Jeff Monte, Production Supervisor at Kawasaki Robotics, has a motor like this. We’re thankful he does.

Growing Up & Finding Kawasaki

“I was definitely that kid who wanted to tear things apart and figure out how they worked,” Jeff said. “I went into the military at a young age and served for five years as a mechanic in the Seabees. After my time was complete in the Navy, I became a machine tool electrician.”

Soon after, Jeff got his introduction to Kawasaki robots while building and programming assembly lines for Ford. He made the switch to Kawasaki in 2000 as a contractor in the production group, and was hired direct in 2006. His responsibilities naturally shifted from production to supervision as time went on.

“I knew right away Kawasaki was a great company when I started in 2000,” he said. “Mellow, easygoing environment that was also filled with people who were built like me. I saw right away you could pretty much pinpoint where you wanted to be and grow there.”

Present Day: A Little Bit of Everything

Jeff and his department are known for their ability to help out wherever they’re needed. Consistent parts of their work week include running all robot orders through production—the robots are identified and pulled, worked on and prepared for shipping—facilities maintenance, trade show setup and teardown and plenty more.

“Yeah, robot shipping, supporting the automotive department, paint, marketing, receiving, and the list goes on. It’s non-stop, but we enjoy it. I have a great production team, management and support. Getting through each day with every order and request getting completed correctly and on time is a big accomplishment in itself, and it’s thanks to my team and the groups that support us, that allows this to work smoothly.”

“It’s also really satisfying working the trade shows when the show is over, and everything went well. Over the last 10 or so years, working hard with the marketing team, we have developed a really good system and process for setting up and tearing down our tradeshows.  There’s so much work that goes into it, before, during and after.”

Words of Wisdom

Jeff and his wife have 5 kids that range in ages from 13 to 37, and they already have 12 grandkids to boot. The devoted husband and father has a humble nature, but there’s a lot of wisdom in him. We asked him a couple questions to pick his brain: something about our industry that surprised him at first, and something he wishes he’d have known early in his career.

“The surprising thing was how much work is involved with making a job go smoothly. So many people bring their skills to the table, and everyone does their part. You see an assembly line and think there’s not much to it, but it’s a remarkable thing when you work closely with it.”

“As for something I wish I knew, probably that I didn’t have to solve any problem on my own. I wanted to take things on and solve them, I wanted to be that person, but jobs go so much better if more skilled people are involved. There are always people who can and will help you.”

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Pets: A cat and dog. We’ve always had dogs, and I’m allergic to cats. But four years ago, my daughter heard a kitten outside the window, less than a week old. So we brought it in and you can guess what happened from there.

Movie: Either The Breakfast Club or A Few Good Men. One takes me back to high school, the other is such a great and well-acted story.

Band: Something from the 70s or 80s. KISS, Journey, Pink Floyd, Metallica, The Guess Who.

Travel: I’ve traveled a lot over the years, so I really enjoy taking my wife to new-for-her places I’ve been to before. Alaska, Hawaii, Italy are all on the list.

Drink of Choice: I’m a beer guy, I like many different kinds of beer. I like 312 from Chicago a lot.

Food: Pretty much any seafood that’s cooked. Thai and Chinese food too. I am not a picky eater.

Go-To Restaurant Order: Fish..

What you’re cooking for a surprise guest: If I have time? BBQ from the smoker. If it’s a rush, probably chili. Easy and quick.

Favorite childhood toy: Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars. I loved trying to draw them.

Secret talent: I don’t do it much anymore, but I used to like to dance. We’re not bar hoppers anymore, but we’ll always love music.

“I was always the #1 student in math,” she said. “I like it much more than language. I think that’s why accounting fits me. Use a number to describe a situation? Yup, that’s me.”

Crunching the Numbers for Kawasaki Robotics

Sue began working at Kawasaki Robotics in 2013, and in the decade since, she has established herself as a trustworthy, hard-working and kind member of the team. Today, our Accounting Team Lead accomplishes tasks with enthusiasm and professionalism, contributing to an overall culture of positivity and productivity.

One of her main strengths is gathering evidence and making appropriate financial decisions. It’s a crucial accounting task that requires deep analytical skills, and she has those skills in spades. “There are lots of different parts of my job, and every day is different,” she said. “Invoicing, corrections, month’s end and closing, cash flows and lots more.”

“My favorite part of the job is honestly dealing with different departments here, and with customers outside our walls. I get answers to my questions, and the constant opportunity to learn and grow.”

Impressive Adaptability

In 2022, the accounting department at Kawasaki Robotics unexpectedly fell to three people for a time. The trio remaining, which included Sue, worked together to make sure things continued to run smoothly. “I took on a number of tasks I didn’t always do, and I still do them regularly to this day. I’m proud of the work that we did then, and I consider it one of my most notable accomplishments in my time here.”

LIGHTNING ROUND!

What Sue likes to do when she’s not working: All kinds of things. Go to the gym, take a class there and talk to other members. Reading, watching TV and traveling.

