MAKER

“Flying in a plane and knowing that our parts are in the plane, that’s mind-blowing. I never imagined myself being part of all that.”

Cristal Velez

MEET CRISTAL

  • Hometown

    Puerto Rico

  • Position

    Purchasing Specialist and Production Coordinator

  • Employer

    Metal Finishing Technologies
    Bristol, CT

Q&A

What led you to pursue a career in manufacturing?

I was forced to leave Puerto Rico on short notice and decided to move to Connecticut. I applied for numerous jobs and was looking for one that was close to the house since I didn’t have a car at the time.

I had difficulty finding the right job — it had to fit my kids’ school schedule since I couldn’t rely on anyone to help with day care. After two weeks of struggle and no luck finding interviews, my brother-in-law informed me about a job hiring.

Metal Finishing Technologies is the one that offered me my first position. So I didn’t choose to be in the manufacturing field, I just ended up in it.

What has your journey been like?

I started at Metal Finishing Technologies doing data entry and I was a little scared because I didn’t know anything about manufacturing and my English was not the best. I’m a fast learner, and this allowed me to have free time.

I started walking around the shop and observed things that were attracting my attention. I wanted to become an MRO quality inspector as it looked cool at the time, but that didn’t work out like I wanted it to. A new position opened for customer service and shipping and I decided to give it a shot.

I started to learn all about plating and decided to give that a shot. I was the new quality inspector in the plating department, and I loved it. But again, I wanted to continue learning.

I took the chance to apply for the position opening in purchasing and I got it. I still do a little production coordinator work. Now I know almost everything from the beginning to the end of our process.

What have you learned about yourself?

I learned that I’m capable of doing far more than I ever imagined. I decided to go back to college because I enjoy what I do and I wanted to build a ready career in it. It’s still scary going back to school after 10 years and having a full-time job and being a full-time mom.

Every day that I go into class, I leave with new ideas of how to do stuff and how to understand the reasons I do stuff at work. Going back to college and moving up throughout the company are things I am very proud of.

Do you have any advice for people interested in a career in manufacturing?

Just jump in and roll your sleeves up. It’s an exciting field that just may surprise you. My favorite part about working in manufacturing is being able to create parts we use in our daily lives.

What do you like to do in your free time?

College classes and work keep me very busy. But any free time I have is spent with my two amazing kids who keep me very busy.