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May 2017 • SMT Magazine 23 A Geographer in Electronics Manufacturing With a B.S. degree in Cultural Geography, Luke Timassey never anticipated he would de- velop his early career at an electronics manufac- turing company, but that's exactly where he's currently flourishing. When he finished school and moved back to Michigan, Timassey was introduced to Lectron- ics through friends who worked at the organiza- tion. They spoke very highly of their work expe- rience, and in August 2014, he applied through a temp agency to an open SMT technician posi- tion on the night shift. "I thought the SMT tech position would be a good starting point," explained Timassey. "I figured I would slowly work my way up—little by little." After spending a few months as an SMT Technician, Timassey quickly transitioned to the day shift, and was promoted to training specialist for the SMT Department. His expedi- ent growth trajectory felt a bit overwhelming at times, but he expressed incredible support and encouragement from his managers. After about six months, Timassey was look- ing for more of a daily challenge and applied for an internal posting that piqued his interest, documentation specialist. He interviewed and was immediately awarded the job. To help ease the transition, Timassey stayed in SMT to ap- propriately train his replacement before mov- ing over to the new documentation group. Now, as documentation specialist, Timassey is responsible for creating and processing nec- essary production documents such as work in- structions and assembly drawings. He feels that he still has a lot to learn within the documen- tation group and is eager to expand his respon- sibilities. "I plan to continue to work on my resume and grow within Saline Lectronics," said Ti- massey. Testing a Temporary Plan Originally referred through a temp agency, Alex Johnson started at Lectronics as an AOI Operator. He had no plans to stay on long-term and simply needed a job. With a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Johnson's analytical mind and clear problem- solving work approach enabled him to quick- ly climb the ranks. Within one month, Johnson was promoted to AOI programmer. Shortly there- after, an associate engineering position opened up, and his manager at the time, Jason Sciberras, recommended Johnson for the position. "Jason wanted me to grow internally," com- mented Johnson. "It made me feel confident in myself and my abilities. It was exactly what I needed to keep me at Lectronics." Even without prior industry experience John- son flourished within the engineering group. He believes his production perspective from actu- ally working on the floor allowed him to bet- ter understand the appropriate type of support manufacturing needs from engineering. Johnson's excellent work in engineering was noticed and appreciated by upper management, and he was internally recruited for the process engineering position that he's currently doing. "Process engineering lets me do more of what I enjoy," said Johnson. "I take a close look at a specific processes and make tooling to help that process flow better. Streamlining the process in conformal coating is quite satisfying." While a far cry from chemistry reagents and lab work, Johnson enjoys exploring the elec- tronics assembly field and finds the work in- tellectually satisfying. He even likens it to the scientific process—collecting samples and data and making decisions based on that empirical information. The Importance of Asking Questions Neena Vemuri takes great pride in her engi- neering mindset. With an education background in interdisciplinary engineering and CAD draft- ing, she's always been drawn to work that re- quires thorough examination and questioning. " Even without prior industry experience Johnson flourished within the engineering group. " GROW YOUR OWN TRAINING PROGRAMS