Interview - Mr. Pedro Barreto (Control & Instrumentation Engineer, Wide Focus on Biomedical, Steel, Chemical, & Pharma Industry, Sustainability and Functional Health)

I am grateful of taking the interview series ahead by talking with Mr. Pedro Barreto. He is currently a professional in biomedical industry with expertise in instrumentation, process control and automation. He has an overall experience of 20+ years, spanning over a vast industrial domains like steel, biomedical, chemical & pharma, and focusing more on sustainability and functional health. I am thankful that you choose this platform to share some insights in engineering, blogging and content sharing. 

Hope you all have a good read.

                                                                    

1.       What inspired your journey into instrumentation engineering?

After finishing 12^th (plus 2) in science, I initially aimed for electronics or computer science, which were in high demand at the time. However, my marks weren’t sufficient to enter those streams. It was the college principal who advised me to consider instrumentation engineering which was unknown in the 1990s, saying it had great future scope as it blends knowledge from various fields—electronics, mechanical, and computer science. That advice turned out to be prophetic, as by the time I graduated in 1998, I found many vacancies coming up in the same and I now see instrumentation as a versatile and a valuable discipline across industries.

2.       How did your journey evolve from heavy industries to biomedical instruments?

My career began in the early 2000s with microcontroller programming for measurement and control applications. I then joined Sesa Goa’s Pig Iron division, where I gained foundational experience in instrumentation—working with pressure, flow, and weight measurement, as well as PLC, SCADA, and DCS systems.

Later, I transitioned to the fertilizer chemical industry, where I saw that instrumentation played an even more critical role due to the hazardous nature of the processes. The inherent risks in chemical and steel industries eventually pushed me to explore less hazardous environments. That’s when I moved to a telecom manufacturing MNC. There, I worked more with electrical systems like VFDs and Drives, along with some PLC integration. It was in this phase that I began to understand that automation must ultimately align with and support the goals of a business.

During my tenure in telecom, a few personal and professional experiences reshaped my thinking. My father’s health deteriorated due to type 2 diabetes and kidney failure. Frequent hospital visits exposed me to the realities of human suffering and sparked a deep interest in healthcare and well-being. Simultaneously, the telecom firm—being a US-based company—was offloading outdated production lines to India. We were expected to revive and run these lines with little support, leading to immense stress.

One notable instance involved a production line transferred from Brazil. We had no documentation or spares, and I had to coordinate internationally to get the right parts. Unfortunately, some spares failed within six months, leading to breakdowns and requiring improvisation. The project ultimately didn’t succeed, and after the 2012 telecom scam and resulting layoffs, I was let go.

I then joined an Indian pharmaceutical company as a Facility Manager. My role involved overseeing power, HVAC, and service utilities for a GMP-regulated environment. I managed a team of over 50 technicians and 5 managers, ensuring operations were audit-ready. Though I learned a lot, I also saw a darker side of the business—how some aspects seemed more focused on chronic treatment than cure.

Despite earning the “Facility Manager of the Region” award within six months, a promotion required relocating out of state. Around the same time, my father passed away due to kidney disease, and a doctor warned me about my own health. It was a wake-up call. I reached out to my former manager at Sesa Goa—now under Vedanta—and joined again. However, the company had changed. Vedanta had acquired significant debt and outsourced technical services to cut costs. After two years, the iron ore business shut down due to government action, and I chose not to continue.

Next, I moved to Denmark through their green card visa scheme and worked at a fast-food manufacturing company in Copenhagen. It was there that I first encountered the concept of sustainability in depth.

When I returned to India in late December 2019 for a vacation, COVID broke out in early 2020. Due to vaccine and isolation restrictions, I couldn’t return abroad. During this time, the only industry that remained consistently active was biomedical. Though it was a new field and required a salary adjustment, I embraced the opportunity because I saw long-term sustainability.

Looking back, all my past companies—Sesa Goa (Vedanta), Zuari Agro, CommScope, and even Cipla—struggled with heavy debt burdens. That translated to stress, instability, and unhealthy work-life balance.

