Castillo Engineering has invested in software designed to address a lack of qualified engineers in the solar industry and maintain accurate communication with clients.
Credit: Castillo Engineering
Castillo Engineering, a utility-scale solar engineering firm headquartered in Maitland, Florida, invested $2.5 million in two separate proprietary software platforms, PMO 360 and Design IQ, and expanded its senior staff to steer the company now equipped with these programs.
PMO (Project Management Office) 360 was devised to increase project transparency with clients, disclosing information like engineering plans, timelines, personnel and array components in real time on a dashboard available to project managers. The company hopes granting up-to-date access to project engineering will reduce errors stemming from miscommunication.
“We wanted to make sure we created something that is unique in the marketplace, unlike generic tools being used across the industry — meaning across the construction industry in general,” said Rick Castillo, founder and COO of Castillo Engineering. “From all the years I’ve been working with customers, I just decided I wanted to make something that was very transparent. Everything that is expected related to the project is being presented to them.”
Design IQ is a PV project design software that uses data from Castillo Engineering’s portfolio of array assets to draft project schematics. The program is automated and has a single interface, which can generate relevant calculations and AutoCAD designs.
Through Design IQ, data from previous projects can be applied to new ones with similar design challenges. It’s designed to reduce the demands of solar project engineering, while the industry experiences a shortage of qualified engineers, said Christopher Castillo, CEO of Castillo Engineering.
“We have a lot of experience with customers and the challenges they experience throughout many, if not all, of their projects,” said Gary Joseph, VP of sales and marketing at Castillo Engineering. “We took all of those lessons learned over a period of time and decided that those are the priorities we set moving forward.”
Castillo Engineer will use PMO 360 and Design IQ exclusively in house for its utility-scale solar services.
