When you’re looking for technology solution providers, it’s important to look at how a team will match up with your own needs and how their processes align with what’s important to you. You’re not just purchasing a mold or a product, you’re purchasing a system of processes, methods, and a team.
We’d like to give you an introduction to our Engineering Team with a short and fun monthly interview. We’re sure you’ll be impressed with their experience and methods, enough so that you’ll schedule a visit to meet them in person.
But first, a quick sideline about the Interviewer. Starting a new job in an industry I’m not familiar with but need to get familiar with real quick can be daunting. It can be a little less so if I know who to talk to about what and so I immediately set about familiarizing myself with the varying roles of my new company. We have 27 Engineers across 9 Disciplines! What do they do and how do they make such a kick-butt team? I decided to interview them and one of my questions was what their pop culture alter-egos were as it pertained to their jobs. It was a fun way to get to know each of these great people a little better.
Casey Miller, Senior Tooling Engineer
Interviewer: Hi Casey! Tell us what you do, how long you’ve done it, and what you’re good at!
Casey: For the last 7 years, I’ve worked with Designers, Tool Shops, Project Engineers and Process Engineers to make sure all injection molds at C&J are designed and built to have the best chance of running successful production and with little maintenance. I also troubleshoot injection molds when they do not cooperate in running successful production.
Interviewer: Given the responsibilities of your role and our specific industry, plastic injection molding, what would you say is your fictional pop culture alter ego?
Casey: I would say it would have to be a blend of Norm of Cheers, because I like to drink beer (manufacturing can drive you to drink), Yukon Cornelius because of my beard, and Rocky because no matter how many times I may get knocked down working on a project…I will not quit until the project is completed.
Interviewer: How do you approach a project?
Casey: On new mold design and builds, I look at the part to see if it can be injected molded as designed and determine if the part will need side or unscrewing actions. Then I move on to how to gate, eject, and cool the part. I also consider material properties and if there are areas of the part design that could be improved to help in the overall success of the project. When troubleshooting, I look to get as much information about the issue as possible from all that are involved as quickly as possible to determine how to proceed in correcting the issue.
Interviewer: Do you consider yourself a pioneer in anyway? If not, what makes your process work for you? What’s your motto?
Casey: Definitely not a pioneer. I started in the industry 26 years ago running a CNC lathe. I came to C&J 22 years ago as a Mold Designer. I moved on to Project Engineering, Design Engineering Supervisor, Engineering Manager, and then became a Senior Tooling Engineer. I’m still learning. Looking back, I always had a reason for what I did. Whether it turned out to be right or wrong, I learned something. Nothing is ever learned or gained from doing nothing.
Interviewer: What do you enjoy or find interesting about the plastics industry?
Casey: It is great to see a successful project from start to finish. There are so many variables that go into successfully manufacturing even the simplest of parts. Taking shortcuts can lead to big problems later. We work on many different projects as a custom molder, this allows us to gain a lot of experience on many different types of part geometries and materials.
Interviewer: What’s the most interesting changes you’ve experienced recently in our industry and your thoughts on it?
Casey: Changes in injection molding are driven by changes in technology. Technology is always changing, getting better, and this drives the possibilities of what can be done in manufacturing. Plastic flow analysis improvements, improvements in mold making machinery, automation of just about any manufacturing process you can think of…part handling, packaging, assembly, engraving, and better injection molding presses…it’s all great! We can do anything we decide to do with enough time, money, and customer support.
Interviewer: What type of clients would you like to see C&J work with in the future? How would you like to see us grow?
Casey: I like customers that see future technology and want to invest in it. I also enjoy working with customers that understand fit, form, and function of a part. I like being able to learn from our customers’ past experiences as well as teaching them what we’ve learned to help their and our business in the future.