Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1510765
50 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 is definition has changed so much over the past couple of years, but I believe it's a per- son who truly cares about their team, listens to input, and will stand behind them when something is wrong. ey take initiative—and the blame—when something happens on their team. ey put their team above themselves. Matties: How important is it for companies to be engaged in continuous improvement, and have you been part of that process in your work so far? We have meetings where we all talk about how we can improve a program or some of our pro- cesses. As my team continues to improve, it makes me want to continue personal improve- ment. I feel more challenged, and important on the team, that I'm actually making a differ- ence. at all contributes to that sense of pur- pose I was talking about earlier. Matties: Manufacturing is an old industry, and there's difficulty attracting Gen Z-ers, thus we don't have many young people working in this particular sector. What should companies do differently to communicate and be appealing to Gen Z? Internships would have been appealing to me. In high school and college, I didn't want to work for a retailer or a fast-food chain. I wanted something engineer ing- or manufactur ing- related. As far as talking to Gen Z, the best ways are through social media, maybe LinkedIn, but definitely Instagram and TikTok. Another way might be advertis- ing at high school sporting events, or being involved in their robotics teams. Matties: What about working with new technology? How important is that? It's so important. Some of these machines we use are becoming so outdated, and it makes the work harder than it should be. It's time- consuming and not efficient. Projects take so much more time. On the other hand, it's impor- tant to realize that the latest technology, espe- cially in the space that we're in, is extremely expensive. It's important to see the manufac- turer's perspective as well, that investing in new equipment depends on the budget. Matties: Where do you get most of your news from? I get it from Instagram, and sometimes LinkedIn. Matties: Whose voice matters? Should it be an influencer ? I think that voice should be from someone who is doing manufacturing work day-to-day. ey can give the truest voice to the students about what it's like and what companies offer. Te: As we wrap up, how do you feel you've grown and changed just in the few months since you left college? I think the biggest change for me has been taking life slower and savoring every sin- gle moment of work and of my free time. In school, I was a go-go-go 100% type of person, but toward the end of my senior year, I real- ized how burned out I was. Now, I say it's okay to take things slower and just be present in my life. at has been the biggest change for me. Matties: Thank you for talking with us. is has been great. SMT007