Behind the Bots: Meet Adaptec’s Robot Engineers

Every Adaptec team member brings something unique to the table, and lately, our robot engineering group has been absolutely crushing it! These talented engineers deserve their time in the spotlight and we’d love to tell you a bit more about who they are and the incredible work they do.

Across our Painted Post and Rochester locations, the robot engineering team is made up of six rockstars: Chris Dyck (Rochester, NY), Cris Guzman (Rochester, NY), Michaela Butz (Painted Post, NY), Devin White (Painted Post, NY), Zachary Kemp (Painted Post, NY), and Travis Mezzatesta (Painted Post, NY).

Their mission? To deliver safe, reliable, and robust robotic systems—on time, within budget, and in line with the quoted scope. Lately, the team has been diving into new territory, often tackling a new cutting-edge vision system and first-time robot options.

Collaboration is Key 

The Robot engineers are in constant collaboration with Adaptec’s controls engineers, project managers, and customers to make sure each system delivers as much value as possible. 

Controls Engineers: Early in the process, the two teams work together during offline programming to determine how the robot and PLC should communicate and divide tasks. Once debugging starts, they join forces again to meet FAT (Factory Acceptance Test) goals and ensure top performance.

Project Managers: Staying on schedule is essential, so the Robot Engineers provide regular updates and flag any potential roadblocks so the whole project stays on track.

Customers: Keeping the customer in mind throughout every phase, from offline programming, debugging, commissioning, and continued support even afterwards. Customer satisfaction is a top priority for Adaptec’s Robot Engineers. 

Team Leadership

Kevin Ayers, Adaptec’s Robotics Engineering Manager for the past 24 years, shares that being the last in line on a project can be stressful, especially when it comes to meeting tight schedules, but it’s also incredibly rewarding to see the finished system, know the customer is satisfied, and take pride in strengthening Adaptec with every success. Regarding his team, Kevin says, “Even with a young team, our robot engineers get the job done because they truly care about their work, support one another, embrace new technology, and are committed to doing their best for both the customer and Adaptec.”