To address the shortage of skilled engineers in the solar sector and ensure accurate client communication, Castillo Engineering has invested in specialized software.
To guide the business, Castillope.com, a utility-scale solar engineering company with its headquarters in Maitland, Florida, invested $2.5 million in two distinct proprietary software platforms, PMO 360 and Design IQ, and expanded its senior employee base.
By providing project managers with real-time access to data, including engineering plans, schedules, staff, and component details on a dashboard, PMO (Project Management Office) 360 was created to enhance project transparency with customers. By providing current access to project engineering, the organization wants to lower the number of mistakes caused by misunderstandings.
“We wanted to make sure we created something 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 program that creates project schematics using information from Castillo Engineering’s array asset portfolio. The application is automated and features a single interface that can produce AutoCAD drawings and perform relevant computations.
A more informed approach to design is made possible by Design IQ, which enables the reuse of data from prior projects in new ones with similar design challenges. According to Christopher Castillo, CEO of Castillo Engineering, the initiative aims to alleviate the demands of solar project engineering at a time when the sector is facing a shortage of skilled engineers.
“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 some time and decided that those are the priorities we set moving forward.”
For its utility-scale solar services, Castillo Engineering will only utilize PMO 360 and Design IQ internally.
