Opportunity knocks for company and student
Daniel Wile, president of Southern Cast Products, Inc., talks with Brian Warren, division
chair for the Industrial Technology division and the coordinator and instructor for
the Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program at MCC, and Michael Bishop.
Bishop is a sophomore in the MCC career and technical program.
It’s been said problems are opportunities in disguise. In one case, an opportunity turned into a double win.
Southern Cast Products, Inc. creates steel castings anywhere from a few pounds up to 4,000 pounds used in a wide range of industries, including mining and rail and bridge construction. “Castings are an unsung hero because our products aren’t necessarily going to an end-user, but they are going into machines that do go to end-users. So, they are an integral part of machines that do go into what customers might see,” said Daniel Wile, president of Southern Cast Products.
Founded in 1979 and located in Meridian, Southern Cast Products is a jobbing steel foundry. In one operation, they use a lathe to turn the test bars which validate the material properties of the steel that is poured. The company purchased a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) lathe to modernize the process and turned to Meridian Community College for assistance.
“We didn’t have any CNC experience,” said Wile. “So we reached out to MCC and Brian Warren for help and to show us everything we need to know about running it.”
Warren, division chair for the Industrial Technology division and the coordinator and instructor for the Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program at MCC, assisted the company in getting up to speed on the CNC equipment.
But that’s not all.
Earlier this year, when a Southern Cast Products’ CNC machine operator had to be away for a while, “We called Brian to see if we could get some training to get us through that gap,” Wile said.
“Brian was able to find us a student who had enough flexible schedule that he could come out and help us run some test bars on our machines,” Wile said.
That’s when opportunity knocked again, this time for MCC Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program student Michael Bishop.
“I was familiar with the machine; we have a lathe just like that in our shop at the College,” Bishop said. Warren asked Bishop to help. “This was the opportunity for a real-life experience, to go work for a company. I was extremely excited.”
Bishop is a sophomore from Quitman who is also a husband and father to two young daughters.
For two weeks, Bishop was able to gain valuable experience and help others. “It gave me an idea of how the industry works. And it gave me a real good idea of what employers expect, what kinds of problems can happen in day-to-day in industry,” he said.
Warren noted, "While we strive to emulate an industry work environment to the best of our ability in the Gene Haas Advanced Manufacturing Center, nothing beats the real thing. This was a great opportunity for Michael to get to go out into industry and apply what he has learned in college thus far. I am very proud to have him represent the program and MCC at Southern Cast Products. I knew Michael would be up to the challenge and knock one out of the park."
Bishop enrolled in the College’s program near his 28th birthday. Though he was employed in the medical field, he didn’t find it fulfilling. “I wanted a career change but wasn’t exactly sure where to go,” Bishop said. After talking with a friend, who was studying in the Precision Machining Engineering Technology Program, Bishop came to the College and met Warren.
“I was in there for about five minutes and said, ‘Yep. This is what I want to do,’ and I haven’t regretted that decision ever since. I’ve learned a do a lot of things mechanical wise that I didn’t know how to do before,” he said.
“The shop’s become a kind of home away from home,” Bishop added.
Noting there have been numerous opportunities in this field, Bishop sees a bright future. He’s hopeful for a career in aerospace, medical or defense manufacturing and taking on a CNC programmer’s position. Another goal: an engineering degree.
“There are jobs for this trade everywhere. All you have to do is look in any direction,” Bishop added.