Issue link: http://www.insightdigital.biz/i/1438428
8 N E W M A N U F A C T U R I N G A L L I A N C E C O U R T E S Y O F A L E X Z A C A R I A S , 3 N P R O D U C T I O N S , L LC Daniel Ornelas ATI, Appleton N E W M A N U FA C T U R I N G A L L I A N C E ALL STAR O NDT LEVEL 2 AND TEAM LEAD N E W M A N U FA C T U R I N G A L L I A N C E ALL STAR O Online: Watch Daniel talk about his work at ATI. newmfgalliance.org Check out ATI's website at atimetals.com Thomas Felten Heartland Label Printers, Little Chute MATERIAL HANDLER Online: Watch Thomas talk about working at Heartland Label Printers. newmfgalliance.org Check out Heartland's website at hrtlp.com What does your company make? We manufacture labels and rolls of paper ribbons for various needs. How do your company's products make a difference in people's lives? It's amazing how many things the world uses labels for — you don't really realize it until you work in a plant that makes them. There's pharmaceutical, bakery labels with expiration dates, scale labels used at delis showing your weight and cost, labels that go on your pizza boxes or even a label that goes in new dishwashers that washes away after the first wash. What are your job duties? Maintaining core levels and inventory, and PIV (powered industrial vehicle) training; assisting team members stocking the presses; and receiving materials as they are delivered. Why do you enjoy your job? I like being able to move around in my workplace and not be confined to one station. I also enjoy overcoming challenges that come up. We are all a really great team and get things done. Why do you choose to live in Northeast Wisconsin? I was born and raised in Wisconsin. I've always liked the different seasons and activities this state has to offer. How did you decide on this career path? Originally, I was going to go into information technology after I got my GED, but I found that what my hobby was in high school didn't give me the same feeling when looking at it as a job. I wanted to get into a manufacturing job, but all I had was a foodservice work history. One day my buddy came into the bar I was working at and told me I should apply at Heartland. Five years later, I'm still here. What does your company make? We manufacture high-performance materials and components for aerospace and defense customers. How do your company's products make a difference in people's lives? Our main products here in Appleton are made for commercial airlines. Currently, the Big 3 aerospace engine manufacturers are rolling out new engines to reduce emissions and increase performance, so we are facilitating many more years of plane travel with reduced environmental impact. What are your job duties? I support the technical side for the obligatory 800-hour training period for new hires. I draft procedural guides based on interpretations of customer specifications. I also acquire data against aerospace components via ultrasonic immersion inspection and evaluate the data to customer specifications. What kinds of technology do you use and interact with? We use large water immersion tanks to submerge forged parts for jet engines. Then, we use ultrasonic transducers to emit high-intensity sound beams into the forged parts and collect data on the internal structure of that part. The data is then analyzed on special software and we generate a digital report of our analysis on PDF. Why do you enjoy your job? NDT (non-destructive testing) is the last line of defense on the quality side of the critical parts — rejecting a part can mean that hundreds of lives are saved. It always makes me proud to know that we are making a positive impact like that. From a training perspective, it is rewarding to see people achieve certification and start their career.