Chris Potts, Kratos, talks with Consumnes Oaks Students

In March, Chris Potts, Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineer with Kratos, hosted Edu2Mfg's "Breakfast with a Manufacturer." Potts spent 35 minutes sharing his experience in engineering with the 23 students from Matt Winn's, Consumnes Oaks High School, Principles of Engineering A class.

Potts shared with the students what got him interested in the field of engineering while he was in high school. He detailed his journey of strengthening his knowledge at California State University Sacramento where he earned both a BS and MS in Mechanical Engineering.

Kratos develops and fields transformative, affordable systems, platforms and products for national security and communications needs. As part of the presentation, Potts shared some nonproprietary 3D modeled images he had created for the drones that Kratos produces. In addition, he talked about rapid prototyping and composite engineering systems used at Kratos.

Potts encouraged the students to keep up their proficiency in the various digital formats, as this will be essential to staying current with the ever-changing world of technology. At the same time, he stressed the need to become proficient in using pencil and paper to communicate an idea via a sketch.

The next Edu2Mfg Shop Talk will be held in April after Spring Break. Shop Talk enables instructors to share tips and tools that they have found to enhance their instruction. The group has also worked with vendors to access remote learning tools during the pandemic.

To join future Shop Talk calls: Please Click Here to request access and/or get on the list for future notifications.

Watch Shop Talk: Previous recorded Shop Talk calls are available on the Edu2Mfg website.

Resources: See List of Shop Talk Resources on the website.

The Department of Labor has approved a new manufacturing apprenticeship developed by the Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance. The program includes eight levels of apprenticeship competency and combines college coursework with on-the-job training. The skills covered include:

Local community college courses will fulfill some of the requirements. Colleges involved include American River College, Consumnes River College, Folsom Lake College, Sacramento City College, Sierra College and Yuba College. For more information, contact Michael Bell at (916) 432-0741 or by email.

Franz Veitschegger, Chair of Advanced Manufacturing, Sierra College, invites colleagues and industry partners to an Advanced Manufacturing Advisory Meeting on Tuesday, April 6, 2021 from 5-7 PM. The virtual meeting will be held on zoom.

Please rsvp by email to Rachelle Smith, Career Education Liaison, or call her at (530) 320-6347.

The CA Mobility Center, Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SVMA), Charles A Jones Career & Education Center, Asian Resources, Inc, LaFamilia Counseling Center and the Greater Sacramento Urban League are hosting several manufacturing career fairs at various Sacramento locations in April. These free events are made possible by City of Sacramento CARES funding and a SETA Regional Planning Initiative Grant.

They will be held:

You can register to attend through this Sacramento Manufacturing Career Fair event link. Check out the Fair Flyer at Manufacturing Career Fairs.

Employers interested in participating as an exhibitor highlighting your company and/or career opportunities, should contact Dean Peckham, Executive Director, SVMA.

Designed for maintenance and mechatronics instructors, the workshop prepares attendees to test students for NIMS credentials, includes theoretical and hands-on activities, lesson plans and equipment reviews. For the flyer and more information go to NIMS Class.

Sierra College was selected to participate in the Governor's Office Department of Defense (DoD) CADENCE grant student internship project. CADENCE project activities will focus on supporting California suppliers in the defense innovation and manufacturing base that are involved in the advancement of specific key technologies or supply chains including microelectronics, fifth-generation (5G) wireless technology, cyber, space, artificial intelligence, and fully networked command, control and communications (FNC3). Read more about CADENCE

CompanyWeek, a publication featuring manufacturing news, included an article on Rancho Cordova-based Tri Tool. In the article, George "Joe" Wernette III, the owner and chairman of Tri Tool, explains the firm's origins. "Specifically, they wanted to develop a portable tool to prepare the ends of pipes and tubes for welding," said Wernette in the CompanyWeek article. "This was something new. At that time, these kinds of tools didn't exist. What Tri Tool did was mobilize machine tools. Before we launched, people had to take their work pieces to the shop. Now, with this new tool, you could take the machine shop to the work piece." Check out the Sacramento success story at The Wernette family's legacy of innovation lives on at the manufacturer of portable machine tools.

The Sacramento Valley Manufacturing Alliance (SVMA) new Virtual Speaker Series is a platform for manufacturers to showcase their products and services, foster peer to peer collaboration and build knowledge of the local supply chain. Michelle Stofan and Justin Stofan of Garner Products Inc. will be the featured speakers at the inaugural event in April. Garner Products Inc. is based in Roseville and designs, manufactures and sells equipment that delivers complete, permanent and verifiable data elimination. Register here for the SVMA Virtual Speaker program on Tuesday, April 20, from 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM.