Asset Performance management, Root Cause Failure Analysis and
Reduction of Equipment Maintenance / Operational Cost.
• Maintaining strict conformity of Safety Procedures in accordance with Refinery
Safety Rules.

Projects Executed:
• Shutdown of Lummus (5,000 BPD) Distillation Plant; repair of Atmospheric Tower
Heater Tubes and Burner
• Shutdown of Heavy Crude Unit (10,000 BPD); complete unit inspection and
replacement of Exchanger Bundle
• 2.5 MW Diesel GenSet: 48,000 hrs Major Maintenance / Overhaul
• Annual Turnaround of Babcock & Wilcox Water Tube Boiler (Superheated Steam: 20
ton/h) and Descon Fire Tube Boiler(Saturated Steam: 12 ton/h)

c) Personal Engineering Activity

C.E. 2.1 As an engineer, I was determined to get accustomed to Health, Safety and Environment
standards particularly in my line of work. The refinery is a potentially hazardous work
place, where a life threatening incident can take place following a slight mishap. My
priority was to learn and promote:

• Use of Personal Protective Equipment

• Safety of Personnel
• Fire Prevention and Fire fighting
• Permit to Work System
• Safe handling of hazardous chemical materials

C.E. 2.2 I discovered earlier on that in-order to apply engineering knowledge and skills, especially
on a pragmatic level, I not only had to suffice my superior but myself as well. Therefore, I
studied the design and operation of all the mechanical equipment (static and rotary
present in my area such as;

• Pumps
• Compressors
• Heat Exchangers
• Valves
• Boilers
• Cooling Towers
• Power generators (Engine Operated)

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 8 of 16

C.E. 2.3 Along with the necessary design parameters such as;

• Design Temperature / Pressure / Flow

• Operating Temperature / Pressure / Flow
• Pump NPSH Curves for different fluid requirements
• Relevance to API codes and standards
• Safe Operating conditions and parameters

C.E. 2.4 Operation and Maintenance Procedures:

C.E. 2.4.1 I studied the Operation and Maintenance Manual which gave me a detailed
understanding of the operational structure of the plant from an engineer’s perspective.
This was more than resourceful as I could identify potentially problematic equipment /
areas in regard to particular error.

C.E. 2.4.2 For instance, during a simple startup of the Diesel engine the control panel indicated a
pressure drop in the lube oil system. Upon query by my superior I pointed out that there
can only be two causes, one; a malfunction in the Lube Oil Purifier, and two; a blockage
in the Lube Oil / Cooling water heat exchanger. Thus, he instructed the team to explore
both options. The problem was eventually identified in the Lube Oil Purifier.

C.E. 2.5 Implementation of Computerized Maintenance Management System:

C.E. 2.5.1 I was instructed by my superior to implement the CMMS (Computerized Maintenance
Management System) using Maximo 6.2 (a widely used Enterprise Asset Management
Software) in my area. This is now a world-wide practice which particularly monitors the
efficiency of running plant machinery, monitors the work performed on daily basis and
asserts control of essential spare parts.

C.E. 2.5.2 I documented all the plant equipment in my area, the information included operating /
design parameters and preventive maintenance procedures, along with the necessary
documents which I then handed over to the CMMS department. They stored it into the
MAXIMO database, which later help me in recording and monitoring Key Performance
Index for a particular Plant asset.

C.E. 2.6 Annual Shutdown of Plant:

C.E. 2.6.1 My greatest contribution was during the annual shutdown of Heavy Crude Unit. The
shutdown had to be performed earlier than its scheduled date due to leakages in heat
exchangers, atmospheric tower and other inconsistencies; this was a potentially
hazardous situation and therefore had to be attended to as soon as possible.

C.E. 2.6.2 On the instructions of my superior, I identified all the main problems which needed to be
attended to. I asked the Operations department to provide a list of all equipment with
discrepancies in regard to operational procedure. On basis of that list I devised a
possible scenario for each problem; this was done with the help of a senior maintenance
supervisor whose job was to aid me in formulating a solution to these specific problems
on the basis of past experience.