Biomedical, in contrast, has provided me with time, mental space, and a white-collar work environment. The learning curve is steep, but the industry is more resilient, and investment recovery is faster. Most importantly, I feel that my work now supports something meaningful—improving lives and supporting healthcare. That’s why I’ve chosen to stay and grow in biomedical.

3.       What’s one project from your early career that you still feel proud of today, and why?

At Sesa Goa’s Pig Iron Division, we operated a 3MW captive power plant using waste gases from two mini blast furnaces. The boiler controls were based on hardwired electrical ladder logic, and troubleshooting them under running conditions was very challenging. I was assigned to revamp the system using a Siemens S7-200 PLC and SCADA. I independently handled the programming, designed a relay control panel, and implemented the upgrade during a 4-day plant shutdown—completing the task in 3 days. The system worked perfectly, and it marked a shift from traditional control wiring to automation. I also completed a project controlling a remote pump 20 km away using a telephone line and Siemens S7-200 PLC.

4.       What are the biggest differences in instrumentation challenges between sectors like steel and pharma or biomedical?

Steel and chemical industries—including pharmaceuticals—typically operate in extreme conditions: high temperatures, pressure, dust, corrosive materials, and hazardous environments. Working in these sectors requires strict safety protocols and the constant use of protective gear. The primary operational focus is on availability—plants must run continuously with minimal downtime.

Instrumentation in such environments is therefore geared toward ruggedness, rapid fault identification, and real-time troubleshooting to prevent breakdowns and ensure uninterrupted operations.

Within the pharmaceutical sector, there are two distinct divisions:

API (Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient) plants closely resemble chemical and petrochemical facilities. The processes here are hazardous, and the instrumentation challenges mirror those found in heavy chemical industries—focusing on safety, explosion-proof devices, and robust control systems.

Formulation plants, on the other hand, are clean and controlled environments. Here, APIs are blended into finished products like tablets, capsules, or syrups. These plants are designed for 99.9% availability, governed by strict Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) and global regulatory frameworks like USFDA standards. The instrumentation must support high traceability, calibration accuracy, and compliance documentation.

In contrast, biomedical instrumentation shifts the focus entirely:

It deals with precision, hygiene, patient safety, and validation.

Systems are often miniaturized, sensitive, and used directly for human diagnostics or treatment.

The working environment is clean, and the role requires interacting with doctors, hospital staff, and even patients—bringing a more human-centric dimension to the job.

While steel and chemical instrumentation is more about managing machines and harsh physical processes, biomedical instrumentation is about supporting healthcare outcomes, emphasizing reliability, compliance, and clean, controlled conditions.

5.       Could you share an example of a tricky instrumentation problem you faced and how you solved it?

Yes, I’ve faced several challenging instrumentation issues, but two stand out—one from the telecom manufacturing industry and the other from the biomedical field.

1.     Telecom Cable Manufacturing – Power Supply Misdiagnosis:

At the telecom manufacturing company, we had a complex PLC-controlled cable production line where two PLCs—an old Siemens S5 and an Allen-Bradley SLC 500—were communicating with each other. The line, which had about 10 interconnected machines, had been decommissioned abroad and installed in India. It wasn’t functioning properly, and synchronization issues kept causing downtime.

We suspected a faulty drive or communication failure. For two weeks, we systematically checked every electrical and electronic component—relays, I/O cards, drives—but everything tested OK. Yet, the problem persisted.

Then came a breakthrough. We decided to recheck the Siemens S5 PLC’s power supply. The PLC’s LED power indicator was lit, suggesting that it was receiving its standard 24V DC. But when we measured the actual voltage at the power input terminal with a multimeter, it showed only 10V DC. Strangely, the LED still glowed even with this insufficient voltage—misleading us.

To confirm, we disconnected the PLC’s load and saw the power supply jump back to 24V DC. It became clear that the power supply couldn’t handle the load. We replaced it with a spare unit, and the entire line came back to normal operation. That one overlooked detail—an under-voltage condition masked by a glowing LED—cost us nearly two weeks of downtime, but it was a valuable learning experience in diagnostic discipline.

2.      Biomedical – Calibration Failure in a Haematology Analyzer:

In the biomedical sector, we had a haematology analyser that intermittently failed calibration, affecting the accuracy of WBC and HGB readings. All OEM diagnostics showed no fault. We replaced typical suspects—baths, valves, and pumps—but the calibration still failed. Video recordings of the internal operations were sent to the OEM, who confirmed everything looked fine.

