April 2020 Accelerate Magazine

WAUKESHA COUNTY BUSINESS ALLIANCE, INC. | WAUKESHA.ORG MetalTek International’s Wisconsin Centrifugal Division is celebrating 75 years as a significant employer in the city and county of Waukesha. Founded in 1945, MetalTek provides specialty cast, machined and fabricated metal-alloy products for the world’s most demanding applications. From the bottom of the ocean to the reaches of space, parts made in Waukesha solve critical quality and service challenges for customers and the people who rely on them. Every time you take a commercial flight you count on parts from MetalTek to deliver you safely to your destination. Our commitment to the safety of our employees, our customers and the people who depend on the products we make always comes first. And our commitment to MetalTek’s continued role in the community has led us to implement programs for the training and development of our future workforce. MetalTek's Rotational Engineering Program takes recent engineering graduates and provides them with exposure to a variety of manufacturing methods by rotating them through MetalTek’s different U.S. divisions. Rotational Engineers become familiar with processes such as centrifugal casting, sand casting, investment casting, machining, welding and heat treating. Graduates of the Rotational Program have continued on into engineering, sales and manufacturing management. Wisconsin Centrifugal’s current Director of Operations is a great example of the program’s vital role in MetalTek's continued growth and success. Beginning his career at MetalTek in the Rotational Engineering Program, he went on to hold positions within manufacturing supervision, engineering, engineering management, and ultimately his current role as head of manufacturing. He now oversees manufacturing operations at Wisconsin Centrifugal with over 300 people under his leadership. For skilled trades, our Machinist Trainee program was developed in response to the decreasing availability of skilled machinists in today’s labor market. MetalTek is a “job shop”, meaning we custom manufacture our products to meet each customer’s unique needs. The work we do is constantly changing, from submarine parts, to aircraft components, to parts on the Mars rover. Our machinists must be able to adapt to the changing work in our shop. They must be able to DAVE HARRIS Human Resource Manager, MetalTek Intenational DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS SUPPORT THE FUTURE WORKFORCE 12