Catching up with Sean Borchert, Mechanical Engineer at Masterflex®

Sean Borchert, Mechanical Engineer at Masterflex®

At DriveWorks World 2021, we were joined by over 450 DriveWorks customers, resellers, and partners from 39 different countries to talk and learn about all things DriveWorks.

We know first-hand the importance of learning and being inspired by others. The conversations and knowledge sharing are always a key part of DriveWorks World.

Over the course of the 2-day event, we heard from a variety of companies who are using DriveWorks. Many people shared their experiences and the many different ways they use DriveWorks.

As part of this, we had a chance to speak Sean Borchert, Mechanical Engineer at Masterflex®. After meeting Sean and learning more about him, we invited Sean to share his story as to how DriveWorks has played a role in his professional career.

This wasn’t the first time you had been hired because of your DriveWorks experience, correct?

Several years ago I was working at a company in the semiconductor industry. Our local SOLIDWORKS reseller hosted an event and I learned about DriveWorks. It caught my eye and after learning what it can do, I thought “I can do this and make life a lot easier!”  After the event, I pitched it to my employer. While we didn’t purchase DriveWorks Solo or Pro at the time, I was able to learn DriveWorksXpress. By learning DriveWorksXpress, I was able to use it to help automate some of our repetitive designs.

Additionally, I used DriveWorksXpress when I was doing some work for a consulting firm. We had hundreds of customers and it was great to use it internally to handle the repetitive designs and models that can be used across industries.

As a matter of fact, I used both of the previous experiences in the interview I had for other roles I had before Masterflex®. My previous employer had never heard of automated software for engineering. It was great to bring it to light and show them what it could do. We basically took a model that used to take 4 hours to make changes down to about 45 seconds. It was awesome and revolutionary to their business and stakeholders.

Sean, should industry be embracing design automation?

Absolutely – the way I see it, DriveWorks is Engineering 4.0. So many companies are automating their manufacturing and shop floor technologies, but not their design process. DriveWorks is that next step in the process by taking on the automation of design.

Now I will add that I am not a futurist (he laughs) I am just a lazy engineer! In my job, I don’t want to do the same things over and over again. Copy and paste can get quite boring! The way I see it, we can adapt and evolve, or we can wither and be passed by competition.

Automation is a part of our lives whether we like it or not – the future is happening right now!

Let’s chat a bit about certifications – do you think getting certified in technology is important?

Certifications are definitely important and have played a big part in my own career. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I went to university, so I found it useful to have the certifications as a way to position myself in a competitive job market until I had my degree.

It was around 2009 that I achieved my Certified SOLIDWORKS Associate (CSWA). After that, I studied and achieved my Certified SOLIDWORKS Professional (CSWP).  After meeting and speaking with both Glen and Maria, I learned about the DriveWorksXpress Associate Training and Certification (CDWXA) and went on to complete that as well.

Once I had these certifications coupled with my experience, it really pushed me forward and allowed me to stand out in the job market.

We have recently worked through the DriveWorks Pro training with our reseller and I’m spending some time to learn what the product can do and plan our next steps. At some point in the future, I will pursue the Certified DriveWorks Professional (CDWP).

So, Sean – where do you go from here – what will your ‘next steps’ be at Masterflex®?

After taking the DriveWorks training with our reseller, we are now working with them to create a scope of work for the projects. We need to create a plan of what we hope to achieve and then start planning how we will get there.  Our reseller will mentor us along the way, which is great – we are fortunate to have their team in our corner supporting DriveWorks.

Our stakeholders understand this is not a short-term program – this will be our future if we take the time to plan things correctly now.

Any words of wisdom you would like to share with anyone new to using DriveWorks?

The biggest thing is to understand what this software can do and how it can change your design work! We are not reinventing the wheel – DriveWorks has been around for 20 years and it’s proven. Anyone that is just getting started – rest assured that you have made the right choice, and this was the right move. It’s going to help not just you, but the entire company to grow and be successful.

At DriveWorks, we have a very interactive ‘onboarding’ program when new employees or placement students join the team. Sean, you started this role in the midst of a global pandemic; can you share how onboarding went and also can you confirm that you’ve yet to even meet anyone you work with in person?

Honestly, it’s been wonderful. At first, I felt guilty that in the middle of this global pandemic I was able to leave my other company on my own and take a chance with Masterflex®.

It was a friend of mine that had suggested that I apply for the job – he had randomly heard about the position. My interviews were all done through Microsoft Teams. As a matter of fact, not only have I not met anyone ‘in person’ yet,  I don’t even have an office. We have our weekly team calls and it all works. Honestly, I don’t know how easy it will be to go into an office after this; it will be different, but so far, the job and onboarding has been wonderful!

Sean, we are looking forward to catching up with you in the future – it would be great to have you back to present at another DriveWorks World event to see how things are going!

Connect with Other DriveWorks Users

Join us at the next DriveWorks Drivers meeting on Thursday 17th June.