EVS Metal is pleased to publish another installation in our ongoing series of spotlight articles highlighting employees and their departments. We hope these help illustrate EVS’ capabilities as a manufacturer and metal fabricator, and the value our people bring to the table each and every day.
Spotlight on Danny, Finishing Department Manager, EVS Metal Texas
EVS Metal: What is your primary job function or functions?
Danny: Managing employees and setting daily production schedules, as well as maintaining supplies and equipment, for the finishing department at EVS Texas.
EVS Metal: How did you become interested in a career in the metal fabrication industry?
Danny: I started in the manufacturing industry in 1990 as the shipping manager for a company that specialized in powder coating and wet paint finishing applications. Although I didn’t work directly in fabrication at that point, the company was contracted by various large manufacturers to apply finishes to a range of products.
EVS: What path did you follow to get you where you are now in terms of your career?
Danny: I was always interested in art, and won various art contests from the time I was young. I excelled in drawing and painting, in particular. I ended up taking a drafting class in high school, which I enjoyed, then went on to college and took numerous art classes. In 1991, after a year managing the powder coating shipping department I mentioned previously, I moved to finishing and managed that department until 1998.
I worked for various other companies managing multiple finishing operations as well as shipping for the next 10 years. In 2008, however, I had the opportunity to do something a bit different in finishing — moving a purchased powder coating line from Mexico to Texas for set up, including design and layout. Once it was ready, I ran daily operations as well as sales. I later set up two more powder coating lines, including one for EVS Metal, where I started in 2010; I’ll have been with the company for 9 years as of this August.
Most of my formal training over the years has come from a need to become certified in a certain area of manufacturing and fabrication from an operational standpoint. I’ve undergone training for lean manufacturing, process improvement, J.I.T., 5S, Kaizen, Six Sigma, and OSHA.
EVS: What do you like most about your job, and what does a typical day look like for you?
Danny: My work has a lot of variety to it, so it’s hard to get bored or feel stuck in a rut! It also requires a ton of walking, so I’m on my feet a lot. I find that I have to make quite a few quick decisions each day as well, so it keeps me on my toes in more ways than one.
EVS: What has been your most rewarding project at EVS?
Danny: We had a huge project — a configurable rack product line built to ship directly to the end customer, for a major rack manufacturing OEM. My team kept it running on time for the duration of our contract, and I am very proud of the incredible numbers we produced for the project as a whole.
About EVS Metal
EVS Metal is an American precision metal fabricator headquartered in Riverdale, NJ. Our machinists and operators utilize the latest technology to cut, bend and finish stand-alone items as well as parts for integration or assembly into more complex products. EVS Metal’s four ISO 9001:2015-certified locations comprise over 250,000 square feet of vertically-integrated manufacturing space and feature the most modern equipment available, from lasers and CNC machining centers to automated powder coating lines.
We serve a diverse customer base across North America, providing a range of services from quick-turn prototypes to high-volume production runs. Request a personalized metal fabrication quote online or call 1-888-9EVSMET to speak with a specialist today.
