FuzeHub is following five millennials who are making their mark in manufacturing. First up is Jason Ghyzel, CNC Machinist at Syntec Optics in Rochester. Jason was a $1,000 winner of FuzeHub’s 2019 Millennials in Manufacturing Awards.
Name: Jason Ghyzel
Age: 30
Education: Monroe Community College, Precision Metalworking Program
Family: Married, two children
Joined Syntec Optics: 2014
Tell us about Syntec Optics. Syntec is three companies inside of one building, with common ownership. We have an injection molding department; a high-volume production department known as Wordingham Technologies; and Rochester Tool and Mold, or RTM. Syntec develops, manufactures, and assembles custom optical solutions for defense and security, medical, and virtual reality applications.
What does your job entail? I work in the mold manufacturing department helping to make mold components. I generally run a multi-axis lathe and I run the mills as well. I also help Wordingham from prototype to production. In fact, I kind of help out all around. All of the departments utilize me. With the position I have created for myself here, I am able to build my own fixtures, build my own processes and implement them to try to speed up production, improve quality, and increase efficiency and throughput.
You seem to like your job. I really enjoy it. I am not just sitting at a machine all day long. I get to do a lot of programming. I get to do a lot of design work using the software programs we have. I’m all over the place. It is not tedious or monotonous. It is something new every single day.
Syntec is considered to be an essential business, so you are working during the COVID-19 shutdown? Yes. We do a lot of output for the military and medical fields. Right now, the machine under my direction is running parts that will house an optical filter that will detect the coronavirus. We had that job before any of this hit, so when the quarantine order came, we got a flood of emails saying what we make is essential to fight the virus “so you cannot close.” All of our employees are working, although upper management and office people work from home.
What drew you to manufacturing? I’ve always been very hands-on with creating things. Taking a block of something and turning it into a part is something I am very passionate about. I don’t know how else to describe it. I really enjoy creating something from nothing and the more intricate it is, or the more difficult it is to create, the more it excites me. Trying to make a part faster or with better quality is what drives me.
What kind of training have you received through Syntec? I’ve gone to 5-Axis Mastercam training at my local Mastercam dealer, OptiPro Systems. We’ve also had a good deal of in-house training on software applications. Before the quarantine, Syntec was planning to send me to Chicago for a week of 5-Axis Machine training and then have me come back and help the others with what I learned.
What do you think millennials bring to manufacturing? A younger mindset. I am constantly pushing the envelope on new technology and what the machines are capable of, the tooling that is out there, the fixture holdings that are out there, coming up with new processes and designs to help make production better and more efficient. I think that is the case with a lot of millennials. We are just very fast paced.
What would you say to young people about a career in manufacturing? If they enjoy working with their hands or being creative with their mind and expressing themselves with those traits, I think this would be a very good position for them. Depending on what shop they get into, there is a lot of flexibility with new ideas. Shops these days are open to hearing that because they understand how tough the industry is. They don’t just push you aside because you’re the new guy. They will listen to you. At least where I am here.
Where do you see your future? I wouldn’t mind retiring from Syntec. I am definitely not going to leave manufacturing. I see myself being here for a while. There is definitely room for me to grow here. I see myself becoming a lead guy that people come and ask questions or seek guidance from.
I really enjoy what I do. If I could be at home doing this, I would have a machine in my garage. I enjoy it that much and I would do it as a hobby.