C.E. 2.6.3 For example, the operations department identified an inconsistency in the Naptha
stabilizer unit, mainly; tremendous surge of flow and pressure of stabilized Naptha and
inclusion of impurities. Upon further investigation the problem was identified in the heat
in which raw water (fluid in the tubes) was being mixed with Naptha (fluid in the shell,
recovered from atmospheric tower). This required immediate bypassing of the

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 9 of 16

 exchanger, the leaking tubes were plugged but the exchanger had to be replaced as
soon as possible. This was scheduled for the annual shutdown already planned.

C.E. 2.6.4 I supervised and monitored the maintenance activities, besides performing the
preliminary studies and ordering of parts for equipments according to the required
design conditions, such as tube material, design tempurature / pressure etcetera. Major
activities performed during shutdown included:

• Revamping of Trim Cooler Steam Ejectors

• Replacing of Shell-Tube Heat Exchanger Tube bundle
• Visual inspection of Fired Tube Heater

C.E. 2.7 Correspondence and Coordination:

C.E. 2.7.1 I corresponded with many departments and sections of the refinery including but not
limited to:

• Operations department
• E&I department
• HSE department.

C.E. 2.7.2 I maintained direct contact with all the personnel for smooth and efficient completion of
the governing activities including Managers, Foremen / Supervisors, Fitters etcetera.

C.E. 2.8 External / Internal Audit and ISO Certification:

C.E. 2.8.1 Attock Refinery Limited requires its employees, especially of the Senior Management
cadre to be acquainted with Management Systems of International Standards which are
a vital part of its business strategy.

C.E. 2.8.2 Therefore, as a Trainee I learnt and understood the ISO Management Systems which,
mainly ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System, ISO 14001:2004 Environment
Management System and OHSAS 18001:1999 Occupational Health and Safety.

C.E. 2.8.3 During the external audit held in October-November 2008 by SGS, I developed an action
list, which identified the key corrections made against the objections (identified by the
audit team for the previous year, i.e. 2007). I performed the necessary activities to
improve this list such as:

• Introducing toe plates at unsafe platforms;

• Warning boards at potentially hazardous locations; and
• Safety Cages on unprotected monkey ladders.
• I coordinated with the Operations team to implement the findings of this action list.

C.E. 2.9 Miscellaneous Activities:

C.E. 2.9.1 Aside from the shutdown activities, which required careful technical and communication
skills, I studied the piping networks and configurations, prepared BOQs and cost
estimates, performed line tracing of the plant which was essential for gaining a complete
understanding and working principle of the plant.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 10 of 16

C.E. 2.9.2 I performed various line modifications / corrections relating to different fluids such as
steam, compressed air (dry and saturated), water and crude oil. This required an
understanding of the codes and standards pertaining to these activities including ASME
and API.

C.E. 2.9.3 I studied the original design of the machinery and proposed any modifications to the
material, dimensions and working cycle to reduce any chances of machinery failure.
Some maintenance activities had to be anticipated (Predictive Maintenance) beforehand
to reduce downtime such as draining / venting / cleaning of Strainers, Valve seats and
spring mechanisms, steam traps, steam ejectors, de-aerators etcetera.

C.E. 2.9.4 On various occasions the plant machinery required replacing parts such as Bearings,
Mechanical Seals (bellows, dry-gas), piston rings, Impellers, rotating shafts etcetera. I
supervised these activities and maintained an inventory record for each part.

d) Summary
I had the tremendous opportunity to work for a well established and experienced
Industry with a wide array of professional engineers and technicians. This contributed
greatly in my understanding of mechanical equipment and machinery on a more
practical level.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 11 of 16

 3rd Episode
Application of Modular Design Approach to
Drones Manufacturing and Assembly
a) Introduction
In my final episode, I will present a brief outline of the project I did, along with a
colleague and with the help of my advisor, Dr. Muhammad Abid, in Engineering
University, for the final year thesis (Fall 2007 – Spring 2008). The project was an
Application of Modular Design Approach to Drones (un-manned aerial surveillance
crafts) Manufacturing and Assembly. The study was done within the university premises,
however involved official visits to Aircraft Manufacturing Factory (AMF) situated in the
city of Kamra, Pakistan.

