FEATURE
Modern-Day Manufacturing Custom Metal Designs Melds Talent and Technology BY DIANE SEARS
Photography by Julie Fletcher
W
hen some people think of manufacturing, their minds call up images of the 1800s and dark, dangerous, dirty sweatshops. They don’t think of today’s manufacturing facilities with bright lights, robotic equipment, computers and clean surfaces. That bothers Ray Aguerrevere, executive vice president and general manager of Custom Metal Designs in west Orange County, which manufactures equipment that helps other manufacturers automate. It bothers him so much that he has become a champion of the industry. He serves as president of the Manufacturers Association of Central Florida and chair of the board of Florida Makes, and he also sits on a national advisory board for the manufacturing extension partnership program of the National Institute of Standards and Technology. One of his missions is to get more men and women into manufacturing professions — whether they are young people looking for their first jobs or career changers. To promote that mission and to celebrate October as Manufacturing Month, Custom Metal Designs brings in groups of students this time of year to tour the 60,000-square-foot facility that employs about 100 people.
Custom Metal Designs employs about 100 people in positions ranging from engineering to shipping and receiving
18 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 | i4Biz.com
“When I talk to kids, I show them everything we do and say, ‘Hey, do you like video games? Well look, I’ve got five people upstairs and all they do is play with 3D models making parts, making machines and making things move.’” The key is in persuading their parents to let them take the tour. “Historically, manufacturing has had a stigma,” Aguerrevere said. “If you look at all the things manufacturing does nowadays, and how technical it is and how advanced it's gotten, it's a whole different industry. I always tell people that in our organization, there’s not one job we don't have. We have facilities maintenance, accounting, marketing, engineering, sales, administration, machinists, welders, mechanics, installers, procurement, shipping and receiving. Manufacturing is a great career. You get in and the sky's the limit. You can go anywhere.”
Career Path
Aguerrevere’s own venture into manufacturing happened by chance. He was a commercial market lender for AmSouth Bank, which later became Regions Bank, and he had gotten to know Steven Grimes, whose father founded Custom Metal Designs in 1972. Steven Grimes told this story about his father, Saul, in an industry publication in
Manufacturing is a great career. You get in and the sky's the limit. You can go anywhere. — Ray Aguerrevere
