SPE YoPro

Lynzie's Job Continued

2010-07-22T11:52:00.000-07:00

Things at my job are very busy these days. I’ve started to take on a lot of projects and the amount of things I am responsible for in a day can sometimes be overwhelming. I have finally had some of my molds come into our facility and it is exciting to get to witness them running.

Most of our projects are built in China, and then shipped over to either our facility here, in Erie, or to our facility in Mexico. Bringing a project over here is a little easier, in my opinion, since I can physically see the tool run and have information relayed to me as it’s happening. The difficulty with molds that are sent to our Mexican facility is that I do not get to see things as they run, and the fact that there is a 3 hour time difference. It doesn’t seem like much, but sometimes things won’t get shipped to their facility until late morning which can mean I do not hear anything until later afternoon. I think that some people don’t realize how tricky it can be to manage something that you can’t see. There are undeniable benefits that come from being on site to watch a mold run or to see what problems have occurred. So when working long-distance on a project it is really crucial to pay attention to what is happening and what will be needed. Even simple requests could take 3x as long. For example, I could ask for samples of a part that was run on Monday, but if they don’t run it until Monday afternoon and can’t ship it until the Tuesday morning, I may not see the part until that Thursday or Friday. Things like are usually the most important to pay attention since they can eat up a lot of unaccounted for time. I think realizing that earlier may have helped out.

Lynzie's Job

2010-06-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

I have been at my new job for a little over 2 months now. I am relieved to say that I am finally getting the hang of things. When I first started here I was asked to step in on projects right away, which seemed like a pretty daunting task.

There are two project engineers here, myself and John Kraynik. We are responsible for all new projects. The first thing we do when launching a project, is to evaluate the customer’s requirements and any quotes we have received from our material suppliers and tool shops. Once we have determined the feasibility of a project we establish a timeline and get the tool shops started on our projects. There is still work to be done here even though we are not the ones actually constructing the mold. We have to prepare for the mold to come back to our plant, setup the materials that will be needed, keep the customer informed of the progress on their mold, and any other details that are crucial to this mold running in our facility.

The workload may be very intimidating, but I believe my decision to come here will only make me a better engineer.

Lynzie's Job Change

2010-03-04T07:28:00.000-08:00

So after a year and a half at my first job at Pittsburgh Plastics, I have decided to change things up. I was recently hired at a company called Accudyn, in Erie. Oddly enough, this is also where fellow blogger John Kraynik works. I will have the same type of position. I will still be managing projects at Accudyn.

The thing that excites me the most about this new job (besides how much closer to home I am), is that it’s a complete 180° from the job I currently hold. Yes, the actual position is the same, but the materials and molding techniques used at the two companies are completely different. Pittsburgh Plastics is a company that prides itself on cushioning and very low durometer materials. Accudyn works with a lot more engineered resins and metal to plastic conversions. PPM doesn’t injection mold that often. The majority of materials here are cast. This is a really efficient way to create products with 2-part polyurethane. Accudyn’s focus on injection molding is much more than PPM’s will ever be.

When I heard about this job, it was through some people that figured I might have the right qualifications for the position. I was hesitant to interview, or even apply, because things were going very well for me at PPM, but after hearing really good things about Accudyn, I decided to interview. Obviously things went pretty well and I will be starting my new job there on March 15th. I am looking forward to taking this drastic turn in my career and I hope in the end, I am a better-rounded Plastics Engineer.

Lynzie's Performance Review

2009-12-17T09:26:00.000-08:00

As the end of my first year at my job comes to an end, it is also time for my very first annual performance review. There is a two week window to schedule my review in, but since the company is small there is very little competition for the time slots. I scheduled my appointment for the day after my birthday and the day before I had off. I figured that it was a good idea to sandwich a performance review between two good days on the off-chance the review didn’t go as planned.

To prepare for the review we are all asked to fill out an evaluation form that lists our goals and duties, as well as a few other things. I am supposed to rank myself, out of five, on each item and then defend myself in the comments section. This actually ends up being a little bit more difficult that I initially thought. In the end, I decided I did an excellent job for this year, considering I was initially hired to be a Junior Project Manager and ended up having to be the only Project Manager at the company.

