Faces of Manufacturing 2025: the Joy of Machining From Scratch
Editor's Note: Throughout October in celebration of Manufacturing Day/Month, IndustryWeek's Faces of Manufacturing will share the stories of people with a passion for manufacturing.
Tim Rumpsa
City/State of Residence: St. Louis, Missouri
Job Title: Safety supervisor
Company: Sunnen Products Co.
Years with Company: 37 years
Industry of Your Company: Honing manufacturing
Training/Education: Ranken for precision machining technology; St. Louis Community College – Meramec, associate in engineering; Webster College, bachelor’s in business; and Washington University, master’s in business administration
What made you decide to pursue a career in manufacturing? I liked machining parts from scratch.
What does your job entail? My current job is safety supervisor, and I focus on the safety of everyone in the company.
What is the most interesting part of your job? Your proudest moment? Working with and for some of the best people I could ask for in a company. Proudest moment was our open house years ago when I brought my family (parents) to Sunnen and showed them our facility, the job I performed and the people I got to work with every day.
More Manufacturing Day/Month coverage here.
What do you love about manufacturing? It’s something that is required to make almost anything on the planet. Everything you see, whether it’s cloth, paper, plastic, composite materials, metal, etc. It all required machines to pull it from the ground and manufacture it to be what it is that you see.
What advice would you give to kids considering a job in manufacturing? Give it a chance. It’s nothing like it was 30 years ago. The job is much cleaner these days and requires computer knowledge to program the machines. The number of individuals getting ready to retire leaves virtually no barriers to entry, and the salaries are starting to meet the demand for machinists, which can only grow from here.
What advice would you give to manufacturers to help increase kids' interest in manufacturing as a career choice? Talk to them early and frequently. Share the advantages of having a career right out of trade school and the possibility of earning a living while attending school. Many companies are offering co-op opportunities to increase their workforce and have students working at their facility while attending school. They can learn their machines and processes, especially in a company like Sunnen where we manufacture a niche product for a process called honing.