For more than 20 years, Andy Ferrari, a licensed Professional Engineer, has helped municipal and commercial clients navigate updates to and expansions of complex spaces.
Inside a busy pet food factory, Andy Ferrari, PE, sets up C.S. Davidson’s 3D scanner on a tripod, presses start, then steps out of the way. Slowly the scanner rotates, measuring every angle and plane, wall and window, to an accuracy of 2mm. In a matter of minutes, millions of data points capture every beam, pipe, and platform, creating an exact digital snapshot of the facility.
From that model, Andy designs structural solutions that fit seamlessly into the environment, ensuring that maintenance access is safer for workers and upgrades can be executed efficiently, even within the constraints of a bustling industrial plant.
The projects rarely start with a blank slate. C.S. Davidson’s structural engineering team often must design around piping, ducts, and equipment, then work within a tight time frame to make changes without disrupting production. For Andy, the challenge and variety of projects have kept him excited about coming to work at C.S. Davidson for over 20 years.
From first job to team leadership
Andy began his career at the company after graduating from the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. Now as Structural Engineering Manager, he leads a team of 11 Professional Engineers and junior engineers between the firm’s York and Lancaster offices. Their work spans commercial and municipal projects dealing with anything from historic structures to manufacturing spaces to quarry-related work.
Much of Andy’s day-to-day work focuses on industrial projects for commercial clients. Many of the projects, often for corporations such as Nestlé Purina or McCormick & Company, require that new equipment and new processes fit in existing facilities with minimal room for error.
“The M.O. for those projects is the habitual square peg in a round hole where they know what space they have, they know what process and platforms and whatever needs to go into that space,” he says.
These projects are dynamic by nature. Requirements change. Schedules tighten. Constraints appear late in the game. Andy has learned to act quickly and adjust as needed.
“From the structural approach, we have to have our head on a swivel and be ready to pivot because needs constantly change,” he says.
Making the invisible visible with 3D scanning
While commercial industrial work is a major endeavor, the needed skillset and tools translate to other project types. The 3D scanning tool has been used to document conditions for unique projects involving historic barns and a historic Gettysburg house that needed to be moved as part of streetscape improvements.
Whatever the project, engineers often can’t easily measure everything. But when it comes to factory retrofits or the structural integrity of a historic structure, accuracy matters. That’s where C.S. Davidson’s 3D scanner has provided a major advantage in the last three years.
Engineers use the scanner to build a 3D point cloud, a collection of data points in a three-dimensional space, to represent the shape of an object or environment. Then they enter that data into their modeling software to create an accurate snapshot of the conditions.
“That has been instrumental in increasing our accuracy, increasing our efficiency, and ultimately making our deliverable extremely, extremely accurate,” Andy says.
‘Be a sponge’ and learn
While the focus on accuracy in a fast-paced environment can be stressful, Andy enjoys the diversity of work that C.S. Davidson has provided.
“In 20 years, there has not been a single day that has been the same,” he says.
He’s also enjoyed working for a company with a major emphasis on quality, responsiveness, and honesty with its clients. He and his team aren’t afraid to have the tough conversations to prevent bigger issues from developing.
Throughout his tenure at C.S. Davidson, Andy has appreciated the support that the leadership team offers managers such as himself. Through the company, he works with a professional coach who helps him hone his leadership skills. He strives to pass that knowledge along to the junior engineers on his team.
“Be a sponge,” he encourages them and anyone looking to get into the structural or civil engineering field. “The biggest expectation that an employer will have for you is that they expect you to learn.”
As technology evolves and C.S. Davidson expands its formal mentorship and coaching to more employees, Andy feels energized by what all of that enables. He looks forward to an evolving career with increasingly smarter outcomes for clients navigating challenging projects and to an even stronger team culture to carry those projects to completion.