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Welcome to The Wave Engineering Newsletter, your weekly guide to the cutting edge of engineering. Whether you're a seasoned professional, an eager student, or simply curious about innovation, we’re here to inform, inspire, and connect.
More than just a newsletter, we tell the human stories behind the tech—spotlighting the innovators, dreamers, and changemakers shaping our world. Backed by insights from Pipeline Design & Engineering and the Being an Engineer Podcast, we deliver the latest advancements, impactful collaborations, and stories that redefine what’s possible.
Join the conversation at The Wave, where ideas spark, questions find answers, and the engineering community comes together to create the future. Engineering isn’t just about technology—it’s about people. Subscribe and ride the wave of innovation with us.
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What's one problem you encounter regularly that you know you could solve better than the current solution, but you've never actually tried?
Gif by boomerangtoons on Giphy
Most engineers have at least three answers to that question. The difference between engineers who change industries and those who just complain about bad software? They actually build the solution. This week's newsletter breaks down exactly how three different engineers turned everyday frustrations into competitive advantages - from revolutionizing Toyota's production system to building AI-powered apps to launching successful startups. No theory, no fluff. Just practical examples of engineers who stopped accepting "good enough" and the specific methods they used to build something better.
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The Unsung Engineering Hero
Taiichi Ohno - The Man Behind the Modern Manufacturing Industry
You've heard of lean manufacturing and just-in-time production, but do you know Taiichi Ohno? This Toyota engineer single-handedly created the methods that transformed modern work - yet remains virtually unknown outside manufacturing circles.
In 1950s post-war Japan, while American companies celebrated mass production, Ohno was developing "backwards" ideas on Toyota's factory floors. He'd stand in chalk circles for hours, obsessively watching workers and asking uncomfortable questions that challenged everything manufacturing knew.
His four core innovations changed everything:
Just-in-time production - inspired by American supermarkets, pulling inventory based on actual demand
Kanban cards - simple visual signals that eliminated overproduction
Jidoka - empowering workers to stop production lines for quality issues
Kaizen - continuous small improvements over big redesigns
The common thread? Respect for people. Ohno believed workers were intelligent problem-solvers, not interchangeable parts.
By the 1970s, Toyota's quality was legendary. But Ohno's impact reached far beyond cars. Every software standup, hospital efficiency improvement, and startup "minimum viable product" traces back to his principles.
Business schools teach Toyota case studies and consultants package his methods with new names, but the engineer who fundamentally rethought how work gets organized remains an unsung hero. Read more at the link below.
The Future of Engineering
Vibe Coding to Solve a Problem
Every problem has spawned countless apps competing for $15-per-month subscriptions. When preparing to introduce solid foods to my baby, I discovered an ecosystem of baby food apps that were universally terrible - clunky interfaces, essential features behind paywalls, unnecessary complexity.
Looking at my son, I had a thought impossible just years ago: "I bet I could build something better myself." Not as a software developer, but using "vibe coding" - AI tools that turn natural language into working applications.
Three weeks later: a functional baby food tracking app that did exactly what I needed, nothing I didn't, costing only my time.
Traditional coding requires translating ideas through layers of abstraction. AI eliminates these steps. Instead of learning JavaScript syntax, I tell Claude Code: "create a hero section that highlights the app name and allows user login." The difference between vague and specific requests is the difference between iterations and production-ready code.
Tools: Claude Code for backend logic, Bubble.io for UI/UX design.
Learning curve exists. You need to understand web application fundamentals and master prompt engineering. But, early adopters gain significant competitive advantages by solving real problems without developer teams or compromised solutions. Read the full article for more information.
The Startup Spotlight
4 Critical Lessons for Engineering Founders - BAE Podcast S4E47
Engineers have a secret weapon in the startup world, but most of us don't know how to use it. Mark Byrne, who has spent over two decades helping engineers transition from employees to successful entrepreneurs, reveals why our systematic thinking gives us natural advantages in building companies.
The problem? Most engineer-founders think technical excellence alone is enough. It isn't. But engineers who apply their systematic approach to business problems have significant advantages over pure business types who "get bored easily with the technical minutia."
Byrne's four key concepts that turn ideas into successful companies:
Talk to customers, not spreadsheets - Market validation is debugging on a larger scale. Byrne recommends 20+ customer interviews per iteration cycle, focusing on follow-up questions that reveal real pain points.
Find your first customers early - Don't build first, then find customers. Find someone with an expensive problem willing to fund your development through contracts or partnerships.
Estimate costs systematically - Use both bottom-up and top-down approaches. Investors care more about your assumptions than your numbers.
Learn from failure - Know your expertise limits. Don't assume technical skills translate across domains without proper team support.
Your engineering background isn't a limitation - it's your competitive advantage when combined with communication skills. Read the full article and listen to the podcast episode for detailed strategies on market validation, funding approaches, and real-world examples at the link below.
Closing Thoughts
Engineering is about solving, innovating, and connecting ideas to make a difference. Progress is a collective effort and your curiosity is what drives it forward. Thank you for exploring the dynamic world of engineering with all of us at Pipeline Design & Engineering and The Wave.
If you found value in this newsletter, share it with a friend or colleague who might enjoy it too. Don’t forget to subscribe so you never miss a new perspective, idea, or breakthrough.
“Creativity is just connecting things. When you ask creative people how they did something, they feel a little guilty because they didn’t really do it, they just saw something. It seemed obvious to them after a while.” - Steve Jobs
In collaboration and creativity,
Brad Hirayama
Blueprinting tomorrow, today