Blackhawk Technical College Relocates Its Advanced Manufacturing Center to Milton, Wisconsin

October 15, 2014

Blackhawk Technical College Relocates Its Advanced Manufacturing Center to Milton, Wisconsin

2-year technical programs, Advanced Manufacturing Center, balanced programs, Barry Butters, Blackhawk Technical College, board member, certifications, flexible programs, manufacturing., Milton, new facility, state-of-the-art, Wisconsin, work and study

Michael Reader

From the moment someone walks through the doors of the new facilities of Blackhawk Technical College’s Advanced Manufacturing Center in Milton, Wisconsin, there is no question that it will be an awe-striking experience.

Subtly reminding visitors that the perception of ‘dark and dirty manufacturing’ is clearly a thing of the past, the entire facility gleams with impeccable setups for students to learn different aspects of the art of manufacturing.

[pb_slideshow group=”11″]

Precision Plus is proud to support this organization and its endeavors. Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training, serves on the Blackhawk Technical College Career and Technical Education Committee. The committee is required to meet twice a year and the meetings are open to the public. One of the main focuses of the committee is to develop curricula that is flexible enough to support work/study schedules. In addition to being able to complete a two-year degree with a variety of manufacturing specializations, students can return at later points to add certifications.

A prime example of how Blackhawk is addressing the work/school balance is student Brad Pearson, who was a Precision Plus apprentice last year and continues to work for the company on a part-time basis, but is also attending Blackhawk Technical College pursuing a CNC Technical Degree.

Precision Plus congratulates Blackhawk Technical College on launching such as state-of-the-art facility.

Educational Development

October 10, 2014

Precision Plus Participates at Beloit Memorial High School’s Career Fair

2014, Barry Butters, Beloit, Beloit Memorial, Career Fair, high school, Inc., October 6, participation, Precision Plus, STEM, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

In a continued outreach to area schools, Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus spent the morning of October 6, 2014 at Beloit Memorial High School’s Career Fair.

We have developed a great working relationship with the Beloit School District with tours of our facility for their administration and teachers, classroom visits for presentations about manufacturing, and financial support for robotics clubs. We were more than happy to help out when Ryan Rewey the Director of Career & Technical Education at Beloit reached out for our participation in the fair. What was unique to this career fair was that it included opportunities for elementary, middle school as well as the high school students. We will be also supporting the next Beloit Memorial venture on October 21^st at 6:00pm when they introduce a new Career and Technical Education program. – Barry Butters

Here are some highlights from Beloit Memorial High School Career Fair:

	Butters explaining to a high school student how the bottle filling component is machined.
	A high school student examines a component with an eyeloop to see the surface finish.
	A group of high school students who visited the table.
	A group of middle school students who visited the table.
	A group of elementary students who visited the table.

Community Involvement Industry News

October 1, 2014

PMPA Wisconsin Annual Golf Outing at Lake Lawn Resort a Great Success

annual golf outing, Barry Butters, Bill Wells, Inc., Lake Delavan, Lake Lawn Resort, Mike Reader, PMPA, Precision Plus, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

Bill Wells, Precision Plus’ Director of Engineering, organized the PMPA (Wisconsin Chapter) Annual Golf Outing at Lake Lawn Resort on Delavan Lake, which took place on September 24, 2014. Eighty-eight golfers participated in the event, which kicked off the 2014-2015 programs for the Precision Machined Products Association members. The weather was perfect for a good game of golf, and the event culminated with a wonderful dinner and door prizes by the lake.

[pb_slideshow group=”9″]

Community Involvement

October 1, 2014

Precision Plus is an Active Member of the Communities in Which We Live and Operate

Barry Butters, Bill Wells, EEDA, Elkhor Economic Development Alliance, Elkhorn, Jeff Lemmermann, Mike Reader, Milwaukee School of Engineering, MSOE University, Municipal League of Chicago, PMP, Precision Machine Technology Show, Precision Plus Inc., PTMS, Walworth County Economic Development Alliance, Waukesha Business Alliance, WCEDA, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

Precision Plus of Elkhorn, Wisconsin, operates on a focused vision based on four pillars: integrity, empowerment, innovation and respect. That is a principle that we apply both internally and externally. We believe that the communities in which we live and operate are an integral part of our operation, and that our participation is a testament to our commitment.

