Alex Innes, Founder and CEO
Alex founded AGI Engineering in 1996. His experience in tank cleaning and automation spans more than 25 years.

Alex has lead AGI through projects including nuclear waste tank cleaning equipment for the United States Department of Energy’s Hanford site and sanitation for developing countries for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Under Alex’s leadership AGI has designed and built equipment for all 12 of Hanford’s 241-C farm 100 series tanks, with only a single tank awaiting retrieval.

Alex also lead the design of the automated assembly line installing and welding Washing Machine Basket Center Posts for Whirlpool as well as the Seven Head Automated Heat Exchanger Weld Line for Trantech Radiator Products.

Alex previously served as the Mechanical Engineer and Engineering Manager for Carando Machine Works. His responsibilities included the Engineering and Design of Automated machinery for White Goods, Water Heater, and Drum and Pail Industries.

Alex’s achievements at Carando included the design of the C-Groove band automated pick and place, weld clean, planish and polish, and flange trim machinery for the Calypso washing machine basket project for Whirlpool. This also included installation and commissioning (trouble shooting/debugging) at the Whirlpool facility in Clyde, Ohio.

Prior to his time at Carando Alex was the Engineering and Production Manager at Industrial Innovations Incorporated (3i). There he was instrumental in the development of the Sludge Bug, an in-tank sludge collection machine that removes sludge at a rate of 22 tons per hour, nearly 10 times the rate of previous technology.

At 3i Alex also developed a vacuum extraction device for cleaning sludge from small to medium slop oil tanks and a high efficiency scrubber system for purging ammonia and chlorine from GATX Railcars prior to cleaning.

Alex holds a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Chris Wheeler, Senior Engineer and Engineering Manager
Chris has been working for AGI since 2001. His tank cleaning and automation experience totals more than 17 years.

Chris has lead the Engineering Department at AGI since 2010, including projects such as the Extended Reach Sluicer System for the United States Department of Energy’s Hanford Site. This system has been successful in retrieving waste from 100 series tanks in the 241-C tank farm, leaking tank 241-AY-102, and is being deployed in order to retrieve waste from the 241-AX farm as well.

Chris was also the principal designer for the Turbine Slurry Pump project that is being used to retrieve waste and supply supernatant liquefier for the 241-C and 241-AX tank farms, as well as the leaking 241-AY-102.

Chris also created sanitation technology for the developing world for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, as well as a tank cleaning system for cleaning oil storage tanks for HydroChem.

Other projects Chris has worked on for AGI include the automated Washing Machine Basket Center Posts assembly and weld line for Whirlpool and the Trantech Radiator Products Seven Head Automated Heat Exchanger Weld Line.

Prior to working for AGI Chris was a Mechanical Designer for Carando Machine Works. There he performed design and drafting for automation projects, including Whirlpool Washing Machine Basket and Dryer Drum assembly lines as well as water heater and steel shipping drum welding and forming equipment.

Chris is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of California, a member of ASME and holds B.S. degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management from the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California.

Mike Swain, Production Manager
Mike has been the Production Manager at AGI since 2010. His experience in custom manufacturing spans over 20 years.

At AGI Mike lead the production team in the creation of the Extended Reach Sluicer System for cleaning radioactive waste tanks. This system has been successfully deployed at the Hanford site retrieving waste from 100 series tanks in the 241-C tank farm, tank 241-AY-102, and has been selected as the retrieval technology for the 241-AX tank farm as well.

Prior to coming to AGI Mike served as a machinist at Carando Technologies. There he operated conventional and CNC lathes and milling machines, creating parts for automated production equipment for the steel drum and whitegoods industries. Mike also participated in the on-site commissioning and startup of customer machines.

Mike began his production career as a teenager working in his Father’s machine and fabrication shop, learning to operate the burn table, shear, press brake, welder, lathe and milling machine, while producing components for local canneries, food processing facilities, and agricultural equipment.