CHICAGO, IL · CAPITAL EQUIPMENT & INDUSTRIAL AUTOMATION

Paul J. Croft
Systems Project Manager

Managing $50M+ Annual Portfolios · Robotics & FMS Subject-Matter Expert

With 29 years driving robotics and flexible manufacturing systems (since 1997), I lead cross-functional engineering and installation teams for North America's largest capital equipment deployments at Prima Power. Overseeing ~10 concurrent high-value systems ranging from $3M to $30M from post-sale execution through sign-off and final payment.

📞 773.289.2518 ✉️ pjcroft@zohomail.com 🔗 LinkedIn Profile

Paul J. Croft

Prima Power North America · Chicago

29 YRS EXP

$50M+

Annual Portfolio

Concurrent capital systems managed across North America.

29 Yrs

Continuous Experience

Robotics, CNC, and automated manufacturing leadership since 1997.

~25 Cells

Custom Robot Cells

Full lifecycle press brake robotic cells engineered and commissioned.

$30M

Max System Scale

Large-scale automated storage (Night Train), lasers, and bending lines.

10–12+

Team Leadership

Cross-functional installation techs, applications engineers, and service reps.

01 / LIVE PORTFOLIO & TRACKING DASHBOARD

Capital System Portfolio & PMC Budget Tracking

Internal Project Tracking Innovation

Created specialized internal tracking dashboards for the North American project management team and installation coordinator. Automatically aggregates field technician workbooks, sales quotes, and Jira issues to monitor actual hours against quoted PMC budgets in real-time.

Active Concurrent Projects 10 Systems (Range 8–14)

Current $10M+ Systems 3–4 Deployments

Jira Issue Tracking & Escalations Fine-Grained Hours Tracking

SAMPLE ACTIVE HIGH-VALUE SYSTEM PIPELINE ● ACTIVE FLEET

Project Titan: Full FMS + Night Train ASRS $24M System

Stage: Final Runoff & Customer Acceptance PMC Budget: On Target (0.8% Var)

Project Apex: Automated Laser + Part Sorting $12.5M System

Stage: Field Installation & Tech Commissioning PMC Budget: On Target

Project Forge: Integrated Panel Bender & Robot Cell $8.2M System

Stage: Software Unfold & Tooling Validation PMC Budget: Tracking Quoted

02 / DOMAIN ARCHITECTURE & CAPABILITIES

Flexible Manufacturing Systems (FMS) Expertise

Automated Storage & Material Logistics

Currently overseeing large-scale automated manufacturing systems integrating Night Train ASRS (Automated Storage and Retrieval Systems), automated 2D fiber laser cutting, and intelligent robotic sheet sorting for Prima Power's marquee North American accounts.

Night Train ASRS Automated Sorting Fiber Laser 2D Inline Buffer Systems

Raw Material Intake & Night Train ASRS High-density multi-cassette storage & automated sheet delivery

High-Speed Fiber Laser Cutting High-efficiency nesting with automated loading/unloading

Automated Robotic Part Sorting Vacuum & magnetic end-effectors sorting to downstream buffers

North American Bending Subject-Matter Authority

9 years as North America's SME for panel bending and press brakes. Technical advisor for complex customer parts, high-speed automated benders, servo-electric press brakes, precision crowning, and backgauge kinematics.

BCe Panel Benders eP Servo Press Brakes Custom Tooling Feasibility Showroom Demos

Part Feasibility & Bend Sequence Analysis Collision checking, bend radius validation & tonnage calculations

Electro-Servo Precision Bending High repeatability, energy-efficient eP-Series press brakes

High-Throughput Panel Bending Positive and negative bends without part flipping

~25 Custom Press Brake Robotic Cells

As one half of a dedicated two-person unit, delivered approximately 25 custom press brake robot cells end-to-end across North America. No two cells were the same; integrated Motoman, Fanuc, and Kuka 6-axis manipulators with automated tooling, safety light curtains, and PLC control.

Motoman / Yaskawa Fanuc Robotics Kuka Robotics Safety PLC Integration

End-Effector / Gripper Engineering Multi-zone vacuum cups & mechanical sheet grippers

6-Axis Trajectory & Robot Teaching Dynamic part tracking and smooth press brake synchronization

Runoff & Customer Acceptance Testing Factory sign-off, operator training, and production verification

CAD/CAM Software & Digital Transformation

Expert in offline bending simulation (AutoPOL), CAD/CAM unfolding, and modern multi-camera virtual demonstration environments built during COVID to keep Tier-1 customer demonstrations active remotely worldwide.