Our officers and directors believe it is important to lead by example. The following represents our involvement with our local and professional communities during September.

Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training is now serving on the Education Committee for the Waukesha Business Alliance. He is part of a subcommittee that is working to update the Education Policy Statement.

Butters is also serving as the Secretary for the Elkhorn Economic Development Alliance (EEDA). The EEDA is forming as an LLC with Memorandum of Understandings with the City of Elkhorn and the Walworth County Economic Development Alliance (WCEDA). The group will be the first response team working with businesses relocating to our community.

Bill Wells, Director of Sales and Engineering and Mike Reader, President and CEO, are both part of the committee that is organizing the next Precision Machine Technology Show (PTMS) promoted by both Gardner Business Media and the PMPA. The show is scheduled for April 21-23 in Columbus, Ohio.

Jeff Lemmermann, CFO and CIO, presented on the subject of securing municipal information before the Illinois Municipal League of Chicago on September 20, during their 2014 annual conference at the Chicago Hilton.

Mike Reader, President and CEO, accepted an invitation by Frank Habib, Vice President of Development at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) to join their Corporate Board of Directors.

Bill Wells, Director of Sales and Engineering, coordinated a golf outing for the Wisconsin Chapter of the PMPA. The event took place at Lake Lawn Resort and was attended by eighty-eight business professionals.

Community Involvement

August 23, 2014

Precision Plus’ Barry Butters Asked to Be a Judge at the Wisconsin Project Lead The Way 2014 EDD Competition

2014, Active Radiation Shielding for Manned Interplanetary Space Flight, Barry Butters, Competition, courses, EDD, Engineering Design and Development, judge, Onocomowoc High School, PLTW, Precision Plus, Project Lead The Way, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

Barry Butters, Director of Training and Education at Precision Plus was asked to participate as a judge in the Wisconsin Project Lead The Way 2014 Engineering Design and Development (EDD) Competition. There were a total of 24 judges assessing the projects of 19 teams.

Being that Butters is a certified EDD instructor, he knew the process well. Each judge was assigned five teams to listen to and observe, and score based on predetermined scoring rubric, after which an average score was compiled. The caliber of the teams was outstanding. “I was truly impressed with the quality of the students’ work,” said Butters, “It seemed as though some of the groups were already degreed engineers.”

The winning entry was from Oconomowoc, and Butters had the privilege to judge that team. The results of your work are as follows: The entry, “Active Radiation Shielding for Manned Interplanetary Space Flight” received the average high score. This team will receive a $5,000 cash award.

Project Lead The Way (PLTW) supports young men and women by making available Engineering and Biomedical Sciences classes that lead to exciting new careers. For more information about Wisconsin Project Lead The Way EDD Competition, click here.

Butters looks forward to being a judge at the 2015 EDD Competition.

Employee Spotlights

June 28, 2014

Precision Plus’ Barry Butters Is Certified to Teach Project Lead The Way’s Engineering Design and Development Capstone Course to High School Students

Michael Reader

Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus spent two full weeks at Milwaukee School of Engineering (MSOE) in June to complete intensive training to enable him to teach the course ‘Engineering Design and Development’ (EDD) to high school students. The course is a capstone course of the Project Lead The Way (PLTW) curriculum.

As per the description of the capstone course on PLTW’s website, “Engineering Design and Development (EDD) gives students the opportunity to work in teams to solve problems of their own choosing. Under the guidance of a community mentor, teams employ all the skills and knowledge gained through previous coursework to brainstorm, research, construct and test a model in real-life situations (or simulations); document their designs; and present and defend the designs to a panel of experts.”

Butters participation was sponsored by the Elkhorn Area School District. Beginning in fall 2014, he will be teaching Elkhorn Area H.S. students as well, as other students from local school districts, the EDD Course at Precision Plus’ classroom.

The instructors’ training at Milwaukee School of Engineering teamed up the participants to go through a simulation of the EDD program, which they will be teaching during the school year. Butters collaborated with Phil Winegar, Technology and Engineering Instructor at Menomonie High School, and Brent Siler, Technology and Engineering Instructor at Middleton High School.