b) Background
Due to the recent importance of considering product life cycle and the dynamic change
in the manufacturing paradigm from the current mass production to sustainable
production, I envisaged the immense importance of Modular Design.
Initially, the priority between each interface is introduced. Then this priority information is
available for stepwise modular breakdown considering the design intention from the
upper design stage to the lower design stage. A module is any functionally complete
device, or sub-assembly, that can be independently operated and can be readily fitted
and connected to, or in combination with, additional modules to comprise a complete
and functionally reliable system.
In this project, I identified ‘Drones’ as a potential product after survey, for the application
of Modular Design Approach. This need was validated by my advisor and the personnel
at AMF alike. The Drones manufactured at Kamra have a part count of 31 in their
existing design. My advisor advised me that a further decrease in the part count will
bring about a larger change in the manufacturing and assembly cost and time. The
application tools used such as DFA (Design for ease of Assembly) and DFM (Design for
Manufacturing) help to bring about this change to the benefit of the company and the
clients.
Besides reduction in cost (due to lesser customization, and less learning time), and
flexibility in design, modularity offers other benefits such as augmentation (adding new
solution by merely plugging in a new module), and exclusion. As I, alongside my
colleague, justified this when I looked at the bottle necks in the manufacturing and
assembly operations that lead to a loss in revenue by stretching the lead time.
My advisor for this project was Dr. Muhammad Abid, who currently is an associate
professor in the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at Ghulam Khan Ishaq Khan Institute
of Engineering Sciences and Technology, one of the most prestigious engineering
institutes of Pakistan.

c) Personal Engineering Activity

C.E. 3.1 After acquiring this project on the approval of my advisor, my colleague and I decided to
undertake a site visit to the manufacturing facility at Kamra. My colleague managed the
correspondence with the head of department there and upon showing interest, I noted
down several points to make the visit as efficient as possible.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 12 of 16

C.E. 3.2 When I reviewed the manufacturing and assembly line for drone production, whilst
following the guidelines set by the applied principles of modular design approach, the
design and method of manufacturing showed certain discrepancies such as;
• Current assembly process is entirely manual which results in time lapses;
• Relatively large number of part modules which have to be fixed together;
• Inefficient part handling.

C.E 3.3 Design development for concurrent engineering was conceded with the following
objectives:

1. Simplifying the Product Architecture;

2. Reduced Manufacturing and Assembly Cost;
3. Reduction in Operation and Assembly Time;
4. Improvement in Quality and Reliability;
5. Reduction in Manufacturing Cycle Time;
6. Reduction in part counts/parts;
7. Benchmarking tool with other competitors;
8. Negotiating supplies and contracts;
9. Labor Content;
10. Quality;
11. Piece part; setup, process, materials, tooling, total manufacture, assembly and total
cost.
C.E. 3.4 Initially, I deduced a scheme to classify the study into mainstream objectives, which later
on would be divided into sub-objectives. Using DFM (Design for Manufacturability) and
DFA (Design for ease of Assembly) in conjunction with CPM (Critical Path Method) and
PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) to an industrial product, ‘Drones’,
the study was divided into three main sections:
C.E. 3.4.1 Minimizing Number of modules (Part count):
By reducing the number of part counts simplification of manufacturing & assembly
process through:
• Lesser number of parts processed;
• Reduced assembly time;
• Fewer changes in production line;
• Diminishing bottlenecks;
• Continuous effort to achieve quality.

C.E. 3.4.2 Minimizing Manufacturing & Assembly time:

Reducing manufacturing time implying an increase in the overall efficiency of the
processes, to be achieved by;
• Increase in production capacity;
• Fewer breakdowns in the production run;
• Reduced expenses in term of overheads and overtime;
• Better resource allocation to other products;
• More flexible product range more achievable.

CDR – Muhammad Damish Zuberi Page 13 of 16

C.E. 3.4.3 Minimizing Manufacturing & Assembly Cost:
Reduction in production cost, to be achieved by;
• Fewer parts;
• Reduced overheads;
• More efficient process and techniques;
• Effective resource utilization.