Book pick: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Anything she writes is a good candidate for my favorite book.

TV show pick: Currently? Suits on Netflix. I love that show.

Top places you’ve traveled to: Puerto Rico, I loved the rainforests. Morocco, Italy, Peru, Alaska. All beautiful.

Top places you’re going to travel to: Vienna and Prague. I’m going next month!

Type of food: Sushi. I definitely prefer fish over meat. I try everything I can.

What you’re cooking for a surprise guest: Simple and delicious food. Rice, fish, green vegetables. All seasoned well.

Favorite number: I don’t have one. I love them all equally.

Word of advice to accounting majors: This job needs accuracy at all times, so be accurate and diligent. Examining the smallest amounts is where you’ll find the discrepancies that ultimately solve problems.

All of those attributes and more describe Stephanie Evans. She’s had many roles and responsibilities in her decade at Kawasaki, and she’s succeeded with each one because of her consistent mindset: she truly loves making people happy and seeing them smile.

The Start

Stephanie found us just about 10 years ago through a contracting company. “I applied, came in and interviewed, and by the time I was halfway home I had a call from the recruiter saying that Kawasaki wanted to hire me. I worked through the contractor for the first year or so, then got hired directly by Kawasaki.”

She spent her first four years in Shipping & Receiving, which was heavy on manual labor. “That was hard work and a good workout for sure, especially on hot days,” she said. “I’d scan everything in, make sure it all matched up, put it on the shelves, and Inventory would take it from there.”

From there, Stephanie moved to Refurb & Repair. “To this day, that job is like my little baby and I don’t want to let it go. Usual tasks there include quoting customers, getting serial numbers and as much info as possible, then receiving parts, converting POs, and giving everything to our refurb techs.”

How Stephanie Stands Out

It’s at this point that we get to little details that show why Stephanie makes such a big difference. One thing she implemented: customer appreciation for Kawasaki customers who went through Refurb & Repair.

“It’s nothing huge, but when the work is done, I like to send customers a bag of candy thanking them for their business. I noticed a couple customers doing that when I worked in Shipping & Receiving, and I really liked it. Those little unexpected gifts make a big difference.”

Today, while still staying involved in Refurb & Repair, Stephanie is Executive Admin as well. “I work closely with our service techs in that role,” she said. “They’ll quote a customer, and I’ll order parts and get them on the schedule. Once the work is done, they hand in expenses, field service reports, receipts. I process all of it and bill the customer. It was a little chaotic when I started but I’m proud to say it’s running smoothly now.”

16 years ago, Stephanie’s sister got married. Through that process, Stephanie discovered a love for event planning. She still does that on the side when people need it. The skill has come in handy for us at Kawasaki Robotics as well, both in her everyday roles and for special events.

“We have a KawaService conference every year, and just this past year we went to Louisville as a group for the week,” she said. “So I help organize that, choose activities, find hotels, stuff like that. There’s lots of conference time and training for our service techs, but we also managed to do a bowling/arcade outing, a session at Top Golf and a boat tour up the river.”

How Kawasaki Stands Out

We asked Stephanie when she realized she wanted to work for Kawasaki long-term, and she said the moment was a little more recent. 

“It was when Mike Dawson (Manager of Service & Production) and Darrin Stewart (Director of Service, Supply Chain & Production) joined us,” she said. “When management comes and goes, it’s hard to form those personal relationships that help it feel like more than a job. But in the last few years, you can feel that Service definitely feels more like a family here. 

“Everyone’s ideas are listened to, and we all work together to get the work done better than we ever have before. And we find ways to have fun, too. Could be our KawaService conference, or a picnic, or a Tigers baseball game. I give a lot of credit to Darrin and Mike for changing the atmosphere and culture on the service side.”

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Family: One son, who’s 19. I like to tell him that he’s my favorite. He recently figured out what he wants to do with his life: accounting! I said go ahead, I need someone to handle my finances.

What Stephanie’s doing when she’s not working: In the summer? Drinking wine on the patio. In the winter? Drinking wine while binging some TV.

1 TV show pick: Definitely House of Dragons, the prequel to Game of Thrones. Can’t wait for the 2nd season.

1 band or artist pick: I’m a blues kinda girl. Actually going to a blues concert on Saturday. My favorite artist right now is King George.

Secret talent: I went to bartending school and can probably make your favorite cocktail exactly how you like it.

Best place you’ve traveled to: Dallas, Texas. I almost moved there. I loved the rodeo, the food, oh my goodness, the food. The people there were so kind, too. 

Drink of choice: It’s actually not wine. I love Old Fashioneds, so I ride with bourbon. I can tell when bartenders are holding back because I’m a woman. I’m like, “Nuh-uh. Make me a REAL Old Fashioned. I can take it.

Drink you won’t ever have again: A mojito. Not for me. The mint throws me off.