The mission for the teams in the training course was to come up with a problem, a solution, develop three design models to implement the solution, and, after choosing one, present their project to a panel of engineers.

Butter’s team pursued a solution for preventing young children from chocking on food. The team focused on the development of a consumer device that would check the softness of food. It was not so much about having a working solution to the problem in two weeks, but rather about understanding how to approach the entire engineering process to come up with a solution.

After a great deal of brainstorming and a decision matrix, three possible prototype solutions–a spring-loaded plunger, a collapsible knife, and an elastic cutter–were printed on a MakerBot 3D printer.

Next, the team selected one potential solution and the solution was tested through experimentation. In the image to the left, butters tests the selected model for its ability to detect the softness of food consistency.

Finally, the results of their entire project and engineering process were presented to a panel of engineers for scrutiny and recommendations. Pictured on the image to the right are Butters and his teammates Phil Winegar and Brent Siler.

Upon completion of the course, Butters and all the other participants received certificates from PLTW Master Teachers Sharon Tomski and Denise Kimblern, PLTW Affiliate Director Steve Salter, and MSOE V.P. of Academics, Dr. Frederick Berry.

All the training course graduates were looking forward to teaching this program in the fall.

Company Updates

June 12, 2014

Precision Plus Welcomes Three New Members to the Team

Barry Butters, CAM, CNC, Dawn Tibbitts, Elkhorn, Lucy Mulderink, Melinda Jaworski, new members, Precision Plus, SetUp/Reapair, Swiss precision, Tornos, training, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

Welcome to Lucy Mulderink, Melinda Jaworski and Dawn Tibbitts to the Precision Plus Team in Elkhorn, Wisconsin.

Lucy joined our team in May. In her position as a Setup/Repair Machinist, she is responsible for the setup, process validation of programs and repair on the Miyano platform.

Both Melinda and Dawn joined us this week. Their training will begin in the classroom, where Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training will bring them up to speed with the Precision Plus Operation.

After the initial training in the classroom, Melisa will begin her training on the Tornos platform with Matt Fryar. Melinda Jaworski resides with her family in Delavan. She comes with some machining experience from MicroPrecision and Bliss Machining.

Dawn Tibbitts also resides in Delavan with her family. She comes with some CAM experience from Iseli and Medplast. Once she completes her in class training, Dawn will begin her training on the Tornos platform with Curt Hibl on second shift.

Glad to have you on the Precision Plus Team!

Community Involvement

June 4, 2014

Precision Plus Participates in Delavan-Darien High School’s Technical Education Open House

Barry Butters, Delavan Darien, Delavan-Darien H.S., machining, Micro Precision Inc., Mode Industries, Precision Plus, Projects, School District, SPX, students, Technical Open House, Wisconsin, Youth Apprenticeship Program

Michael Reader

On May 29, 2014, Delavan Darien High School conducted a Technical Education Open House to showcase the projects developed and worked on by students throughout the year.

Butters engaging several of the Delavan Darien H.S. students about machining processes.

As part of the Career Technical Education (CTE) Committee, Precision Plus’s Barry Butters, as well as other committee members representing SPX, Mode Industries and Micro Precision, were on hand to provide support and talk to the students about the opportunities in manufacturing.

Students, parents, school administration, and board members attended the event. The CTE Committee is helping to build a strong cooperative effort, to provide meaningful opportunities for all of the students in the Delavan-Darien School District.

The Delavan-Darien School District is also proactively working “to revive challenging and rewarding learning options” for high school students who want to explore career paths. On April 16, 2014, it announced the return of the “Youth Apprenticeship Program.” Through this program, students will be able to get involved in industry apprenticeships (before, during, after school, or summer), as well as take targeted academic courses which are in line with their apprenticeship , and which will be available at the high school or at technical institutions or colleges.

The program, which is expected to begin with the 2014-2015 Fall Semester, will include a variety of career paths, such as agricultural science, food science, natural resources, architecture and construction, arts, audio/video technology, communications, finance, health science, hospitality/tourism, information technology, manufacturing, engineering, transportation and logistics.

Precision Plus commends the Delavan-Darien School District on its initiatives.