When I entered the Chief Engineer’s office, he handed me a copy of my review sheet but with the rankings and comments according to how the thought I did this year. Then we discussed each point and why I got the score that I did. I ended up doing very well. We then discussed what my goals and duties for the next year will be so I have a clear picture as to what is expected of me for 2010.

Overall the process seems much more intimidating that it turns out to be. I knew that I had demonstrated my skills as a manager this year and that was reflected in the review.

Meet Allissa Witucki

2009-07-22T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I’m Allissa Witucki and I recently graduated from Ferris State University in Big Rapids, MI. I was in the Plastics Engineering Technology program and involved with the Society of Plastics Engineers Student Chapter. As a student, I attended SPE conferences and volunteered at the Career Days at Ferris.

I am currently working at Ferris as the Interim Assistant Director of Student Leadership and Activities Office, which obviously not in the plastics industry. I was interviewed from a job in January and was informed that I was receiving a position at the company. However, I never received an offer letter. I visited the company in March with the expectation of receiving a letter and again didn’t receive one. It was getting closer to graduation and I technically didn’t have a job yet. In the beginning of April, the company called to inform me that they were in fact not hiring anymore.

I started to look for other companies, but everyone was either not hiring or already had someone for the position. I looked to the university for help, and since I was so involved on campus during my time at Ferris, the university offered me the position. It is just something temporary until the industry starts to pick up again! I am still looking for a job in the plastics field because I do enjoy working with plastic. I will keep you updated on what’s going on later!

Thanks!

Lynzie's NPE Trip

2009-06-29T10:26:00.000-07:00

I just came back from a trip to NPE in Chicago. Pittsburgh Plastics decided it was a good idea to have someone from our company go the show so we can locate new suppliers, meet with current suppliers, search for new technology, and network. Although this was not my first business trip with Pittsburgh Plastics, (I visited some clients in Manchester England about 3 months ago), I was the only one from our company this time.

I flew in on Monday morning and left Wednesday afternoon. I enjoy walking around shows because there is always some new technology being exhibited. Even if the item does not pertain to you or your company, it is still nice to learn about it. I spent the good majority of the first day in the South and North halls. At first it was kind of intimidating to go up to a booth and start talking to the vendors, but once I talked to one, it was so easy to just keep talking. The more vendors I talked to, the more questions I asked. For the most part, everyone is very helpful and very willing to teach you about their product.

At NPE I ran into many people I have met through school and my jobs, both past and present. I also had the opportunity to attend the Penn State Behrend Plastics Program 20th Anniversary Alumni Dinner. There were about 80 alumni there with at least one person from every class over the past 20 years (with the exception of the first class). I also connected with recently graduated and current students of Penn State Behrend that I had been friends with while I was still in school.

As an added bonus to attending the show, I also got to adventure around Chicago and enjoy the city. I am anxiously awaiting the next trip I get to go on.

Meet Mai Ha

2009-05-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, I’m Mai Ha, currently a third year Ph.D student in Chemical Engineering at the University of Houston. My research project involves utilizing nanoparticles to improve compatibility of polymer blends under the instruction of Dr. Ramanan Krishnamoorti.

This is not the first time my project relates to polymers. I’ve been stuck with “high molecular weight molecules” since, let say 2001, when I did my senior thesis at Polytechnique University of Hochiminh city, Vietnam. I still remember spending days “cooking” epoxy in the lab. After graduating in 2002, I got a job as a technical supervisor at VietThai Plastchem, a PVC compounding manufacturer. And then before heading to the US for higher education, I spent a few months at a Huhtamaki Vietnam, at that time it was still an unfinished factory.

I came to the University of Oklahoma in 2004 and was lucky to get into Dr. Brian Grady’s group. The time there was great with making carbon nanotube composites, polymerizing copolymers, studying surfactants, emulsions and … football.

After receiving my M.S. degree, due to my family situation, I needed to relocate to Houston. It’s sad to leave Norman, but it’s also a new exciting place in Houston. I found Dr. Krishnamoorti’s group at the University of Houston that has research interests similar to mine. And I think I was really lucky (again!!!) to be accepted to his group. So, here I am now, in his lab, working on polymers and nanoparticles.
I know my journey has just begun. This is my hello to you all.

