At Red Rhino, design plays a crucial role in not only the performance but also the identity of our groundbreaking equipment. In this exclusive Q&A, we sit down with our head designer, Bradley, to shine a light on the skills required to design our market-leading machinery.
Great to meet you, Bradley. How long have you worked for Red Rhino and can you tell us more about your career journey to this point please?
Before emigrating from South Africa to the UK, my career began in bespoke metal fabrication and manufacturing. I later spent several years working with a wide range of earthmoving machines for a contractor in the construction and coal mining industries.
This experience eventually led me into the fast-moving consumer goods sector, where I joined a company specialising in machinery manufacturing. It was there that my passion for machine automation truly took off, as I became involved in the development of food processing facilities across the country.
In 2021, I was fortunate to join the Winfield Engineering/Red Rhino team. Over the past four and a half years, I’ve had the opportunity to apply my skills and grow within the business, gaining valuable hands-on experience with the processes and principles behind our manufacturing.
Some of my most recent projects include the complete design of an electric trommel screening machine, an electric crusher built for underground mining, folding conveyor systems, and the full development of an automated robotic welding cell.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities within your role as Head Product Designer?
I work closely with teams across multiple departments to bring a unified design vision to life—one that reflects the identity and values of the company. Feedback from the factory floor plays a key role in this process, allowing me to implement design improvements that enhance manufacturing and assembly efficiency.
As part of the R&D process, I develop new products by applying insights gained through testing and continuous learning. I also produce detailed design documentation and manuals, used both internally and externally, to ensure clarity and consistency throughout the product lifecycle.
Driven by innovation, I actively research emerging technologies and continually push myself to integrate them into our machinery, with the goal of delivering exceptional performance and reliability.
What does a typical day look like for you at Red Rhino?
My typical day begins well before the official start time, giving me a chance to check emails and review notes and priorities for the projects I’m currently working on. Once I have a clear overview, I prioritise tasks based on urgency and importance.
If team members are assisting on a project, I coordinate their tasks to ensure they have clear objectives and direction. From there, I focus on progressing any outstanding work, aiming to keep the workflow moving efficiently and smoothly throughout the day.
Please can you walk us through your typical design process when developing a new Red Rhino machine?
When developing a new design, there are often customer-specific criteria or requirements that must be met. The overall product outline, such as materials, output grain size, processing capacity, power source, or size and weight constraints, play a significant role in shaping the design.
Understanding the machine’s intended operating environment is essential for making informed decisions around material selection, structural design, and component choice. Once all of these factors have been carefully considered, I begin creating and refining a concept design.
From this, I generate detailed technical specifications and drawings to guide prototype manufacture, ensuring the design is both manufacturable and compliant with relevant safety, quality, and performance standards.
We then build a prototype and closely monitor the production process. During this stage, I collaborate with the engineering and manufacturing teams, adopting any valuable insights or recommendations. I believe refinement is an ongoing process, because there’s always room to improve.
What are the most important factors to consider when designing machinery suited to different environments, for example demolition vs quarry work?
Safety is always the highest priority in our designs. We integrate safety features across a range of components to ensure our machines are reliable and secure in some of the most demanding environments.
In quarry applications, output capacity is a major focus. Our machines are engineered for strength and endurance, capable of handling repetitive, continuous loads in extreme working conditions without compromising performance.
Mobility and ease of site setup are also core to our design approach. For instance, our compact 4000 crusher can pass through spaces as narrow as 800mm, while our largest unit, weighing around 18 tonnes, remains easily transportable and is built to handle a wide range of materials effortlessly. While some units are stationary, the majority are track-mounted and designed to navigate uneven terrain with ease.
In demolition and construction applications, we also account for environmental regulations, offering options with lower emissions and even electric drive systems to meet site-specific requirements
Finally, what do you love the most about working at Red Rhino?
What I love most about working at Red Rhino is the constant opportunity to grow within an industry I’m truly passionate about. I’m always pushing myself to develop my skills, and Red Rhino is the perfect environment for that.
The company’s investment in cutting-edge manufacturing technology such as laser cutters, press brakes, robotic welders, and CNC machinery means I have the tools and freedom to turn ideas into reality, right here in-house.
With strong family values and a supportive culture at its core, I feel empowered to express my creativity and continue this journey of lifelong learning. I’m excited to keep driving innovation and adding bold, forward-thinking machines to our growing range.
Interested in finding out more about our machines? Click here to browse our range.
