Prathamesh Kakde

MES engineer and digital manufacturing specialist with 3.9+ years of progressive experience across two leading platforms — Tulip Frontline Operations Platform and FactoryTalk® PharmaSuite (FTPS) — delivering GxP/GMP-compliant manufacturing solutions for global pharmaceutical clients. Career spans two techno-functional roles: a Tulip SME and developer on two major pharma MES programmes at Tata Consultancy Services, and a Java software engineer on the FTPS product team at Rockwell Automation. At TCS, delivered end-to-end digital manufacturing transformation for a global pharmaceutical manufacturer (paperless tablet manufacturing plant) and a global life sciences leader (Global Digital Operational Excellence Programme, 9-site deployment) — earning A+ performance ratings on both engagements and direct client recognition on the second programme.

At Rockwell

Automation, contributes to FTPS feature engineering, test automation, and eBR development aligned with S88, 21 CFR Part 11, and ALCOA+ compliance principles.

Associate Software Engineer — FTPS Product Engineering at Rockwell Automation (2025-05 – Present)

• Completed a 3-month structured functional knowledge transfer programme covering the full FTPS MES product suite: Weighing & Dispensing, Print Inline, Product Material, Account Material, and Phase management — alongside the platform's five functional clients: Production Management, Production Execution, Production Response, Data Manager, and Recipe Designer.
• Gained deep product knowledge of FTPS architecture, pharmaceutical manufacturing workflows, and the platform's GxP/GMP compliance framework — providing both development and domain context for feature delivery.
• Develops Core Java backend features for FTPS MES using Rockwell Automation's proprietary in-house Java framework — contributing to the feature development team responsible for delivering validated, pharma-ready product releases.
• Engages in stakeholder discussions for FTPS feature scoping — translating pharmaceutical manufacturing requirements into technically sound, GxP-compliant software design.
• Delivers fully tested and GxP/GMP-approved features, maintaining functional readiness and compliance standards required by pharmaceutical manufacturing clients worldwide.
• Designs automation test scenarios for new FTPS features using the Marathon Test Automation Tool, aligned with IQ/OQ/PQ validation methodology and 21 CFR Part 11 / ALCOA+ data integrity principles.
• Manages test case documentation in qTest and maintains requirements traceability in JAMA — ensuring full audit-trail compliance for validated software releases.
• Participates in CI/CD pipeline activities via Jenkins — supporting automated build verification and regression test execution in the FTPS product delivery workflow.
• Awarded "Exceeds Expectations" performance rating within 7 months of joining (Dec 2025) — recognised for technical contributions, quality of delivery, and rapid product domain assimilation.
• Configured MCP (Model Context Protocol) server within the development IDE to connect GitHub Copilot Enterprise with JIRA and Confluence — enabling AI-assisted ticket referencing, documentation lookups, and context-aware code generation in the daily engineering workflow.

Tulip Developer Analyst — MES SME at Tata Consultancy Services (2024-06 – 2025-05)

Promoted to Analyst and designated Tulip MES Subject Matter Expert on a Global Digital Operational Excellence Programme (DOEP) for a leading life sciences client — a 9-site Tulip adoption initiative across global pharmaceutical manufacturing sites.

• Led a 6–7-member Tulip development team as the primary technical authority — owning platform design standards, development direction, and quality of delivery for the DOEP programme.
• Participated directly in client stakeholder meetings to discuss programme direction, present platform solutions, and provide recommendations on improving the DOEP programme from a Tulip architecture perspective.
• Recognised by the client for technical performance and leadership; nominated and interviewed for the Client APAC Business Analyst role sourced through TCS — a direct reflection of client trust and cross-functional capability.
• Designed and developed Cluster Application templates — reusable, site-agnostic Tulip MES application templates built from site SME use cases, intended for global rollout across the client's global manufacturing network.
• Delivered cluster applications for: eLogbook (electronic logbook for equipment and area records), eCleaning (electronic cleaning records and validation tracking), Asset Tracker (equipment lifecycle and location tracking), and Visual Guide (digital work instructions with media-rich operator guidance).
• Designed and implemented connector integrations for the client's Tulip environment: Google Sheets Connector (for reporting and cross-system data exchange) and Tulip-to-Tulip instance integration (enabling cross-environment application data sharing between client's separate Tulip instances).
• Served as the connector and integration authority for all 9 global sites — guiding site teams through connector configuration, troubleshooting, and GxP-compliant integration practices.
• Led Tulip LTS version upgrade activities across the client's global sites — conducting compatibility assessments, coordinating with Tulip stakeholders, and managing upgrade execution to maintain 99.8% platform uptime and SLA compliance.
• Provided L2/L3 production support for all 9 manufacturing sites via ServiceNow — managing incident resolution, change requests, and problem management for live pharmaceutical manufacturing operations.
• Awarded A+ performance rating on the client engagement.

Tulip Developer — MES Developer at Tata Consultancy Services (2022-09 – 2024-05)

Core MES developer on a global pharmaceutical manufacturer's paperless digital manufacturing transformation — designing and deploying a fully integrated Tulip application suite to replace paper-based tablet manufacturing processes across an end-to-end production workflow.

• Designed and developed the full suite of Tulip MES applications covering the client's tablet manufacturing line from raw material intake to finished goods: Create Order (SAP-integrated order management), Material Tracking, Weighing, Blending, Tableting, Coating, Primary Packaging, and Secondary Packaging.
• Each application was designed to operate in sequence — passing batch data, material status, and process records downstream — creating a connected, paperless manufacturing execution chain.
• Implemented SAP ERP integration in the Create Order application, enabling automated order creation and material data retrieval from SAP directly within the Tulip manufacturing workflow.
• Built complex trigger logic for batch state management, data validation, operator error handling, and inter-application data propagation — ensuring process integrity across the full manufacturing chain.
• Designed Tulip Table schemas for structured data storage, real-time production monitoring, batch record integrity, and reporting across all manufacturing operations.
• Applied JavaScript, HTML, and CSS for UI customisation of operator-facing application interfaces, tailoring screen layouts and interactions to specific manufacturing process requirements.
• Used Val Genesis for validation lifecycle management and Veeva for documentation management — maintaining GxP-compliant validation records throughout project delivery.
• Delivered all applications to GxP/GMP compliance standards — authoring and executing IQ/OQ/PQ test documentation, and supporting UAT with client quality and manufacturing stakeholders.
• Awarded A+ performance rating on the client engagement for delivery quality, technical ownership, and compliance rigour.

Bachelor of Engineering in Computer Science & Engineering – G.H. Raisoni Institute of Engineering and Technology (2018 – 2022)