Solving Large Scale Machining Challenges
Imagine being in the middle of a critical, time-intensive project and you need a large industrial machining provider. Depending on the scope of the work, you may consider having it done offsite, but that isn’t always practical, possible, or efficient.
Minneapolis College 2022 CNC Machinist program graduate Blake Clerico is part of a critical and trusted team at Mactech, an industry leader in machining, that shows up, tools in hand, with an impressive team of machining professionals to solve large-scale challenges, ultimately improving efficiency and garnering results.
“I have a difficult time containing my excitement when I’m explaining my work,” said Clerico, who credits his studies at Minneapolis College for putting him on a path in life that he would never otherwise have been able to accomplish. “Machining is a field with vast opportunities ranging from working with tiny parts in the medical industry to large-scale equipment you have to move with a crane. You can go anywhere you want with a machining career.”
Two years ago, Clerico was a fresh grad and new employee at Mactech. Today, he’s helping lead difficult jobs from start to finish with a team of talented people. Clerico notes Mactech is the world’s foremost provider for major industries worldwide including fossil fuel plants, refineries, chemical plants, and offshore oil.
“Machining is fundamental to how our world operates,” said Clerico, who has worked on complex projects across the country. “At some point in the life cycle of most products, there was a machinist involved.” Vincent Thomas, Dean of the Minneapolis College School of Trade Technologies agrees, “I still remember something I heard in my first year as an academic dean from Kim Munson, who graduated from the Minneapolis College machining program, had a career as a machinist with Northwest Airlines, and then spent the last 21 years of his career as our machining program’s lead instructor. Kim said anything that was not created by nature had something to do with a machinist. “When I talk with prospective or first-semester CNC Machinist program students, I quote Kim to give them a vision of what our program will educate them to do in their careers,” said Thomas.
Clerico can regularly be found working at two local shipyards, near his home in Wisconsin, machining foundations for the power engines on ships and parts for weapons and radar systems. In Saco, Maine, near Portland, he was part of a team that worked for a week in a deep, dark, humid, and cold space near the water boring hinges for the wicket gates on a hydroelectric dam. The team drew a crowd of onlookers when they dropped in several 3,000 pound pins that fit so perfectly they spun effortlessly when in place.
Clerico learned early on to keep an open mind about learning opportunities. He believes if you focus on your interests, there’s a way to make those interests into a valuable skill. Looking back, he wishes there was more emphasis on trade programs when he attended high school compared to the emphasis on the four-year liberal arts track. He earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from Minnesota State University Moorhead in 2012 which he values, however, it was the two-year CNC Machinist program at Minneapolis College that opened the doors to his future.
“I had no idea what machining was or how extremely complex it can be,” said Clerico, who discovered CNC machining while watching a YouTube video and became instantly interested in the possibilities of the work. “I researched and found Minneapolis College’s CNC Machinist program, and the program was set up for success. A trade scholarship from the Minneapolis College Foundation helped offset the cost of my education, making the opportunity more accessible, and taking the financial pressure off me so I could concentrate on my studies.”
“I love my work, which is so niche that no one else is doing it, said Clerico. “When I was laid off from a job at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had no idea what was ahead. Today, I’m enjoying the diversity and opportunities presented to me. Every day brings a new chance for me to dive down into the weeds and come together with my colleagues to create custom solutions that solve challenges presented in the field. Minneapolis College helped open the door to the trade of machining.”