December Employee Recognition: Galo Lopez
Whatever improvement he pictures in his mind, he makes sure to implement it in the facility. It’s hard to materialize ideas, but he makes his ideas happen.
Domingo Hernandez
Galo Lopez is our resident improvement wizard at Natech. He has a passion for finding better ways to do things at our manufacturing facility. He has been with Natech since the company’s beginnings and is consistently making efforts to grow our organization and improve our processes.
Q: What do you do at Natech?
I am a Senior Foreman at Natech. I’ve been working here since March 1999. I do process mold changes and work with many machines.
Q: What’s your favorite part about working at Natech?
My favorite part is that I can do whatever I am interested in. I go from working in the toolroom to working with robots. We’re always getting new equipment and new machines and I get to learn how to use them. I feel like I never stop learning.
He’s always willing to train and teach people on the production floor. I really see him as a mentor and people on the floor see him as a mentor too. He taught me a lot when I started working here. He has many technical skills and he utilizes those skills to improve the company. He’s the type of person to not wait for someone to ask what can be improved; he already has ideas that go above and beyond. He’s a technician. His mind is brilliant on a technical and mechanical level.
Domingo Hernandez
Q: How did you start your career in manufacturing?
I started my manufacturing career in August 1997 and I worked with Mr. Gerd (Gerd Nagler, founder of Natech Plastics). I started as a floorboy and then worked my way up.
Q: What do you like to do when you have downtime during work?
I try to invent or improve something. I like to try to make things better. Like when we had a problem with the sensors on the cobot, I invented something to try to fix that problem immediately.
Galo is an excellent, hard-working, dedicated, and intelligent worker who loves his job. If there is any problem with a machine or robot, he tries to fix it.
Sonia Velasquez
Q: What motivates you?
My family.
Q: What do you like to do in your free time?
I like to play volleyball. I usually play volleyball with my friends over the weekend. And I like to spend time with my family; I have my wife and four daughters. When we play hide and seek together, sometimes it takes me 10 minutes to find the little one. When we play Wii U together, they get very competitive. They don’t like to lose.
He’s a family guy. He talks about his family a lot. And he connects with the team like we’re all a family.
Q: What are your favorite Natech memories?
I had a lot of nice memories with Mr. Gerd. He was a really nice guy. He was a very nice person and supported me a lot when I first started. We have some funny memories, but that’s between me and him.
Q: You’ve been at Natech for a long time. How have you seen the company change?
When we first started, we didn’t have much. We started with only three machines and three people. One of the biggest changes from then to now happened after we received our ISO certifications. This means that in the last few years, we started focusing on producing medical parts.
Q: Did you think the company was going to grow as much as it did?
Yes. When the company first started, I told Mr. Gerd that one day we’re going to be a big company. And he said “I trust you.” And now we’re definitely growing up.
Q: Why do you feel proud to work at Natech?
Right now, we’re making parts for COVID, and it makes us feel nice that we are making parts that save lives and help people who are sick.
He loves what he does so much. He’s always so focused and incredibly passionate about his work. He has the big picture when tackling problems. He understands the concept of doing things right the first time so you don’t have to go back and forth.
Q: How would you describe Natech?
Natech has good opportunities. They provide a lot of support to customers and employees.
Q: What’s one thing that you can’t live without?
I can’t live without coffee. Usually, I drink 3 cups of coffee every day.
Q: What are three traits that define you?
Responsible. Honest. Productive. I believe that if you find a problem, you should try to fix it and then find out what caused the problem.