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OPTIMAX
NEWSLETTER
Q4 2008
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Optimax continues to grow
through education and technological advancements.
Optimax has
planned updates and enhancements for the web site this year. For the
latest on Optimax, please visit the Optimax Web Site
regularly.
Cheers,
| Rick
Plympton |
Optimax Systems, Inc. |
| VP Sales |
6367 Dean Parkway |
| Optimax Systems, Inc. |
Ontario, NY 14519-8939
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An innovative manufacturer of precision
optics.
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Employee Profile – Josh Dennie
Production
Control Manager
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Josh Dennie, our Production Control Manager, joined
Optimax in September 2006. At Optimax, Josh and his team are
responsible for raw material inventory, process engineering,
production scheduling, and discrepant material operations. In
addition, Josh has been taking a more active role in the
communication of expected deliveries for customer orders and
projects.
Prior to Optimax, Josh completed his
Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Industrial & Systems
Engineering at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). During
his time at RIT, he interned at Walt Disney World in Lake
Buena Vista, FL, as an industrial engineer, and at General
Mills in Buffalo, NY and Carson, CA, as a project engineer.
For his Master’s work, Josh researched the topic of job
scheduling and published his thesis, “Efficient Job Scheduling
for a Cellular Manufacturing Environment.” |
In
January, Josh will be participating in a keynote panel,
moderated by renowned business journalist Forrest Sawyer,
where the topic of discussion will be “Disruptive Demographics
– Building the Workforce of the Future.” The panel is part of
the Material Handling Industry of America’s ProMat Conference,
held in Chicago. Josh and the rest of the panel will be
fielding questions related to disruptive demographics,
including worker shortages in manufacturing, the new meaning
of work-life balance, and how to attract and retain the new
generation of workers who have different motivations and
reward structures.
When the weather allows, Josh spends
as much time on the golf course as possible. He is also the
acting commissioner of the thriving Optimax Golf League, where
16 employees get together every Monday to enjoy some friendly
competition on the links. Additionally, Josh enjoys working on
home improvements at his house he purchased last year. He is a
faithful supporter of the Buffalo Bills, and is excited about
the potential of this year’s team.
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An innovative manufacturer of precision
optics.
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Superior Customer Service
for Production
Optics
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Optimax is taking an innovative approach to order
statusing production projects via e-mail inquiry and weekly
job status reports. For customers to submit a quick and easy
request, Optimax has created Order Status e-Groups. By
e-mailing an Order Status e-Group, the customer’s request gets
straight into the hands of production control and a response
is given within 24 hours.
Optimax excels at
manufacturing prototype optics. With over 100 opticians,
Optimax has grown to be one of America’s largest optics
manufacturing factories with capacity to manufacture
production optics. The production of large volumes of optics
requires a methodic, pro-active approach to keep each part on
track for on-time delivery. Weekly job status reports
extracted from our ERP software help Optimax and the customer
to stay on top of each order.
Sample
Job Status Report (JPEG Image)
We are extremely
optimistic about the early success of this report. The
improvement, as measured by our customers, is providing
valuable, timely information for their teams. These reports
can be customized for each customer’s internal review. We are
able to provide detailed updates for every job, on every part
number, with every order, from prototype to
production.
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An innovative manufacturer of precision
optics.
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Mike Mandina – Induction into the
New York
Business Hall of Fame
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Mike Mandina, President of Optimax, has recently
been recognized for his zeal and dedication to the optics
industry and was inducted into the New York Business Hall of
Fame. The great challenge of building a skilled workforce and
attracting qualified technology workers brought local
manufacturers together and inspired them to found FAME (Finger
Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’
Enterprise). |
This
challenge drove Mandina to take the initiative. Mandina serves
as the Chairman of FAME, leading Optimax in the movement to
attract youth to careers in advanced manufacturing. You can
read the Optimax News Release on this
below.
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Ontario, NY - Michael Mandina, President
of Optimax Systems, Inc. has recently been inducted into the
New York State Business Hall of Fame. Mandina is recognized
and honored for finding a solution to a problem. The problem
is a lack of skilled technicians. The solution is a long-term
strategy of increasing the number of workers in the
pipeline.
