In this episode of The Human Side of Engineering and Product Development, Andy Deo engages in an insightful conversation with Brian Geary, President, and Owner of Stretch Forming Corporation, and Mike Russell, General Manager. They delve into the company's history, growth, and its key role in complex metal forming, machining, and innovative solutions for the aerospace, defense, and space industries. The discussion touches on their experiences, the recent recognition by Boeing, upcoming projects, and how they balance technological advancements with the personal touch in a dynamic industry. They explore future technological trends like 3D printing, AI, and robotics, emphasizing the thrill of challenges and the immense satisfaction of physically creating components used in aerospace engineering.

HUMANIZING MESSAGES

"Nothing makes us happier than walking into the shop and seeing our product being made, and figuring out how to do it." - Brian Geary
"You'll never be bored in manufacturing work." - Michael Russell
"There's a sense of pride that I think manufacturing gives you that a lot of other career paths may not give you." - Michael Russell
"There's no better feeling than walking through the factory and looking at all the products and the great cool stuff going on, cool programs all over the world." - Brian Geary

Get to know our guests, Brian and Michael, and what they’re up to:

Brian Geary: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-geary-a3025356/
Michael Russell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-russell-9a479597/
Website: https://www.stretchformingcorp.com/

Learn more about our host and his Human Side:

Andy Deo: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andydeo/
Saratech: https://www.linkedin.com/company/saratech-inc/
Saratech.com: https://saratech.com/customer-enablement/

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Teach kids how cool it is that engineers get to MAKE stuff! 

In this episode of The Human Side of Engineering and Product Development, Andy welcomes Randy Mees, the Director of Design, Transcatheter Heart Valves at Edwards Lifesciences. He shares how luck would bring him to the world of engineering and his early experiences with CAD and other tech.

Randy then talks about his approach to tool design and getting the input of operators to get their feedback. As an educator, Randy also discusses the need to get more young people into engineering and make the base skills in machining accessible starting at the high school level.

HUMANIZING MESSAGES

RANDY: Get the input of operators on your designs

"The other person who I felt was the most important was the operator. They're the ones that use my fixture for 8 hours a day and you want to design something for them that they're going to like. If they don't like it, if they're fighting a process, they're not going to have a good day, number one, and then they're probably not going to have a good product at the end of the day."

"So you want to give them something that they're going to like even better. You want to include them into that design process, bring them a prototype. We used to show the 3D model to them and say, what do you think? You think this is going to work? Get their input because they know it far better than I know it."

RANDY: Community colleges are very good for building engineering skills

"My suggestion again, because I'm a huge fan of community college, is to find the local community college. Oftentimes they have those 16-week [CAD or engineering] courses and build up that strength."

Get to know Randy and what he’s up to:

LinkedIn | Website

Learn more about our host and his Human Side:

Andy Deo | Saratech | Saratech.com

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Finding validation in designing for the greater good of humanity   

In this episode of The Human Side of Engineering and Product Development, Andy welcomes Kevin Saginian, a mechanical engineer at Saratech. Kevin shares his unique experience of finishing college through the pandemic and the adaptability and motivation he needed to finish mechanical engineering.

He also gives his insights on how different school was compared to the real world of mechanical engineering where he gets to contribute his expertise for the greater good, such as his work on the Sierra Nevada Dreamchaser. He also gives advice to upcoming engineers on enjoying lab work because of how practical it is in actual engineering.

HUMANIZING MESSAGES

KEVIN: Working on the Sierra Nevada Dreamchaser is validating experience

"Finally touching something that was a part of something that big like the Sierra Nevada Dreamchaser, that was like my, oh man, whatever I'm doing in this field is usually going to be attached to something very prominent, like something very big for humanity. And that was really the validation I wanted for getting into this."

KEVIN: Keep an open mind on the lessons learned in class

"Just really open your mind to what it is you're learning. I feel like when I would get into a class or I'd be taking a class, I might initially be kind of stressed out at first glance, like oh my gosh, this is so technical, and just so worried about how am I going to get a good grade. But then, I would get through it and it'd be a stressful, difficult process, but then the next semester, I would look back at the textbook from that class and I'd be like, man, this wasn't so bad."

Get to know our guest, Kevin, and what he’s up to:

LinkedIn

Learn more about our host and his Human Side:

Andy Deo | Saratech | Saratech.com

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