It’s important to have a path to success in your career. When you understand what is expected of you in order to move up the ladder within a company, all the long hours of training, problem-solving, and being held accountable for your workload really feel like accomplishments.
At Swiss-Tech, we place a fair amount of emphasis on providing upward mobility for our employees to help them reach their true potential. We believe it’s every team member’s right to earn their way to the next stage in their professional development – whether that’s within their current department or an adjacent one.
This is a priority for us, and we do our best to promote from within whenever possible. One example of this is Rachel Repinski, who was hired on as our new 2nd Shift CNC Machinist Programmer Supervisor in early 2019.
We had a chance to catch up with Rachel and gain a bit of perspective on what it takes to work your way up at Swiss-Tech.
Q: How long have you worked for Swiss-Tech?
A: I’ve been at Swiss-Tech for just about two years now. I started out as an entry-level Engineering Machinist Programmer, and I’m excited to step into this new role as a supervisor.
Q: What makes Swiss-Tech unique compared to other places you’ve worked?
A: I would definitely have to say the versatility that’s found here. We really have the ability to bounce around from area to area and learn how to do a lot of different things, which I’ve enjoyed.
The people are another big one. At other places – especially other machine shops – you really have to prove yourself and earn your coworkers’ respect before you’re viewed as an equal. It’s not like that here.
In my time at Swiss-Tech, all my coworkers have been incredibly forthcoming with knowledge and more than willing to help me get to where I am today. That’s definitely something that stands out to me.
Q: What does working at a place with room to grow mean to you?
A: It means a lot. I’ve always seen myself working for a company that I can really settle into and grow with over the long haul.
Swiss-Tech is definitely that type of environment for me. I want to still be working here 30 years from now.
Q: What would you say is the best aspect of your new role?
A: The number one thing I enjoy is being a voice for everyone out on the shop floor.
When you have your nose to the grindstone day in and day out, you can sometimes start to feel like your voice goes unheard, but now – as a supervisor – I can help make sure that’s not the case.
My mission is really just to help out the people around me whenever I can, whether that’s in a meeting, a training session, or simply lending a helping hand when things start to get crazy.
Q: Looking ahead, what are a few of your future goals in your new position?
A: My goal is to continue to find ways to expand my knowledge and learn as much as I possibly can.
If there’s a machine out on the floor that I don’t know how to operate, you can be sure I’m going to learn how to run it. It’s all part of my own development as well as our development as a team.
Ultimately, my goal as a supervisor is to get others to the point where they know more about these machines than I do. By training and growing together, we are helping to build and strengthen Swiss-Tech as a whole.
Would You Like a Career with Room to Grow?
At Swiss-Tech, we are always looking for hardworking people to join our team. If you love working with your hands, alongside great people, we would appreciate the chance to get to know you better.
Simply view our current openings and fill out an application online.
Swiss-Tech is an equal opportunity employer and always open to hearing from those looking for a place to work.