An entrepreneur, Mike joined Optimax in 1991
and provided the leadership that took it from a barn cellar to
a promising business in a high-tech 40,000 square feet
facility. Optimax is a precision lens manufacturing company, a
leading member of an industry that requires a highly skilled
workforce. It now employs more than 150 employees – over 100
opticians. These numbers are no small feat, as one of the
greatest growth challenges Optimax continues to face is a lack
of qualified technology workers. This is a challenge that
faces many advanced manufacturers’ in the Finger Lakes
region.
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In
2007, Mandina led Optimax to become one of the founding
members of FAME (Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’
Enterprise). FAME is a not-for-profit collaboration of
advanced manufacturers whose mission is to build a skilled
workforce. Targeting and providing mentoring for youth, FAME
reaches out to students in the surrounding Finger Lakes region
and attracts them to careers in advanced manufacturing. FAME
partners with economic development agencies and local schools
to spread this initiative.
The workforce is the most
valuable resource a company has. Recognizing this has been key
to the success of Optimax and a major contributor to its hard
earned growth. Mandina is dedicated to Optimax and the mission
of FAME. His hours of personal labor have been rewarded by a
workforce that is proud to be on his team. Congratulations
Mike!
*****About Optimax: Optimax is a
manufacturing company that provides rapid prototyping of
precision optical components in sizes from 3 to 300mm. Optimax
specializes in Asphere, Cylinder, Sphere, and Plano/Flat
optics. All parts are manufactured to customer-supplied
specifications. Final inspection data is included with the
optics. |
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An innovative manufacturer of precision
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Workforce Development
Optimax’s Claim to
FAME Part I
Optimax’s dedication to continuous
learning has been a driving force in the culture of the
workplace. As the economy and perception of manufacturing
continue to change, the challenge of finding skilled
technology workers continues to increase. With a great vision
for the future, Optimax has partnered with FAME to increase
the number of skilled technology workers to fill the pipeline.
FAME (Finger Lakes Advanced Manufacturers’ Enterprise) is a
not-for-profit organization whose mission is to increase
prosperity in the Finger Lakes region by helping
manufacturers’ with their most vital resource –
people.
As part of the FAME initiative, Optimax
has taken an approach to educate the young and inspired by
providing tours to local schools and interested students. This
year, Optimax has opened its doors to over 100 students for
tours. During these tours, the students have the opportunity
to see their science and math education applied in the work
environment. The exposure to manufacturing creates an
awareness of the numerous options available to students. These
tours show that today’s manufacturing environment requires
high skills, intelligence and a mindset to constantly
challenge the process. In order to be effective, workers must
have good hand-eye coordination, computer skills,
problem-solving skills, the ability to work as a team, the
ability to multi-task, and the ability to think and
communicate logically and critically under pressure. Out of
these tours have come interns and new hires working in roles
from manufacturing to IT.
FAME realizes that in
order to build a skilled workforce, they need to be proactive;
they must go to the students and not wait for the students to
come to them. Optimax is one of many companies making an
appearance in local schools. By working with the schools,
Optimax has been assigned to science departments and given the
opportunity to speak with students interested in fields
related to science, technology, engineering, and math. The
number of students introduced to manufacturing multiplies
exponentially by this presence, as well as the number of
teachers and faculty members.
The teachers and
faculty members are instrumental in the direction youth take
after high school. By igniting the passion in these
influencers, they pass it on through their curriculum. FAME
members have invited teachers and school-to-work coordinators
to tour the different facilities and witness the numerous
options available to students.
Manufacturing
offers opportunity. For the students who are not academically
driven, there is opportunity to learn a skilled trade and work
with their hands. For students interested in technical and
engineering fields, there is opportunity to apply their
knowledge and test their innovative ideas. From an entry level
optical technician to a top specialist with a doctorate, there
is opportunity to learn, grow, and advance.
Optimax
strives to create awareness of the opportunity available in
manufacturing. The manufacturing environment requires the
worker to challenge and improve the process in order to
deliver a precision product to customers. Optimax has taken a
hands-on approach in helping potential and existing employees
develop the skill sets that are required on a daily basis.
Accountability and critical thinking are important to the
Optimax manufacturing environment. The intimate setting allows
for employees to acquire great responsibility in a short
period of time, with the opportunity to excel.
“No
other investment yields as great a return as the investment in
education. An educated workforce is the foundation of every
community and the future of every economy.” |
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- Brad Henry
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An innovative manufacturer of precision
optics.
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