COVER STORY
IN SIG H TS
Melissa Fauth, CEO, Fritsch North America
M
ELISSA FAUTH is the CEO of North American operations for Fritsch International, the Germany industrial solutions provider that has helped thousands of companies for over a century. Specializing in manufacturing of application-based laboratory instruments and evolving client products and solutions through “micromilling,” Fritsch works from its Pittsboro, North Carolina base with all industries from electronics to automotive materials, hemp to feed crops and meat processing, pharmaceuticals to mining, aerospace, energy and everything in between. They work with universities, government and private research and quality labs, their own global lab, government agencies and private. They create tomorrow’s industrial solutions, often literally on the spot.
innovation leaders need. ST: What you describe is very similar to what you’re doing now at Fritsch … it sounds like you’re still playing in the proverbial creative sandbox, between bringing people, processes, systems and technologies together — and inventing new products on the spot? MF: It’s really fun. Everyone is excited about the groundbreaking work
PHOTO CREDIT: Melissa Fauth by Fritsch Manufacturing North America
they’re doing. There are aspects of milling
ST: Has your solution for the ISS led
processes and its applications that can
to further applications resulting from
be shared across industries, between
that work, like many other projects
institutions and companies, to help each
you work on at Fritsch?
other in different ways. One project
MF: Yes. In putting different elemental
combines experience from Fritsch,
products and compounds together
research from NASA and Los Alamos
and running them in the mill, NASA is
STEM TODAY: You’ve loved science
Engineers, and a battery company, to
now able to create new materials in a
and bringing things together since
achieve an objective that the battery
much more beneficial way. This has
you were young. Tell us about that.
company wasn’t able to do prior.
led to new applications we’re working
Melissa Fauth: Well, I didn’t have all
together on, like one for Mars with
the opportunities of learning tracks as
ST: Among other things, you’ve
a kid that young students have today
worked on projects for the
through STEM programs. However,
International Space Station (ISS) — the
ST: Finally, one last thing STEM
I’ve always loved science, math and
dream of countless thousands of
students and all of us dream of,
engineering, and of course the
young science students for decades.
what’s it like going to work every day
technologies. I also love to learn, I’m a
What is it like to wake up every day
thinking, ‘I love what I do?’
bookworm, and I love seeing how
knowing that you and your team
MF: We get to help people with real-
things come together. I am very
created a solution from scratch that
world problems, real-world
passionate about discovering new
NASA couldn’t find anywhere else?
developments, and reaching the next
solutions and solving difficult
MF: For me, for us all, it’s been an
level in our communities, our
problems or challenges, and I believe
honor to work with NASA and our
societies, and our technology in both
that comes from things I learned as a
National Labs; I never could have
earth and space. It’s super fulfilling for
kid. These are skills, and disciplines,
imagined that. Nor could I have
all of us, super meaningful. None of
that begin with our early learning.
imagined them coming to me and
us have had this experience at any
And STEM programs are wonderful at
saying, ‘This solution exceeds anything
other place we’ve worked.
providing what our future tech and
we’ve tried before.’ That means a lot.
materials for 3D printing.
— R.Y. SPRING 2022 | STEM TODAY
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