Aldo Viana has joined COBA Plastics Ltd in the newly created role of Research Development Design Engineer.
Originally from Colombia, Aldo brings with him a wealth of experience in product design and engineering having worked on a variety of challenging projects for companies in North America, Brazil and mainland Europe.
He has been in the UK for the last ten years and lives in Coventry. When he arrived in 1999, he headed straight to Coventry University to start an MSc Degree in Automotive Engineering Design to further his engineering skills and learn more about the latest technological developments.
“I had been working for a global company (Philips) based in my home country, Colombia. In 1996, I was invited to be part of its product development team at its Latin American headquarters in Sao Paulo in Brazil. While this was a great opportunity, I had a real desire to further my education and made the radical decision to move to England to continue my studies. I haven’t looked back!” says Aldo enthusiastically.
His career path then steered him to the position of senior design engineer for Spyker Cars where he developed two versions of Soft Top solutions for the Spyder model. Aldo was also a design engineer developing mechanisms for ball bearing slides used in various appliances for Accuride International.
In 2007, Aldo was accepted to participate in a ‘Highly Skilled Migrant Programme’ run by the home office, gaining him permanent British residence.
Aldo now plays a key role at COBA in research and development, ultimately contributing to its expansion and product diversification through continual innovation and design.
“I am very pleased to join COBA, not least because it is so well respected and operates with extreme professionalism. While COBA has been established within its industry sector for a long time, the market place today demands more integrated solutions with a focus on innovation. Addressing this, COBA has created this job function solely dedicated to research and development. I relish this challenge and the exciting potential it brings to COBA as a whole,” says Aldo.
On a personal level, Aldo describes himself as a keen ‘DIY’ enthusiast and during his free time enjoys designing and making furniture. His artistic skills are further underlined by his love of oil painting and sculpting (which he confesses to having little time to pursue these days). While also being passionate about concept vehicles, it is motorcycles that provide Aldo with the ultimate thrill. Not surprising, given that he raced in Motocross and Enduro when he was younger, becoming Motocross Regional Champion and Enduro National Champion. “I left the sport to make a living!” he says “learning along the way skills including welding, metal crafting and woodworking.”
Telephone: +44 (0)116 240 1555
Email: sales@cobaautomotive.co.uk
