Kevin Patel, PE, MBA
Scholarship Committee Chair
2016 & 2017 Water/Wastewater Industry Division Director
Phone: (469) 619-1241
Email: knpatel@sig-auto.com
VP & Automation Engineer
Signature Automation – Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
An automation engineer and project manager, Kevin Patel, P.E. began his career as a co-op student with Westin Engineering while earning his bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering from Texas A&M University in 2003. It was during this time that Kevin was introduced to supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems, including programmable logic controllers (PLCs), remote telemetry units (RTUs), distributed control systems (DCS), and human machine interfaces (HMIs). In addition to learning valuable lessons, the opportunity to break down complex algorithms and develop operator friendly graphics using his own creativity, resulted in Kevin being hooked on automation.
After college, Kevin continued his automation career in the oil and gas industry programming truck rack terminals and booster pump stations along TEPPCO’s pipeline. From 2004 to 2012, Kevin has led and managed some of CDM Smith’s most highly technical application projects while utilizing extensive quality control procedures on both new and existing plants. Kevin’s experience includes designing, integrating and programming instrumentation and control (I&C) systems primarily for water and wastewater treatment facilities. In 2011, Kevin received an MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.
In the Fall of 2012, in an effort to fulfill his dreams of building an automation company from the ground up, Kevin started his own company, Signature Automation, along with two other founding partners. His philosophy towards automation has never changed from wanting to provide a superior product through rigorous testing while maintaining quality and adhering to industry standards. He is a current member of the ISA101, ISA105, ISA106 and ISA18 committees related to HMI, testing, automation, and alarming. Kevin was elected as the general symposium chair for the 2014 and 2015 WWAC Symposia. He looks forward to his role as Director of W/WW Industry Division
Recent Papers, Articles and Publications
- Patel, Kevin. “HMI Testing of Multiple PLCs Using Simulation on Virtual Machines.” Presented at the ISA WWAC Symposium, Orlando, Florida, August 2012.
- Patel, Kevin. “Making SCADA Alarm Management Part of Your Lifecycle.” Published in the Texas WET Magazine, November 2011.
- Patel, Kevin. “Managing the Alarms That Manage You.” Presented at the Texas Water Conference, Fort Worth, Texas, April 2011.
- Patel, Kevin. “Modbus Ring Topology for Intelligent Actuators.” Presented at the ISA Expo, Houston, Texas, October
2008. - Patel, Kevin. “Serial Redundancy for Intelligent Actuators.” Presented at the Distribution Systems Symposium, Cleveland, Ohio, September 2007.