How long have you been visiting the Cove Forums? Vintage Cove!

How Long Have You Been Visiting The Cove?


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Ken K

#11
How in the world did I get here....
I'm still trying to figure that out...someone must have changed a roadsign because I'm sure I went the wrong way.

It was 24 years ago 5/11 (a little Beatles twist) that I walked into our plant at 10:30pm along with 11 others. Our mission was to earn a paycheck, not launch a career. I guess everyone else listened because by the third night I was the only one left from the group. Who knew?

During that time I've worked production, set-up, maintenance, prototype, quality, and a little supervision. I've run thermoformers, tenoners, tape routers, gang saws, multi-drills, presses and programmed ASEA robots to do things they were never intended to do. I've laughed, cried, bled (too many times, but I still have ten digits) swore and generally enjoyed myself.

To which I can give you one simple answer about how I got into quality. I got traded! (at least that's what I was told). We were originally (lab) part of R&D. Yeah, we did all the testing for the quality department for the products we produced, but we also did quite a bit of research testing so they stuck us in that group.

About three years ago, my boss quit along with his two techs. Goodbye R&D. Three weeks later, the lab manager takes disability for health reasons. So our department went from six to two. So, we split the manager responsibilities between us and kept on going. Well, someone decided we needed a boss, so they stuck us with QA. Happy Land as we like to call it.

Gee, thanks JRKH. Thought the mind would block everything out after all these years. Maybe I'm being punished or maybe I am just a mascochist... :smokin:
 
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E

energy

#12
My career?

Okay, my turn. We did this before in a thread called” Who are we?” Just not as extensive.

After completing 4 years active duty in the Navy’s Aviation wing, as a reciprocating engine mechanic, applied for an assembler’s position at a prominent Helicopter manufacturer. No openings for a reciprocating engine assembler. (Nose Picker) “How would you like to try Inspection? Do you have any Inspection experience?” “Sure, I used to inspect aircraft before each flight.”
Yea, right. Check the tires, struts, gas and oil, clean the canopy and help the pilot strap in. This smart HR person started me in fuselage construction Inspection. Aft, mid, forward, tail and cockpit departments. Spent two years in the Hydraulic Servo room where the aircraft’s power steering units were built. Double Inspection-Flight Critical. Out to the Final line where the flight controls and engine controls were installed. Again, double Inspection, Flight Critical. For 4 ½ years, then a 10 month layoff. Govt wage and price freeze. Nixon. Remember him?
Started over again as an Inspector for a company that built critical life support equipment for Nuke Boats. Actually, it was their main supply of oxygen when submerged. You submariners know it as the Oxygen Generator. In almost 19 years, I progressed from Inspector, Chief Inspector, Quality Control Supervisor to Quality Control Manager.
Got bored, disenchanted and tried another stint as a Senior Quality Assurance Engineer for a well-known aircraft supplier that was getting into the Navy business. After a year, 400 employees were laid off due to declining orders. Guess who was first? When I started there were 12,000 bodies. They are currently down to 5,000+. Hey, win some lose some.
Another 10 months out of work at age 49.
Started over again as a Quality Engineer. That was the advertised position. It was really a hands on Inspector, Safety Manager and Quality Manager when needed. That lasted for 8 years and Corporate decided to close our facility and send all our work to Colorado Springs. We were given 3 months to find other work. Through contacts, there was an opening for a Management Rep. at an aircraft supplier of sheet metal products. What the **** was a Mgt Rep? 18 months there and I got a chance to go back to my current position as Inspector, Safety and Environmental Manager. Oh yeah, Quality Manager when they need one. The brains of the outfit that was closed down, got all his key personnel together with some financial backing and started up this current business. I guess he likes me because he offered a substantial increase in my salary. And, I get to be one of those Mgt Reps, again. What exactly is that?
In spite of the ups and downs, Quality has always been a way of life for this tired old dog. Two grown children, 33 and 29 yrs old and 3 Grandchildren and the same wife of, soon to be 37 years. Not bad.

And I agree with the earlier post. It sure beats working for a living.
:bonk: :ko: :smokin:
 
Last edited by a moderator:
U

Unregistered

#13
My story is short and sweet. No quality or inspection background.

Hired by a registrar as an account manager and to help get the ISO 14001 product line launched in the US. Branched into various other roles in the company. 4 years there.

Recruited by my present company to build a QMS. Ground up. Which is quite a task for someone who's never been on this side of registration before. I learn as I go along.

And that's how I fell into quality.

Must be doing something right, because my boss told me that if he ever went to another company he would take me along as QM *at any price*!!
He says that I have a natural instinct for what a QM is supposed to be. Well, if that's the case I wish I could explain it to all the people who look at me with blank faces when I say I'm a quality manager. :vfunny: Huh? Quality management? What's that?
 

SteelMaiden

Super Moderator
Super Moderator
#14
Hummmm, how did we get here???

I ask myself that daily:biglaugh:

I started out studying to be an architect. I needed money to go to school, so I worked for one of the firms in the city and did all of the specifications and interior decorating schemes. I didn't make much (working part time and going to school) so I became a design manager at a mid-size building contractor. Part of my responsibility was to work with (actually pretty much be an additional) construction manager. From there I went to a large fabricator in the engineering dept. I got tired of being a peon with no place to go after (too many) years, and transferred to a sister division as a lab tech and quality system documentation specialist.

