Employee Spotlight: Paul Costigan, Senior Production Engineer

Paul, a Senior Production Engineer who predominantly works out of EOS’ Queanbeyan production facility, understands the ins and outs of the Company’s core technologies better than most.

Now in his seventh year with EOS, Paul has done a wide range of theoretical and practical work at the Company, and across several engineering teams – a testament to his diverse professional toolkit. “The Company has given me plenty of opportunities to grow and develop,” he reflects. Paul grew up in Canberra and started at EOS as a graduate engineer, fresh out of a double Engineering (Hons)/ Commerce degree at ANU.

Initially, he worked strictly on the production of thermal imagers, before being promoted into a lead role in that area. His work scope has since broadened to include EOS’ best in- class sensor units and thermal and day cameras, which are critical to a variety of defence products. In his current role in the Production Engineering (PE) team – “a tightknit group”, he says – Paul helps to manage the processes and documentation that govern how a number of EOS products are made.

He also offers hands-on support if problems crop up on the production floor. As an expert in refining and streamlining engineering processes, his primary goal is to stop those problems from cropping up in the first place. When Paul says his job is about “continuous improvement”, he’s not repeating a corporate catchphrase – the concept is at the heart of all of his work at EOS.

Paul spent much of 2021 optimising production processes for EOS’ new-generation hybrid day camera, ultimately reducing the time needed for a particular focus mapping process – one that allows the camera to be in focus throughout the entire zoom range – from around four hours to less than 15 minutes. This significant breakthrough, which will go a long way to preventing production bottlenecks, is just one recent example of the tangible value he brings to the Company. Paul sees the broad-ranging skillsets within the multidisciplinary PE team as a major asset. “We’ve got electronics engineers, mechanical engineers, software engineers – even someone with a biomedical engineering background,” he says. This means that when challenges appear, the team has access to a broad set of capabilities that can help to overcome them.

When not at work, Paul loves being with his family – which includes an eight-month-old baby – and taking them on weekend adventures. He’s also a dedicated gymgoer and is heavily involved in sport, as both player and spectator. (He particularly enjoys Oztag, “a less brutal version of rugby league”.) Paul’s EOS story is one of continuing professional development, twoway loyalty and increasing responsibility over time. He has had a close-up view as the Company has expanded over recent years, as he has grown along with it.