Jaried McDonald is a Davenport screw machine operator at Groov-Pin’s facility in Newnan, Georgia. He began working for Groov-Pin in 2014 as an operator of machines that manufacture Barb-Serts, which are brass press-in inserts.
A few weeks into his time at Groov-Pin, he started running Speedserts by himself and from there went to the Davenports to manufacture other threaded inserts. Speedserts are self-threading inserts and our other styles of Tap-Lok self-tapping threaded inserts include the Hole series, Slotted series, and Coarse series. These inserts are available in various materials and sizes to provide strong permanent threads in base materials like plastic and metal.
Jaried’s day-to-day work includes making and checking parts like threaded inserts. This can become challenging when he needs to diagnose issues on the machines. “If I can’t figure it out, I have to get a senior operator, but the most common issues are drills and taps breaking,” he said.
Troubleshooting is an important part of Jaried’s work. “First you have to figure out what’s causing breaks and once you figure that out, you can change the defective part or mend the part that’s already there,” he said.
To excel as a machine operator and to handle the challenges the role presents, candidates first need a mechanical background. “You have to be able to use hand tools and quite a bit of common sense would be useful,” Jaried said. “It helps if you are able to pick things up quickly.”
Before Jaried began working at Groov-Pin, he was a part-time mechanic and also a machine operator at a concrete plant. “We had to do our own maintenance on everything,” he said. “That was where I learned how to weld and drive forklifts.”
Now that he’s part of the Groov-Pin team, Jaried is finding a lot to appreciate, especially the flexibility our company offers. “They’re usually flexible with family issues,” he said. “They help you out with trying to make sure you have the time you need.”
In addition to personal benefits, Jaried views his work as fulfilling. “Manufacturing is a great skill to have, it puts you in a lean mindset where you can get the most out of as little as possible,” he said. “Coming from a mechanical background, a lot of the stuff we do intrigues me because it’s part of my roots, especially things like the inserts we manufacture for Boeing.”