“I started as a machinist toolmaker aged 17 and the progress I’ve made now sees me responsible for implementing a new income stream at our Pennsylvania plant. It’s a great journey and I am enjoying every moment.”
Victor Williams, ex-toolmaker, ex-US Navy sonar technician and full-time father, is enthusiastic about how much responsibility he and his colleagues are given to help deliver business improvements at FIBA Technologies.
“It was in the Navy that I first learned about how high pressure gas is used just about everywhere, including in torpedo systems,” he explains. “I spent four years in the Navy and then got a job where I could add welding to my skillset.”
Joining FIBA in 2013 as a health and safety specialist, based at FIBA’s Pennsylvania plant in East Greenville, Victor took it upon himself to learn the details of FIBA’s manufacturing processes, and he was encouraged to gain knowledge and spread his wings.
“It was during this time that I really got to learn about exactly how the shopfloor is run, how customers’ needs are met and – importantly – how health and safety matters run through the entire service operation,” says Victor.
“I was very fortunate to be mentored by Mike Poltorak and Bill O’Brien. They recognised that I have an inquiring mind, so I was also exposed to the minutiae of the manufacturing side of the company. That really fired my interest.”
Mentoring is key to career progress at FIBA and a robust structure is in place to ensure that everyone who wants to progress within the company has the guidance and advice they need.
After a few years away from FIBA, working for a leading gas major to see the gas industry with a fresh pair of eyes, Victor returned to FIBA in 2022, this time as a sales manager.
“I was really focussing on project management when I returned to FIBA,” says Victor. “I began supporting customers, giving technical advice to make sure they got exactly the products they needed for their project. I think this is where my experience at a gas major came in and it gave FIBA an extra angle on the supplier/customer relationship.”
Having a Family is a Motivator
Victor and his wife have a seven-year old son and a daughter on the way, so he has plenty of motivation to keep progressing at FIBA.
When he’s not working from home or out of the East Greenville office a few miles down the road, Victor can be found travelling across the US meeting customers and learning the details of their operations so FIBA can better meet their needs.
FIBA is known for giving colleagues the opportunity to expand their horizons and to take their own projects forward. This has paid dividends for Victor.
“Working with colleagues I put together a strong business case to expand FIBA’s testing capabilities for the small DOT-4BW 260,” he explains.
“At the moment we can requalify these vessels at our Louisiana site only. But we can see that customers across the country need their 4BWs requalifying, so I pitched the idea to my bosses and was encouraged to make it happen.
“We have a superb project manager, Nick Quinones, who was eager to upgrade our facilities at East Greenville so we can work on them here too.”
Victor was tasked with leading the team to source the testing machine, oversee the electronics required and obtain the qualifications needed to conduct the tests. The result is that a second FIBA site is now up and running as a fully-qualified 4BW 260 re-test operation.
It is a major feather in his cap as well as a sign that taking the initiative is fully-encouraged by this family-run, family-owned American company.
“What’s next?” we ask Victor. “Oh, there’s always something next,” he says. “Specialty gases for the hugely-expanding electronics industry are a key focus for us.
“But soon I’ll have a baby daughter to care for, too, so maybe I won’t be working away from home that much for the time being.”