From the time 2022 Emerging Leader Ben Nikkel began working at Hirsh Precision Products Inc. in Boulder, Colorado, he has been committed to learning, leading and building relationships within the company as well as with customers and suppliers.

Through on-the-job training and a willingness to learn, Nikkel became proficient as a CNC setup/production machinist not long after starting as a material handler at the company in 2011. “I worked in our lathe department where we employed several machines with bar feeders,” he says. “This was my first opportunity to work with automation and learn the importance of unattended run time.” 

He eventually advanced into a lead role in one of Hirsh’s most complex work centers – its 69-pallet five-axis Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS).

When a need opened in the shop’s customer service team, Nikkel did not hesitate to switch gears, stepping up as production scheduling/customer service manager in 2019, according to his nominator, Peter Doyle, president and CEO at Hirsh. He said Nikkel quickly learned the ERP system, created a new structure for the production scheduling and customer service team, and diligently trained his team to partner alongside the aerospace, medical device, and industrial customers.

“Having an in-depth understanding of how the system works enabled me to adjust our scheduling practices to better match the flow of work through the FMS cell,” Nikkel explains. His position supports the company from order entry all the way to finished goods delivery.

In his role, he has also developed an outstanding ability to bring people together to reach a common goal, according to Doyle. He builds strong relationships with not only his coworkers at Hirsh but also customers and suppliers.

“Ben’s diligent work ethic and his commitment to excellence in all he does are very commendable, but his leadership style incorporates many other admirable qualities,” Doyle explains. He adds that Nikkel is calm under pressure despite his stressful job, and he is always easy to work with.

To learn more about Nikkel and the other 2022 Production Machining Emerging Leaders, read Emerging Leaders’ Viewpoints and Training and Retention, and don’t forget to watch the video with the combined interviews while you’re there!