AutoPOL CAD/CAM Virtual Demo Studio Video Production Linux & Cloud Admin

3D CAD Import & Unfolding Automated flat pattern calculation with accurate K-factors

Offline Tooling & Collision Simulation Eliminating on-machine trial runs and scrap

Remote Multi-Camera Streaming Architecture Live interactive video demos engineered for customer factory teams

03 / CAREER LEADERSHIP

Professional Experience

Systems Project Manager

Prima Power North America

Sept 2023 – Present · Chicago, IL

Manage $50+ million in capital equipment projects annually; direct about 10 concurrent projects (range 8–14), including multiple $10M+ automated sheet metal systems and several projects approaching $30M — 3–4 systems over $10M this year.
Responsible for Prima Power’s largest North American customers from post-sale through delivery, installation, sign-off, and final payment.
Develop comprehensive project plans addressing resource allocation, risk assessment, site readiness, and contingency strategies.
Lead cross-functional teams of 10–12+ professionals per project — including 6–8 installation technicians, 2–4 applications engineers, plus factory and service representatives.
Currently managing two large-scale automated systems integrating multiple styles of automated bending equipment, laser cutting, automated sorting, and complete Night Train ASRS automated storage.
Created internal project-tracking dashboards for the North American project management team and installation coordinator, providing live tracking of installation hours and actual costs vs. quoted PMC budgets via automated imports of technician workbooks and sales quotes, plus Jira issue tracking.

Capital Equipment ($50M+ Portfolio) Cross-Functional Leadership (10-12+) Night Train ASRS PMC Budget Variance Tracking Jira & Automated Dashboards

Bending Product Manager / Senior Applications Engineer

Prima Power North America

Sept 2014 – Sept 2023 · Arlington Heights, IL

Served as North American Subject-Matter Expert (SME) for panel bending and press brakes (US, Canada, Mexico) — higher-level technical authority supporting sales on complex customer applications and questions.
Analyzed customer parts and recommended machine and software solutions; acted as factory liaison for escalations, customer feedback, and new model developments.
Led showroom demonstrations and customer presentations, both in person and virtual.
Built the virtual demonstration capability during COVID — designed and commissioned the showroom multi-camera setup that allowed live machine and software demos to continue remotely for customers at home and in their factories.
Designed and programmed demo parts for panel benders and press brakes; created, shot, and edited instructional and demonstration videos for customers and the Prima Power NA YouTube channel — featured presenter in “Prima Power eP-Series Overview with Paul Croft”, a flagship press brake overview video salespeople still send to customers today.

North America Bending SME eP Servo Press Brakes AutoPOL CAD/CAM Virtual Showroom Architecture Technical Video Production

Applications Engineer

Prima Power North America — Toronto (Finn-Power) / Arlington Heights, IL

Sept 2003 – Sept 2014

Started in Toronto at Finn-Power and relocated to North American headquarters in Arlington Heights, IL, as automation demand grew.
As one half of a self-contained two-person unit, delivered approximately 25 custom press brake robot cells end-to-end for North American customers — covering feasibility and throughput analysis, cell and equipment design, pricing, build, runoff, customer acceptance, installation, programming, and training.
Delivered cells across Motoman, Fanuc, and Kuka robots. No two cells were the same.
Provided comprehensive machine and software training on press brakes, panel benders, laser cutting, and turret punch equipment.

25 Custom Robotic Cells Motoman / Fanuc / Kuka Turnkey Cell Build & Runoff Turret Punch & Laser Systems

Manufacturing Engineer / CNC & Robotic Programmer

Ledalite Architectural Products

2000 – 2003 · Vancouver, BC

Designed, specified, and implemented the "Steelform" manufacturing line in-house — press brakes with PLC load/unload and custom tooling feeding a dual-robot welding system and automated powder-coat line.
Responsible for PLC and robotic programming of the entire automated manufacturing cell.
Programmed 4 Amada turret punch presses (Merry Mech); contributed regularly to design-for-manufacture (DFM) sessions for new architectural products.

Steelform Line Architecture Dual-Robot Welding Cell PLC Automation Amada Turret Punch Presses

Robotic Programmer / Manufacturing Liaison

Northside Industries

1997 – 2000 · Kelowna, BC

Robotic Programmer (1997–1999): Programmed Motoman 6-axis robots for fiber-optic laser cutting and Hypertherm plasma cutting applications.
Manufacturing Liaison (1999–2000): Liaison to Western Star Trucks for 100+ JIT / Kanban manufactured products shipped twice daily, covering quality and fitment.

Motoman 6-Axis Robotics Fiber-Optic Laser & Plasma Western Star Trucks Liaison 100+ JIT / Kanban Parts

04 / COMPETENCY MATRIX

Domain & Technical Competencies

⚙️ Equipment & Automation

Panel Bending Systems Servo Press Brakes (eP-Series) Fiber Laser Cutting Night Train ASRS Storage Turret Punch Presses Press Brake Robot Cells Automated Part Sorting Robotic Welding & Plasma Full FMS Automation

📈 Capital Project Leadership

$50M+ Annual Portfolio Resource & Risk Planning Cross-Functional Leadership PMC Budget Variance Tracking Customer Acceptance & Runoff Feasibility & Cell Pricing Factory Technical Liaison Customer Training & Onboarding

💻 Robotics, Software & Analytics

Motoman / Yaskawa Fanuc Robotics Kuka Robotics PLC Programming AutoPOL CAD/CAM Jira Project Dashboards Salesforce & MS Project Linux Server Administration Google Cloud & Python

05 / PUBLIC MEDIA & TECHNICAL DEMOS