From there I pretty much created my own position. I found early on that I was bored to death as a lab tech and I really enjoyed creating electronic methods to eliminate long mathematical equations. I started automating things and became lead technician of the lab, then added management rep when the ISO drive started.

The rest, as they say is history. I hit the top of my payscale and moved on to the next division as the head of quality systems.
 
R

RosieA

#15
I have talked to many people about how they got into quality and the vast majority ended up in this field by accident, not by design!

I was an Art major in college (believe it or not, the creation of art is a process, and I had one wonderful design professor who taught me more about process control than any ASQ course ever did). My first career path was in electronic component sales. (AS being a full time artist didn't pay very well) In the early 80's a semiconductor manufacturer we represented got into Crosby in a big way and made stunning changes in how they did business. By the mid 80's they were bringing Quality College out to the field sales organization and it was light a ray of sunshine shone down from the heavens! It all made great sense. I pitched doing a TQM program to my management and they bought into it in a very large way. I went from Sales to QI, and was thoroughly hooked.

Because I was successful getting the QI process going, I also got assigned the task of getting us ISO certified in the early 90s. After the business was sold and moved elsewhere, I moved into quality assurance and regulatory affairs for a medical devices manufacturer who needed both ISO and the Medical Devices CE Mark for it's products. Fascinating field, but regulatory affairs is grueling.

However, I find I like the creativity of continuous improvement, so I moved to a position 2 years ago where I am doing both QI and QA.

Mickeyman, you are so right about it being a touch of OCD! My whole family is risk averse, and we've all found jobs where managing risk is a large factor.
 

Bubba

Involved In Discussions
#16
I was happily going about my business as an engineering technician when my boss suggested that I take on the responsibilities for our plant's calibration system. I foolishly agreed to the extra responsibility without any change in status. (It was only supposed to take up 1/3 of my time) Two years later, the plant manager decided it was time for a reorg and put the calibration responsibilities back in the Quality department. I was given the choice of staying in Engineering or moving to Quality with the calibration system. I still don't know if I made the right choice, but I'm with the Quality department and still attached to the calibration system. I have branched off some into internal auditing and documentation. I guess the reason I stick it out is that I like to find (hopefully not create) problems and fix them. Someday I will have to determine whether I will go full force down the Quality pipeline or try to swing back into the Engineering world.:)
 

Marc

Hunkered Down for the Duration with a Mask on...
Staff member
Admin
#17
An 'oldie but goodie - Nick Savich - may be joining us again for a while. For those of you who don't remember Nick, see: This OLD (!) Post.

If you make it back, Nick, Welcome! :bigwave: Happy to hear from you!

Now - if we could only pry Don Winton out of the woodwork... I haven't heard from Jim Stewart for a while now, either. Ah, yearning for the 'good old days'...

:rolleyes:

Please take a minute and vote. If the Cove forums have helped you, please take a minute and click "Post Reply" and tell me how. Even if you're very new to the Cove Forums, I would really like to know! :thedeal:

And to think the forums are still up and running - the forums going for about 4.5 years now!! AND What an evolution in software, huh?

I've gone through 4 ISPs since January 1996. I feel like playing the Greatful Dead song "Truckin' " wherein they sing What a long, strange trip it's been! For those of you who were hanging around back in August - December 2001, you'll know what I'm talking about as that was a very trying time for several of us....

Well, you know how it is... A bit of Reminiscing :D

Energy is a relative newcomer. God knows what ever happened to Al Dyer (see the road kill Thread, if I remember correctly, for the 'personals'....).

Don Winton faded into darkness and remains a ghost. A wonderful resource, I was sad to see Don fade away. Almost a Shakespearian drama to those of use who 'knew' Don.

Kevin Mader has taken Don's academic place (My gratitude to Kevin for his continued input), but Don's FDA and medical device knowledge is sorely missed.

Oh well, on with the show! :thedeal:

Marc

PS: I'm not fishing for accolades herein. Just reminiscing and looking to the future of the Cove. If you have any ideas, post a reply and I'll consider it.

For those of you who care, see the following link to see the 'Next version' of Forums software. IF they ever release it....:confused: Check out his link.

My thanks to everyone who contributes their experiences and knowledge in the Elsmar Cove Forums!
 
#18
Well, I'm not at all certain about when I actually found the forums. It was probably back in 1999, but I was a slow starter when it came to joining and posting. I spent a good while just reading and sifting through the site, and finally joined in May 2000. Today I cannot imagine what made me wait so long???

If the forums have been helpful to me? I'll say they have... More or less any question you care to put forward is answered by helpful and professional people.

Apart from getting answers to your questions, you have to think things through when you take part in the discussions. That is perhaps the most valuable aspect of being active here. My everyday work has clearly benefited from that.

On top of it all, I have also made many friends here.

/Claes
 
#19
Off and on

I found the Cove through a co-worker (Carp) back in either 2000 or 2001. I registered and forgot my Username. So, I re-registered under an easier one to remember. That was before Marc "cleaned the board".

The best thing about the Cove is the diversity of opinion and application. It has taught me to think in less conventional terms in meeting the "letter" of the law, so the intent can be fulfilled in the manner that meets the organization the best.
 

gpainter

Quite Involved in Discussions
#20
I enjoy reading all the views and learning from all the knowledge and experience of the members. Everyone is really helpful.
 
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