Meet Jiao Guo

2009-04-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

This is Jiao, I am a senior student pursing my Ph. D. degree in Polymer Engineering. This is the 5th year for me, and I plan to graduate in August. Things always come together once you plan to finish up and go to the next step in life. I am now working simultaneously on paper publication, dissertation writing, experimental work and job searching. And I just forget to tell that I am a mother of a 3 years old girl. Time flies so fast, sometimes my progress seems slower than I expect. But at least I move forward. I believe the most enjoyable part is the hardest experience that I have worked through, which used to be too far to reach at that moment. I wish I could taste this achievement when I graduate in August.

Meet Rodrigo Orozco

2009-03-24T08:35:00.000-07:00

Hi, I am a graduate student since Fall 2005 working on my PhD in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is my fourth and last year, I hope!!! My research is related to viscoelastic stress analysis of polymer and polymer composite structures using a meshless technique and FEA.

I am Colombian, received my BS and MS degrees in Mechanical Engineering at the Universidad de Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia in 2001 and 2002, respectively. After finishing my MS degree I thought that I would never write a thesis ever again, but a couple of years later I changed my mind.

After my MS I worked for a company that produces strike anywhere matches, this company belongs to a Spanish holding that was increasing their businesses in Colombia. Due to the company’s growth I had the chance to get promoted really quickly, but that required a lot of work and extra time, including nights and weekends. This work taught me a lot of things, mainly non-engineering related, which I really appreciate.

One day in late Spring 2005 one friend helped me to get in contact with a Professor from UW-Madison, he needed a graduate student to work in a project in the area of refrigeration. My course work is mainly focused in energy conversion, with some continuum mechanics. In less than two months I quit my job, applied to graduate school, took the GRE and TOEFL, and packed my life in two suitcases, leaving my family to start my PhD.

Now, almost four years since I started graduate school, I don’t regret my decision, anyway it was not easy. My English was good enough to pass the requirement from the school, but needed improvement. I was rusty, I was no longer in the mode of school, homework, exams, projects, etc.

During my second year in graduate school I realized that refrigeration was not my passion, and then I had the chance to change the topic of my research and started working with Prof. Osswald at the Polymer Engineering Center. Initially polymers were completely new, but according to my advisor, I would learn about plastics in a couple of months. I took classes in polymers and still continue learning. Since then I am a SPE student member and truly enjoy working on my research and learning about polymers.

Meet Lynzie Collard

2009-03-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

My name is Lynzie Collard and I’m a 23 year old Plastics Engineering Technology graduate from Penn State Behrend. I graduated in December ’08 and started my job as Project Manager for Pittsburgh Plastics (located in Butler, PA) in January.

Pittsburgh Plastics is a relatively small company with an Engineering department consisting of five people. As a project manager, I am responsible for taking sales requests from our Sales department and taking a product into final production. The steps in between vary greatly depending on the product and customer. Sometimes I am required to do a lot of R&D and prototyping to create a whole new product and other times I may only have one or two revisions to an existing product. Essentially I am responsible for the project from being to end.

Meet John Kraynik

2009-03-03T08:05:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. My name is John Kraynik from Penn State Behrend in Erie, Pennsylvania. I’m scheduled to graduate in May 2009 with a Bachelors of Science in Plastics Engineering Technology and a Minor in Operations and Supply Chain Management. My career at Behrend helped me develop a combination of engineering, business, and interpersonal skills, giving me a solid foundation to build my future with. Graduate School has always been an option, but I’m eager to start my career and contribute to the plastics industry.

I work part time at Beaumont Technologies, Inc as a Technical Sales Engineer, and am actively seeking a full time entry level engineering position in the industry. My career interests include (but certainly not limited to) product development, project management, operations, design, quality control, or some combination of these functions. I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s posts, and hopefully my posts can provide some help as well.

Welcome to SPE YoPro!

2009-03-03T07:57:00.000-08:00

Welcome to SPE's new blog that is dedicated to students and young professionals in the plastics engineering field.

SPE YoPro is written by and for SPE's student members and young professionals. It will consist of blog entries written by students and those who entered the plastics work force recently. Content will include class information, what it's like to search for a job when you're about to graduate, the job market, what their first job is like, etc.

Over the coming weeks, please look out for introductory entries written by our bloggers as we get to know them better!