Every enquiry deserves careful consideration, but not every project has the same requirements — or the same readiness. Understanding where an organization is in its growth journey helps both sides have more productive conversations from the start.

Some of the factors we consider include whether a company is expanding manufacturing capacity or planning a new facility, what stage of growth they’re in — from early development through to commercial manufacturing — and whether they’re looking for a standalone piece of equipment or a broader integrated solution.

Equally important is having open conversations about timelines, budgets, and project objectives early on. Aligning on those fundamentals from the outset helps us recommend the most appropriate solution — whether that’s something available today, a phased approach, or, occasionally, advising that another option may better serve the client’s needs.

Libraries. That’s the key capability. Any time you have a validated piece of software that can be replicated across units or sites, you’re saving significant time and money. 

DeltaV’s library structure is class-based—at the lowest level, you have function blocks, which are validated and documented by Emerson and rarely change. From there, the structure layers— composites, control modules, equipment modules, and unit classes— with validated objects  available at every level. DeltaV’s architecture allows you to create instances of those validated objects across different systems. That’s the core of what makes it well-suited for modular portability and scale.

One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned is that experience often teaches faster than theory.

In technical industries, you can’t rely solely on what you read or study. You have to understand how systems behave in the real world. Working closely with scientific processes, engineering environments, and operational systems gave me exposure to challenges that couldn’t be solved with simple answers.

That hands-on learning shaped how I approach leadership today. I believe the best solutions come from understanding the details — not just from a business perspective, but from the operational reality behind them.

In the podcast conversation, I shared how technical understanding and business thinking need to work together. Companies don’t just need innovation. They need practical systems that solve real problems.

Every biotech process has its own parameters, and off-the-shelf equipment rarely fits all the pieces together. “The risk of a one-size-fits-all approach is that it doesn’t optimally meet the client’s process requirements,” says Todd. “You might end up with the wrong flow rates or control limitations because the equipment wasn’t purpose-built.”

Customization isn’t a luxury—it’s essential to performance. Todd explains that process-specific needs often involve advanced operations, such as perfusion, capacitance, or spectroscopy-based control. AES’s engineering approach is grounded in adaptability. Whether it’s modifying a bio controller for higher oxygenation levels in stem cell culture or integrating proprietary client technology, AES builds with the process in mind.

Relocating a facility of this scale isn’t a simple feat. Over several months, our teams relocated critical systems, production equipment, and IT infrastructure, without interrupting client support or service delivery.

From calibration tools to servers, the move required precision at every step. And thanks to the collective effort of our engineering, operations, and service teams, we did it without missing a beat. It’s a testament to the culture of collaboration and agility that defines AES.

I’ve done nearly every job in biotech, and that helps me meet engineers where they are. I try to be a mentor who encourages exploration across disciplines—not just siloed expertise. And I’ve grown from the “introverted engineer” stereotype to someone who values collaboration, human connection, and emotional intelligence in project execution.