Generations of Craftsmanship: How One TIG Welder Is Helping Shape Manufacturing Excellence

For Riley, TIG welding isn't simply a job.

It's part of his family's story.

"My dad was a lifetime TIG welder. My grandpa was a lifetime TIG welder. My uncle owned a TIG welding company in Texas," Riley says. "It's just something I grew up around."

Today, Riley serves as Maintenance Supervisor, leading facility improvements, machine installations, and maintenance projects across the plant. 

Ask him what still excites him most, and his answer comes quickly. "TIG welding."

Not because it's easy, but because it's challenging.

Discovering There's Always More to Learn

Like many skilled tradespeople, Riley began his career believing that mastering the welding technique was the hardest part.

We showed him there was another level.

Repairing high-value injection molds requires far more than laying down a beautiful weld. Every repair starts with understanding the steel itself, whether it's P20, H13, stainless, aluminum, or another specialty material. The filler metal has to match. The preheat temperature has to be right. The cooling process has to be carefully controlled.

Even a repair that looks perfect can fail if the metallurgy isn't correct.

"I realized it wasn't enough to know how to weld," Riley says. "You have to understand why you're welding it that way."

That realization sparked a new passion.

He immersed himself in metallurgy, researched repair procedures, enrolled in training through the American Welding Society, and embraced the idea that becoming better never really ends.

Learning Through Experience

Riley is the first to admit that he didn't have every answer when he started repairing molds.

"There were definitely times I had to ask for help," he says. "I'd rather learn than keep making the same mistake."

One lesson still stands out.

Early in his career with us, a repaired mold looked excellent. The weld blended smoothly, everything appeared right, but after machining and polishing, the repaired section showed up in the finished plastic part because the replacement material didn't match the hardness of the original steel.

"It taught me that every detail matters," Riley says. "The customer never sees the repair, but they definitely see the result if you don't get it right."

Rather than assigning blame, Riley says his teammates worked alongside him to understand what happened and research better solutions to improve the process together.

That experience shaped not only his technical knowledge, but also his appreciation for our  culture.

"When something goes wrong, people don't point fingers," he says. "We figure it out together."

Representing Integrity Beyond Tennessee

Earlier this year, Riley was selected to support a tooling trial at Tesla's Austin, Texas facility.

For him, it was more than an opportunity to travel.

It was a chance to see how our capabilities compared with others across the industry.

"I honestly thought what we did every day was just normal," Riley says. "Being there made me realize the knowledge and capabilities we have are something special."

The experience reinforced something he already believed: excellence comes from preparation and discipline, along with never just staying comfortable with what you already know.

Precision Is Personal

Although Riley's responsibilities now include overseeing maintenance projects, installing new equipment, troubleshooting complex systems, and helping improve the facility, welding remains one of the parts of the job he enjoys most.

"It's problem solving," he says. "Every repair is different. Every challenge teaches you something."

To Riley, TIG welding is equal parts science and craftsmanship.

It requires patience, technical knowledge, steady hands, and a willingness to keep learning long after you've become good at the job.

"It's a beautiful thing," he says. "It's an art."

Most customers will never see the welds hidden inside a repaired mold. What they will experience is a tool that performs exactly as it should.

For Riley, that's the measure of success, because excellence isn't about being noticed. It's about doing the work so well that no one ever has to think about it.