Educational Development

June 1, 2014

The Last Two School Visits by Precision Plus During Academic Year 2013-2014 Were a True Testament to the Spirit of Collaboration

2013-2014 school year, 2014-2015 school year, Barry Butters, Burlington Area High School, Career Cruising, collaboration, communication, concerted efforts, Inspire Wisconsin, Mike Reader, PartMaker, Precision Plus, Racine, Real School, school visits, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

During the 2013-2014 school year, Precision Plus has made a concerted effort to visit as many area schools as we possibly could. Neither Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training, nor Mike Reader, Precision Plus’ President, allowed snow or sleet, extremely cold temperatures, rain, or heat stop them from making themselves available for meetings, events, or to speak to a class full of students about manufacturing.

Butters explains to a student how a part is machined

The last two visits of the year were to the Real School in Racine, Wisconsin on their Career Day, and to Burlington Area High School to speak to students in Casey Miller’s advanced metals and pre-engineering classes. Both schools had invited Precision Plus to come to their facilities.

Butters demonstrates how the PartMaker software is used at Precision Plus

But, how did they know about Precision Plus and their efforts to close the manufacturing skills gap? These schools made use of a common resource: Inspire Wisconsin, powered by Career Cruising.

Inspire Wisconsin—the Pathway from Talent to Careers—has a distinct mission:

Inspire Wisconsin’s mission is to develop and disseminate an organized, integrated community-development platform for life-long career planning and learning which creates bridges between employers, educators and students and connects students and adult job seekers with work-based learning experiences and job opportunities.

By bringing all parties to the table–employers, educators, students, parents and job seekers, Inspire Wisconsin offers an opportunity for maximizing careers and talents. Its leadership says it all: respected individuals from education, industry, and government, who understand the importance of a highly skilled and educated workforce.

Finally, Career Cruising, developers of “The world’s most engaging and inspiring career learning program” makes it all possible. By integrating with Inspire Wisconsin, their tool can be used by Wisconsin schools. Their interactive program helps “people of ages achieve their full potential in school, career and life,” and provides an arena for matching needs with initiatives, and talent with careers.

And that is how, the last two visits of academic year 2013-2014 came to be. There were a direct result of separate entities working together: Inspire Wisconsin, Career Cruising, the schools, and Precision Plus No shots in the dark here. Instead, targeted, skilled shots that hit the bulls-eye.

Precision Plus looks forward to a great 2014-2015 year!

Educational Development

May 27, 2014

Thank you, Mr. Butters: Letters from Delavan Darien High School Students

Barry Butters, creative skills, Delavan Darien High School, Elkhorn, interview skills, Mike Reader, Precision Plus, presentations, Project Lead The Way, skills necessary to be hired, STEM, Wisconsin

Michael Reader

On May 21, 2014, Barry Butters, Director of Education and Training at Precision Plus visited Delavan Darien High School to address Project Lead The Way students on the skills companies are looking for in new hires. These included critical thinking and problem-solving skills, as well as soft skills. Butters also made a presentation on the inventor and PartMaker software as it is used at Precision Plus Brad Pearson, an intern at the company came along to tell the students about his own experience at Precision Plus Following the presentation, Butters met one-on-one with the students to share some of the soft skills and strategies necessary for having a successful first job interview.

This presentation followed a meeting that Butters and Mike Reader, President of Precision Plus had with Delavan Darien High School educators and staff on May 15, 2014. Reader and Butters addressed the above-referenced “new hire” skills, which are sought after by manufacturers hiring around the country, as well as the important role that a solid background in Science, Technology, Math and Engineering (STEM) plays in this equation.

Shortly after the meeting with the students, Barry Butters received several letters from the students:

“Thank you so much Mr. Butters for making time for me and my peers to practice on when the time actually comes when we have to go through the actual processes of being interviewed…” Read this letter

“I was really nervous, but you were very friendly and I appreciate your time.” Read this letter

“Thanks for spending time to help me with my interview skills. I appreciate the advice.” Read this letter

“You pointed out a few things that can help me in the future, thanks.” Read this letter

“Thank you for taking your busy work schedule to interviewing me and trying to improve my skills…” Read this letter

Thank you students: Amy, Dylan, Kole, Tyler and Cristina!

1 2 3 4 5 6

Tag : Barry Butters