From Information Services to Quality Control/Manufacturing (the examples so far are from medical device manufacturing).

Wednesday

• 1530 comes and I am clocked in.  Looking around for people I know.  I find Craig on the manufacturing floor.  "Have you met Maria or Sean?" "I don't know who they are."  "Follow me then."  I am starting to notice a pattern here and it isn't very reassuring.  At least they resolve it quickly enough.
• "Maria, this is Dave.  Will you set him up with someone tonight?  He is our new inspector."  Maria, "Sure thing.  Follow me....  Pomela, this is Dave.  Will you be able to show him the ropes?"  Pomela "Sure thing.  First things first though, we have a pre-shift meeting."
• This meeting, well, let's just say that there is an apparent different level of trust between office work and manufacturing work.  Not sure why at this point...
• Gowning up for a clean room is an interesting experience.  Especially when there are about 25 people trying to go through and use space that is designed for about 8 people.  Don't let the white smock touch the floor, put on the little hair net, put on the booties but once a booty is on don't step on the "dirty" side of the bench, put on the rubber gloves and then slather disinfecting spray all over them.
• Go into the clean room but only when the door you just came through is fully closed or else a loud buzzer goes off.
• Clean rooms have lots of people and are not nearly as automated as the coursework at MWCC IRT had intimated that it would be.  The most popular automated devices were puch sealing machines (basically hot iron pinchers") and there were a couple of presses that are driven by air pressure.
• The next several hours are spent with my head spinning around trying to listen to and hear everything.  It seems like the popular languages are some type of Spanish and some type of Russian.  About 75-85% of the folks were speaking them.
• What have I gotten myself into?