Sowmya Seshadri

About Sowmya Seshadri

Sowmya is a dedicated Supplier Industrialization Engineer at Tesla, where she spearheads critical industrialization endeavors within the battery cell supply chain team. Holding a Master of Science in Chemical Engineering from the esteemed University of Southern California, she researched lithium-ion batteries and honed practical proficiency in material characterization and testing methodologies during her tenure at Wildcat Discovery Technologies.With a fervent zeal for streamlining and enhancing processes, Sowmya excels in providing unwavering engineering support while implementing project management best practices to achieve continuous improvement. Her achievements include adeptly steering supplier development initiatives, orchestrating effective design modifications, and orchestrating significant defect rate reductions within a fast-paced operational framework. Beyond her professional endeavors, Sowmya remains committed to education, actively contributing to initiatives that empower underprivileged student communities through both advocacy and fundraising efforts.

Experience

1. Supplier Industrialization Engineer - Battery Cell

   Tesla

   Feb 2023 — Present · Palo Alto, CA, US

   Leading supplier engineering initiatives for manufacturing, quality, audits, reliability, and industrialization scopes in Asia Pacific and the United States, overseeing sustaining 2170 cell program with a demonstrated capacity of ~50M+ cells per week.• Spearheading improvements in manufacturing process development, DOEs, equipment qualification, and launch readiness for the 2170 cell NPI. • Implemented fishbone analysis to address 21 low voltage cell issues, resulting in a ~5% yield improvement. Strengthened quality management standards, internal processes, and sub-supplier management practices through regular audits. Owned and drove to closure supplier variances from symptom through root cause analysis to corrective action, including careful CAPA documentation.• Identified variations in cell dimension distribution data between manufacturing sites using regression analysis, conducted GRR, and rectified gaps in measurement alignment for 70% of critical dimensional specifications, impacting 24 production lines and ~100M cells/month in 2 supplier sites.• Led a cross-functional team in qualifying state-of-the-art manufacturing process and equipment designed to address impingement for NPI 2170 cells. Conducted a thorough assessment of the process, championed Design for Manufacturability (DFM) & DOEs to identify critical process control parameters & risks, resulting in increased machine throughput by optimizing cycle tact time from 5.2 seconds (2 cells) to 6.5 seconds (4 cells).• Completed project/part qualification deliverables including Supplier pFMEA, Process Validations (IQC/OQC/IPQC), Gage R&R, and Process Capability Analysis for NPI program.• Effectively prioritized and advanced multiple concurrent projects and tasks. Clearly communicated project status to key stakeholders.

Education

• SRM IST Chennai

  Bachelor of Technology, Chemical Engineering

• CMR Group of Institutions

  High School Diploma, Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Biology

• University of Southern California

  Master of Science - MS, Chemical Engineering