Meet Matthew S. Automation Tech

Name: Matthew S.

Title: Automation Tech III

Location: Slatersville, RI

Time with SDS: 1 year

Tell us how you got your start at Silgan Dispensing, and a bit about your professional journey so far

I started at Silgan Dispensing in October of 2021 as an intern. I was attending the New England Institute of Technology at the time, pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering, and found the internship through the school. I didn’t know anything about the company or what it did at the time, but I recall being so fascinated the first time I stepped on to the plant floor during my internship interview. Seeing all the robots and automated machines really got my interest and attention as an engineer.

I was given a lot of opportunity and responsibility during my internship, which allowed me to learn so much. I didn’t intend to stay past the internship, but I grew attached to the work and the team as the weeks went on. I guess the feeling was mutual because an Automation position opened up while I was interning and I was encouraged to apply. I was soon after promoted to Automation Tech III.

Recently, I’ve been working on more advanced projects including PLC programming and setting up new vision systems into existing machines and transitioning more into the controls role. I like being able to have my hands in both the mechanical and electrical side of things.

What excites you most about your role?

I never thought in a million years I’d be this excited to come in to work every day. As an engineer, I love the hands-on, problem-solving aspect of the work, and the fact that each day is different. Each day brings different challenges and I love not only figuring out solutions, but also helping to make improvements overall. I’m always thinking, ‘how can we produce less scrap, how can we make the machines run better and make it easier for operators to run the machines?’ I think the diversity of the work helps me be a better engineer.

Any memorable projects you’ve worked on?

Yes, building a testing fixture for DoTerra comes to mind. I was tasked with the full design of a fixture that would assemble the cap and insert together, 8 pieces at a time. I liked working on this because I had the freedom to come up with the concept in its entirety and within a month or so I had 2D prints for all the parts to be machined. The final result met all the guidelines givens and worked great!