Jonathon Earnshaw

MECHANICAL ENGINEER

Skills Overview

Jonathon is a Chartered Mechanical Engineer with specialist experience in hydrodynamic bearings and large rotating equipment, gained through work on technically demanding applications in marine propulsion and nuclear energy. His background spans both engineering and commercial roles, giving him a balanced perspective on design, risk, customer requirements, and delivery. Since arriving in New Zealand, Jonathon has broadened his skill set through work with emerging technologies, including metal casting and advanced manufacturing. He brings strong analytical ability, clear communication, and the versatility to contribute meaningfully across a wide range of mechanical engineering projects.

• SHEET METAL DESIGN & FABRICATION – Jonathon has experience working with a wide variety of products from ‘dry’ such as hopper / conveyors and frame supports to ‘wet’ such as destoners and tanks while on secondment at Wyma. He has further developed his skills at MHM designing robust chain driven / actuating equipment for timber mills. This has developed his skills in Sheetmetal design and fabrication. Jonathon frequently uses weld line calcs and frame analysis to verify designs where needed. ​
• ROTATING EQUIPMENT – Serving his time as a hydrodynamic bearing specialist, Jonathon has experience on a diverse range of applications such as pumps, compressors, generators, motors and turbines to name a few. Since moving to NZ, he has worked on rotating vegetable polishing equipment and chain driven conveyor systems. He can use basic calcs to spec bearings, chains and check shaft stress due to torsion / bending.
• HEAVY FRAMES / STRUCTURES – At both Wyma and MHM, Jonathon has designed many structures supporting both static and dynamic loads for both food production (hygienic) and heavy industry such as timber mills.
• TANKS & PIPEWORK – During his one-year tenure at Wyma, Jonathon frequently integrated pipework into processing lines using existing calculations. He was also tasked with a case study to improve a standard water tank design to be cheaper to manufacture.
• DEFENCE – Jonathon has a passion for defence based technologies and an understanding of their unique requirements. He initially started a career in the British Army before studying to become a mechanical engineer. After which, during his time at Michell Bearings, Jonathon worked on many projects for the Royal Navy and other navies in NATO. And even having the opportunity to carry out a week’s work servicing propulsion motor bearings onboard a Type 45 Frigate.
• COMMERCIAL – Jonathon compliments his core engineering with excellent communication skills and commercial understanding developed during his time as a commercial and sales engineer. He can add a unique perspective to complex and budget sensitive projects. One example was coordinating a bid (including technical requirements, costs, T&Cs etc.) to supply bearings to French ERP2 nuclear facilities in Penly, Gravelines and Bugey and attending a customer visit to Paris to discuss the project. He is currently studying towards PMP certification (CAPM level).
• CAD – Jonathon can formulate, scrutinise and improve engineering designs within the design space prior to manufacturing using CAD packages. He also has carried out FEA on parts under load to ensure the design meets a minimum level of safety with being over-engineered. One example involved designing a bearing pad for a Siemens gas turbine to withstand an earthquake condition.

Project Experience