Meet Wade, Our December Employee Spotlight
Since 2015, Wade has worked at MATHESON’s Waverly, NE location.
However, Wade’s journey with MATHESON began in the early 1990s, before MATHESON acquired Linweld. “I started at Linweld in 1994 and worked with cylinders and reconditioning in the cylinder distribution center. My tasks included retesting cylinders, putting new valves in, and repainting the cylinders. I also helped with loading and unloading the route trucks.”
Wade decided to make a career change and move from the cylinder distribution center to the warehouse. “Working at a large company, I had the opportunity to move into a different area and see a new side of the company.” After working as a warehouse associate, Wade was promoted to team leader.
I work with many great people, and we make a great team.
Wade
In Wade’s current position, he plays a vital role in the supply chain management of our inventory. He is responsible for quality control of all orders, ensuring that the orders are processed accurately and shipped on time with all the appropriate paperwork. Wade is also responsible for maintaining all customer delivery records.
Wade thoroughly enjoys working with his fellow team members. “I work with many great people, and we make a great team. We have many things in common since many of us came from the cylinder distribution center, and we share a similar goal of doing our job promptly and efficiently.”
When Wade is not working, he enjoys spending time with his family, including his wife, two kids, mother, and mother-in-law. Wade and his wife like traveling, especially to South Dakota. Wade states he is a “simple man with a simple life,” but his career at MATHESON has allowed him to grow and develop his confidence and workplace relationships.
If you want to be a part of the MATHESON family, visit our career page to find a job opportunity near you:
Meet Carolyn, Our November Employee Spotlight
Most mornings, Carolyn wakes up and drives anywhere in a sixty-mile radius of MATHESON’S Columbus, Nebraska store to speak with and assist customers working at businesses such as metal manufacturing facilities, ethanol plants, and even fire truck manufacturers.
This is an environment Carolyn not only loves but one in which she thrives. “I love working with our customers and taking care of them. This job allows me to travel and bring new ideas and solutions to the attention of our clientele.”
Carolyn has been a MATHESON Outside Sales Representative since 2006. However, she has thirty-four years of combined experience in sales, management, and accounting. Carolyn began working for Linweld in the late 1980s and stayed on when MATHESON acquired Linweld in 2006.
“I love helping customers throughout the entire process, but the support you give after the sale is critical in the longevity of customer retention.”
Carolyn
Carolyn’s typical day involves problem solving and offering ideas to customers to help improve their general processes or provide vending solutions, automation studies, welding processes, and safety solutions. She will often assist in training customers in using new equipment and be available to support and troubleshoot questions on our products. “Service after the sale is essential to me,” states Carolyn. “I love helping customers throughout the entire process, but the support you give after the sale is critical in the longevity of customer retention.”
Over three decades in the workforce have allowed Carolyn to learn a thing or two about customer relationships. “The best lesson I have learned during my career would be to take good care of your customers and build loyalty with them. You are developing relationships and trust with your clients that will continue to foster other relationships and help grow your business.”
“Teamwork is another large part of my success. I couldn’t do it without my fellow team members at the store. The collaborative environment at MATHESON is exceptional; we frequently bounce ideas off one another and help each other out in any way we can.”
When she is not traveling with her husband to different parts of the US, Carolyn likes spending time in her garden at her home in Omaha. “I have a lot of fun gardening. I love growing jalapenos and everything else needed to make salsa, my favorite treat.”
If you are ever in Nebraska, you should be on the lookout for Carolyn.
Production Capacity Success Story: Cryogenic Freezing
OBJECTIVES
To keep up with pet food demands that quickly skyrocketed during COVID lockdowns and double production until a new plant can be constructed.
CHALLENGES
A leading manufacturer of high-quality dog food saw steady growth of their product lines over the last decades. A new plant was under construction but would not be ready for a few years. There have been massive spikes in sales due to COVID quickly exceeding the production capacity for the current location. This company needed to double production in a short time frame without substantial capital expenditures or plant expansions.
MATHESON SOLUTION
This pet food manufacturer used an older cryogenic 3-pass tunnel freezer at their manufacturing facilities for many years as part of their only existing production line. The freezing process was the limiting factor to additional production. The customer ran this line beyond its design capacity, trying to maximize throughput. Constant breakdowns and high wear caused the unit to require frequent and expensive maintenance. As a critical process, it would often bring the entire plant to a standstill when breakdowns occurred. The small production area limited their ability to use a larger freezer that was more suitable for their production goals.
Approximately six months before being approached by this customer, MATHESON purchased a used 3-pass freezer. MBI Cryogenics, Inc., a MATHESON owned cryogenic food freezing and chilling equipment manufacturer, refurbished the freezer to ensure it was in good operational condition. This 3-pass freezer could be the interim solution for this pet food manufacturer.
After rigorous testing and economic analysis were conducted by the logistics, cryogenic service, gas applications, and sales teams, it was determined that the 3-pass freezer would be a great solution. The overall size of the freezer was the same as the current system, allowing them to be placed in parallel identically configured production. A thorough review of the customer requirements indicated that the belt speed and liquid nitrogen flows had to be dramatically increased, calling for additional modifications. The unit was modified in Los Angeles as nitrogen tanks were ordered and installed.
A team of skilled and experienced contractors installed the system under the supervision of the MATHESON Application Engineer. New vacuum-insulated piping and stainless steel exhaust systems were quickly installed over a few days. The system was tested using the actual product, and a few minor modifications were made to better accommodate customer’s specific requirements.
The customer was greatly impressed with the ease of utilizing MATHESON as a total solution provider to investigate the production problem, procure the equipment, commission the system, deliver the gas, and provide technical support to maintain the production while installing and starting up the equipment. Production capacity was dramatically increased with a new redundancy provided by two identical, parallel production lines. MATHESON brought the entire system online within the customer’s six-month window. The total cost was about half the price of a new system.
