Gina Hong has been a GWS Tool Group Machine Operator in our Springfield, Massachusetts plant for three and a half years. She’s a skilled maker of our custom cutting tools, and if you told her four years ago it’s where she would be, she probably would not have believed you.

Since she was undecided about going to college, Gina asked a tech instructor in her home town of Asnuntuck, Connecticut, about her next step. Recognizing her skills on the school’s old Bridgeport manual lathe, the teacher suggested she apply for a job with GWS while she made up her mind. It was an excellent piece of advice. Gina admits that she likes working here so much that college is still on the back burner.

“Can I Do This?”

Today, Gina runs a bank of four ANCA MX7 Linear CNC tool grinders. Taking dimensions from a paper print, she programs the machines via the control panel, loads a blank and monitors the run. While you wouldn’t know it today, Gina admits that during her first year, she was convinced she would never learn to do the job effectively. But for each error she made, she gained a piece of knowledge that could be used the next time to make a better product.

That education process continues to this day. “If I get a bad result, I can count on my experience to correct it,” she says. “But there’s always something new for me to learn.” For example, on a recent job, a 350 carbide end mill wasn’t matching spec after the run. Gina adjusted the wheel and checked the core and diameter. Finally, an engineer checked out the machine and found that a loose probe was causing the problem. “I filed that one away for the next time,” she said.

Mastering the Job

The variety of new challenges in each day is what keeps the job exciting for Gina. She may not know the exact nature of the next tooling puzzle to be solved, but she knows whatever it is, she will be ready to analyze the situation and come up with a viable solution.

Gina says her greatest accomplishment so far was mastering the job well enough to run independently. “I thought it was too hard at first, but I gave it a chance and found out I was much more capable than I had even imagined.”

Working for GWS

One of the things Gina likes about working for GWS is the constant flow of new technology into the shop. “The company isn’t afraid to spend money to keep us competitive and give our customers the best tools possible.”

Gina has a pretty full work schedule and says her job is enough of a challenge to satisfy her creative side. She doesn’t need to take on a hobby or participate in sports. “When I have the chance, I just like to relax with the television or hang out with my girlfriends.”

Looking for a Satisfying Career?

GWS Tool Group is on the cutting edge of custom cutting tools, and our facilities in Florida, Indiana, Michigan and Massachusetts are always looking for talented and driven individuals. If you’re curious about the perks and possibilities of a career here, read up on how you can join our team.