Type of food: Mexican, hands down

What you’re ordering from your favorite Mexican place: Tacos and margaritas. Today is Taco Tuesday, so you can bet I’m doing that later. My favorite place around here is called El Nibble Nook. Amazing California-style tacos. Spicy shredded beef, spicy salsa. It’s so good.

Thing you’ll always be terrible at no matter how often you try: Probably bowling. I can roll it, but which way it’s gonna go? No idea.

Word of advice to people just starting their careers: Just be patient and take it a day at a time. All good things really do come to those who wait. I don’t have a college degree, but I just had patience and worked my up to a position I really wanted to be in.

Growing Up & Finding the Path

“Honestly, I was into things like cheerleading, makeup and hair as a kid. Looking back, there’s very little connection between my childhood interests and what I do now.”

Brooke always had an insatiable curiosity and could easily solve complex problems, but she didn’t know any engineers who could push her further until she got to college. The gateway, as it turned out, was math. “I’ve always been good at it, and it’s what led me to Michigan State.”

Brooke went in planning on being a math teacher, but she soon found it didn’t fit quite right. When her dad asked if she wanted to try something more independent, she started taking engineering classes. “That shifted everything. It was my first exposure to engineering, and right away I loved how you could bounce ideas off of people, take as much time as you needed to think and try something and not be afraid of failure.”

From College to Kawasaki Robotics

Brooke got her physics degree from Sparty in 2019 and landed back-to-back internships at Kawasaki Robotics. While working full-time, she also got her MBA (in just one year) from Walsh College.

“Because I arrived late to engineering, I really wanted to get as much hands-on experience as I could,” she said. “My initial time at Kawasaki showed me that college gives you base knowledge, but you’ll be asking plenty of questions for your entire career.”

When asked when she knew she wanted to go from intern to full-time Project Engineer, Brooke had her answer ready. “No one ever micromanaged me. I was free to fill my time and was trusted to be a professional who got their stuff done. At Kawasaki, you have a lot of flexibility and autonomy in the projects you work on and the way you do them.”

Past, Present, Future

A standout Kawasaki memory of Brooke’s is working the night shift, which lets staffers pull late-night duty during the July shutdown. “I thought that was a cool bridge from childhood to adulthood,” she said. “Being up and productive at 1 a.m. was a nostalgic feeling, and the rarity of doing it at work made it extra memorable.”

Currently, Brooke’s days are spent doing plenty of vision projects and R&D testing. She also has an intern of her own, and it makes her laugh to see how things have come full circle. “He asks me questions I remember asking my mentor, he gets as nervous as I did in meetings. That all used to be me.”

As for her favorite part of the job, Brooke had an answer that verifies she does indeed work at Kawasaki Robotics: it’s the people. “Not the most engineering answer, I know. But I work with great ones who push me every day and make me want to learn more. They’re kind, they’re knowledgeable, they’ll challenge you. It’s an open forum where you can always feel free to ask questions.”

LIGHTNING ROUND!

Dog: Hank, a 2-year-old black lab. He has plenty of energy, but he’s half English, so that calms him down, and he’s big, which calms him too.

Ever call him Henry? Nope, just Hank. But my friend Jake would get called Jacob when he got in trouble as a kid, so my family calls Hank Hankob.

Hank’s favorite treat: I get him doggy ice cream, or froyo. Well, I call it froyo, but it’s really non-fat Greek yogurt. My boy’s a little beefy, so now we’re trying to make some healthier choices.

1 book pick: It’s gotta be fiction, probably The One by John Marrs. Sort of an experimental thriller where the premise is if you could take a DNA test and find your soulmate, would you do it?

1 TV show pick: The Office, American version.

1 band or artist pick: ABBA. There was a lot of 80s music in my house growing up. I went to Sweden a few years ago and visited an Abba museum, which sold me forever.

Top places you’ve traveled to: The birthplace of ABBA, of course. Aruba and Denver too.

Top places you’re going to travel to: Paris, Fiji, Bora Bora. RESORT LIIIIIIIFE.

Drink of choice: I feel like I should say something like pink lemonade. Can I say something else? Okay, great: Martini. As sweet as possible. Vodka, not gin.

Drink you won’t ever have again: I’m gonna get flak for this. Mountain Dew. I think it’s disgusting.

Type of food: Mexican

What you’d order at that restaurant: Tamales or enchiladas

What you’re cooking for a surprise guest: Lots of comfort food. Steak, twice-baked potatoes, mac and cheese.

Favorite childhood toy: My Razor scooter. I’d do laps with my brother around the block until it inevitably smacked my ankle.

Thing you’ll always be bad at no matter how much you try: Drawing. I’m terrible, no artistic talent. I can color it though!

Secret talent: Green thumb. Looking at my plants right now, they seem pretty happy.

Word of advice to physics majors: Keep learning, keep trying, keep going. It’s overwhelming at first, but your knowledge will always grow and failure isn’t as scary in this field. Let that sense of overwhelm be an inspiration and not a fear.