C.E. 3.5 On the advice of my advisor, I studied on the subject in the local university library and
acquired a complete detailed reference book on the subject. Actually, my complete
project thesis was based on the material provided in the book; ‘Product Design for
Manufacturing and Assembly’ by G. Boothroyd, P.Dewhurst.

C.E. 3.6 It was imperative that I along with my project partner distribute work evenly between us
for an efficient time managed project. Therefore, I identified key responsibilities, which
later we discussed and adopted in unison.
C.E. 3.7 Defining Module Specifications:

C.E. 3.7.1 While researching on the subject, I requested my project partner to study and define the
Modules, Functionalities and Specifications.

An example of the simplified specifications is as follows:

1. Wing Span 1.6m ( 5 ft 3.0 in)
2. Length Overall 1.41m ( 4 ft 7.5 in)
3. Tail-plane Span 0.6m ( 1 ft 11.6 in)
4. Max Launching Weight 2.8 kg ( 6.2 lb)
5. Max Level Speed 75 knots ( 140 km/h)

C.E. 3.7.2 The next step I took was to identify the detail for the process along with the plan layouts
and time / material consumption. This was accomplished with the help of the personnel
present at the site.

C.E. 3.8 Design Review:

C.E. 3.8.1 It was during Design review, the most critical task to the whole project, that I could
identify the key discrepancies to the project life cycle and its impact. Therefore, I
proposed modifications to the design, which I then requested my colleague to review
and amend.
C.E. 3.8.2 Similarly, I asked my project partner to study and propose modifications for the process
cycle, which I later reviewed. After some changes by him, the advisor was requested to
verify and confirm the proposed design and modifications to the project life cycle.

C.E. 3.8.3 The Design Review carried the following crucial steps:
• A complete analysis of the drone modular system was undertaken for the proposed
design modifications. It showed in detail the existing weaknesses against the impact
of proposed modifications for the modules and manufacturing processes. This

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 proved very much useful in the later stages in defining the complete work breakdown
structure.
• Then, an activity chart for each module was developed which showed the Tasks /
activities, Tools used, man-hours per activity, allowance time per activity and the
total time for each activity.
• Hereafter, CPM Diagrams and Precedence Diagrams were developed for each
module and the whole product cycle subject to the existing and the proposed
modifications to design and process.
• On the final note, I performed design efficiency for the; existing design and
manufacturing process, and the proposed design and manufacturing process of the
product. The part count for the complete assembly was reduced from 31 to 14. A
summary of the proposed and existing design efficiency calculations is as below:
Whole Assembly Time (approx.) = Σt = 30 minutes
Design efficiency = Theoretical Part Count * (Min time for assembly/part)/ Σt
Min time for assembly/part = 1 min approx (gluing wings)
New Design Efficiency = 14*1/30 *100 = 46.67 %
Existing Design Efficiency = 23.33 %
Improvement in Design Efficiency = 23.33 %

C.E. 3.8.4 Upon satisfaction over the positive results gained on calculation of the Design Efficiency,
I then asked my colleague to perform the cost estimation for labor, tools and over-heads,
while I estimated the cost for material for both existing and proposed design.

C.E. 3.9 Finally, I along with my project partner gave presentations on our Final Year Project, its
implications, design improvements and overall cost / time benefits to AMF, our project
advisory committee and various companies during 2010 university Open House.

d) Summary
The project was a great success in the light of the detailed study improvements as
summarized below:
• Design Efficiency improved 25%
• Part Count Reduction 55%
• Production time reduction 37%
• Production Cost reduction 20%

This concluded that modular design approach was successful tool not only in this project
but in any other Engineering organization or Industry to improve resource utilization and
to gain an edge in the today’s competitive market.

Practically implementing engineering and project management tools, improving

communication and social skills, satisfaction of a successful project and broad exposure
were some of the benefits I gained from executing this project. I contributed much to the
project which was being managed by a two person team.

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 I encountered difficulties on numerous occasions; however, due to my broad vision for
the project and a self possessed yearning for success, most problems turned into a
positive and became a learning aspect of the project.

Moreover, the personnel from AMF karma were delighted with the results, as they took
the high recommendations to adopt Modular Designing Approach for Drones with keen
interest and fervor.

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