Still, the issue persisted. Then, during a manual inspection, I noticed the sample probe movement felt slightly restricted. On closer examination, I found the probe was very slightly bent. This probe draws blood samples into a reagent bath and is critical for maintaining the correct reagent-to-sample ratio.

When I inserted the bent probe into the bath, I noticed it wasn’t centred—it tilted to one side. This likely led to inconsistent mixing, affecting the calibration accuracy. After gently straightening the probe, we ran the calibration again—and it passed perfectly. Even the OEM and the attending doctors were surprised by the precision of the diagnosis.

 

 

 

These experiences reinforced an important lesson: Instrumentation is as much about sharp observation and lateral thinking as it is about tools and systems. Whether it’s an industrial control system or a diagnostic device, the smallest anomalies can have the biggest impact.

6.       What role does instrumentation play in improving healthcare and patient outcomes?

Instrumentation is critical in healthcare—it ensures accurate diagnosis, continuous monitoring, and effective treatment. Whether it’s a patient monitor, blood analyser, or infusion pump, these devices reduce human error and provide doctors with timely, precise data. In ICUs, real-time instrumentation saves lives. In pathology labs, analysers process hundreds of samples with minimal error. Even in preventive care, devices like glucometers and ECG machines enable early intervention. Instrumentation underpins the reliability and speed of modern healthcare.

7.       Can you describe one biomedical instrument you are currently working with, and how it benefits patients or healthcare providers?

I currently work with a 5-part differential haematology analyser. It performs complete blood counts (CBC), differentiating white blood cells into five types. This helps doctors diagnose infections, anaemia, and haematological disorders quickly and accurately. For healthcare providers, it reduces lab workload and improves turnaround time. For patients, it means faster and more accurate treatment. My role includes helping doctors choose the right model, supporting installation, and ensuring proper training.

8.       What does ‘functional health’ mean in the context of process control and automation?

Functional health refers to the operational integrity of a system—not just whether it works, but whether it performs reliably, accurately, and as intended. In process control, a valve may open and close, but if it does so slowly or erratically, its functional health is poor. In biomedical devices, even small calibration errors or muted alarms can have serious consequences. Functional health requires continuous monitoring, diagnostics, and a proactive approach to maintenance. It ensures automation systems remain trustworthy and sustainable.

9.       What common mistakes do young engineers make in instrumentation—and how can they avoid them?

Many young engineers focus too much on brands and devices instead of understanding the underlying process. They often neglect calibration, grounding, and installation quality—leading to avoidable issues. Some rely heavily on manuals without developing hands-on skills. Others miss the bigger picture, like energy usage or long-term sustainability. To avoid these mistakes, engineers should be curious, learn the process first, get practical experience, ask “why,” and consider the long-term impact of their decisions.

10.  If you could automate anything in everyday life that hasn’t been automated yet, what would it be?

I would automate domestic waste segregation at the household level. Most homes still sort waste manually, leading to poor recycling and environmental degradation. A smart device using sensors and AI could segregate biodegradable, recyclable, and hazardous waste. This would improve municipal efficiency, promote cleaner cities, and support sustainability goals. Just as instrumentation supports quality at the input stage in industry, automated waste segregation can support environmental quality from the source.

11.  Can you share a mentor or moment that shaped your career philosophy?

I’ve come to believe that history and personal failures are the best mentors in engineering. Most industries I’ve worked in weren’t breakdown-proof—except pharma and food—so I learned more from the pressure and crisis situations than from any one person. But a pivotal moment came in 2019 when I met a PhD automation engineer at a sustainability conference. He had returned from Japan to India for family reasons. I asked him what sustainability meant in engineering, and he said: “Whatever work you do, ensure you can sustain yourself mentally, emotionally, and physically—even during a crisis.” That advice stayed with me. It’s why I chose to stay in biomedical—it’s a sustainable business that supports my well-being and stability, especially during uncertain times like COVID.

Thank you for your valuable time. It was a great time talking with you and we got to know more about engineering, instrumentation and it's scope in the future.

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