Feature Article - Expecting The Unexpected - 03/05 -
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Published on: 3/23/2005
Last Visited: 3/23/2005
Tom Browning, business development manager, inspects the tracking log for one of the 750 jobs in work at Hytek on any given day.
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"We started the class because we realized that some of our customers didn't know enough about finishing to be good consumers" says Tom Browning, business development manager at Hytek."The goal of the program is to give them the basic skills to make them better buyers of finishing services."
Now in its 13th year, Hytek University is offered on a quarterly basis.In the class, students are presented with a look at finishing processes like plating and anodizing, and the equipment that is used to perform them."We cover everything from basic chemistry to an explanation of how plating baths work," says Browning.A tour, which follows the classroom instruction, gives attendees the opportunity to see first-hand their parts as they are being processed.
Thanks to the program, students also get a look at some of the less glamorous aspects of finishing."Masking is uniformly unappreciated," says Browning.
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"We just keep asking our customers what they want," says Browning.
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Browning concedes that, while it is usually Hytek's bias to bring on a new process, the company does not lose sight of the "dollars and sense" factor."We have to make sure we're making a responsible decision, in terms of capital," he says.