Episode 12: Carey Strickland

Marrying the Old with the New in Machining with Carey Strickland

 

Episode 12: Show Notes

 

Having taken over Hi Tec Machining, a company founded by his father 30 years ago, Carey Strickland has seen a lot of developments in the machining industry. Today he joins us to share his story, discuss the business, and talk about the challenges of marrying the old with the new in the world of machining. Tuning in you’ll hear some background into Carey’s company and career, what a typical day at Hi Tec Machining’s facility is like, and some of the challenges that they face. You’ll hear about the struggles of hiring new people, why Carey believes the youth are reluctant to get involved in manufacturing, and what Hi Tec Machining does to improve employee retention. We also discuss the development of robots, how Carey uses them in his facility, and how he foresees their role in the future of the industry in general. To hear Carey’s advice to anyone pursuing a career in manufacturing, his tips on where to find helpful resources, why he believes in the value of being honest, and his thoughts on how to be a better leader, tune in today!

 

Key Points From This Episode:

 

  • An introduction to Hi Tec Machining and how Carey’s dad founded the business.

  • What Hi Tec Machining does: CNC, milling, and turning.

  • Carey’s background, education, and how his career path led him to where he is today. 

  • What Carey believes is the biggest challenge facing the industry: Marrying the “old school” with the new. 

  • Why Carey believes the younger generation is reluctant to get into manufacturing. 

  • Carey’s advice to anyone pursuing a career in manufacturing. 

  • Books or other resources that helped Carey on his journey: The Effective CEO and YouTube.

  • Carey’s mentor and other people who have had a big impact on his life and career. 

  • One of the biggest lessons Carey has learned in his career about being honest. 

  • Some of the day-to-day challenges that Carey faces in his current position: the price of material and supply chain issues. 

  • Insight into Hi Tec Machining’s initiatives for employee retention. 

  • What a typical day at the Hi Tec Machining facility is like. 

  • Processes in place to maintain efficiency and productivity: equipment maintenance and the cross-training of employees.

  • How technology has impacted Carey’s industry in terms of communication and better tools.

  • Robot welding and the use of robots in Carey’s facility. 

  • Carey debunks the myth that machining is a nasty, greasy job and you don’t have to be intelligent to do it.  

  • What Carey sees for the future of his industry and business in 10 years and the role of robots.

  • Carey’s advice on how to be a better manager: be real with people.

 

Tweetables:

 

“To me, our biggest struggle is taking the old school and introducing it to the young people coming along. But at the same time, understanding they have ideas and they have visions, and how you marry those two together?” — Carey Strickland [0:04:44]

 

“Jump into the pool, get started, learn machining, and there’s no telling what it will branch off to. It could be anything from plant manager to plant engineer, to lead machinist, to purchasing, to sales. The sky is literally the limit in the direction you could go.” — Carey Strickland [0:07:11]

 

“These people are geniuses. They have engineering capabilities, they have machining capabilities, they can think their way through a problem. I mean, the skill sets that the people that we come across every day, it’s phenomenal! They’ve solved some of the major problems in this nation.” — Carey Strickland [0:24:04]

 

“You’ve got to be a leader and you’ve got to lead by example, but you can’t be afraid to let your team speak up either.” — Carey Strickland [0:27:44]

 

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

 

Hi Tec Machining  

The Effective CEO

Morty Hodge 

Greg Smith

Hodge Compressor

Morty’s Email Address

The Industrial Movement 

The Industrial Movement on Twitter

The Industrial Movement on Facebook 

The Industrial Movement on LinkedIn


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