Getting Into Manufacturing
I rememeber the day I walked onto the Procter & Gamble production floor like it was yesterday. I had never been inside of a factory before. I've only seen hundreds of "How it's Made" videos...
I was immediately sold on the idea of the role of "Process Controls & Information Systems" (PC&IS) Band 1 Manager. The sound of machines producing products at the speed that made it impossible to see with a naked eye - it was absolutely spectacular.
This first job challenged me like nothing else before. I've met brilliant engineers, learned how to work with different platforms, how to manage people (internal and external), and most importantly was given the opportunity to go above and beyond what I thought I was capable. To this day, I have some regrets leaving P&G at that time; I believe that I could have made an excellent Director of Engineering at one of the facilities.
Engineering vs Maintenance
Having spent a few years in engineering, I began looking elsewhere - operations, maintenance, HS&E, quality, and other departments. In 2017, an opportunity has presented itself - a maintenance supervisor position at Kraft Heinz. At this time, it has been a few years since the merger by Kraft and Heinz led by the company that purchased both - 3G capital.
There were many differences between engineering & maintenance. However, the biggest difference was the fact that food & bev simply isn't a highly profitable vertical - There's a lot more margins in medical devices. that reality paired with the 3G way approach led the facility to struggle. A shutdown was announced in 2018. As you can imagine, this was an event to witness - many had built their life at the plant; some technicians had worked there for 42 years...
Fortune 50 to Small Systems Integrator
While I was working at Kraft Heinz, I had the pleasure to meet an incredible individual that hired me as the signs of the plant closure were apparent. He saw that I had a lot more technical knowledge than the typical supervisor / manager and thus brought me into a customer facing consulting role.
I learned a ton in this role which allowed me to travel to dozens of different sites across the US / Canada. I had the opportunity to work on projects as small as individual skids to architecting, programming, and commissioning entire facilities.
The MBA Experience
As I traveled between facilities, there was always the feeling of not fully understanding why certain decisions were made. I knew that I wouldn't be satisfied until I found those answers, and so I decided to go back to the drawing board.
In 2019, I entered the full time MBA program at McGill University.
The MBA was an incredible experience in many ways - In short, I realized that I've gotten more questions than answers.
I graduated in 2021 with a good GPA, knowledge, and while still working part / full time.
The Early Days of SolisPLC
In 2018, as I was doing a lot of travel, I had decided to put my efforts into creating some content I thought was lacking in our industry. Initially, SolisPLC was nothing more than a side project I wanted to contribute to in my spare time. I had a lot of prior experience on YouTube through a different channel I had built - EEEnthusiast. This meant that I knew well what needed to be done, what to expect, how to use the tools, and I wasn't worried about the success or failure of this venture.
Kerno
In 2022, I was presented with an opportunity to join Kerno as one of the early co-founders. This was an interesting idea as my goal wasn't to become a career professor despite the success of SolisPLC. It was also an interesting play as it allowed me to explore my desire to build something in a different vertical, learn a lot on the technical side, and sharpen some of the skills I had learned in the MBA.
Manufacturing Hub
Despite my venture into the world of IT and SaaS, I've not quit the work on SolisPLC. Furthermore, I had launched a podcast venture together with Dave Griffith which was picking up steam and leading me to interesting conversations in manufacturing. As Manufacturing Hub grew, Dave & I were presented with great opportunities through different companies - Siemens, Phoenix Contact, Opto 22, etc.
The Start of Joltek
Joltek was a domain I had purchased over 5 years ago. With SolisPLC, the mistake I had made was adding the "PLC" to the name. This led to a "lock-in" to PLCs. I had purchased Joltek as a "better" name and was hoping to rebrand at some point. The name was a combination of "jolt" - electrical in nature, and tech - I didn't like the traditional spelling much and wanted something shorter. Joltek was born.
I had dabbled in spinning up Joltek a few years ago as a subsidiary of SolisPLC for the same purpose - consulting and integration. I simply didn't have the time.
Today, Joltek is live and is looking for customers.
Optimizing operational efficiency is the foundation of success. Organizations can reach their full potential through streamlined procedures and strategic interventions, resulting in increased productivity, innovation, and long-term growth in the competitive landscape.
