Max Fisher, a 25-year-old product manager at Infor, joined the latest episode of the Gen Z in Manufacturing podcast to discuss his journey to becoming a controls engineer.
"Gen Z in Manufacturing" explores the perspectives of young professionals in the manufacturing industry and delves into their experiences, career growth and what attracts them to their respective companies.
Fisher began working for Infor in 2021 after graduating from Furman and Clemson. While in college, Fisher collected three bachelor's degrees and two master's degrees and won an ACC Championship as a member of the Clemson Tigers men's soccer team.
Most Read on IEN:
- 72-Year-Old U.S. Flagship May Be Turned into a Floating Hotel
- Shipping Giant Maersk to Slash 10,000 Jobs
- Pasta Maker Fined After Worker Suffers Amputation in Hot Pasta Sauce Line
- Kraken, L3Harris Testing Stealth Submersible
"[I have] a lot of technical background, but I think that only gets you so far," Fisher said. " At Infor, I work a lot with manufacturing industries and help businesses grow and streamline all their processes. Knowing the technical stuff is great, but [you need] to have a relationship with customers and understand their issues. You need a little bit of personality and teamwork."
Fisher has held three roles at Infor and currently manages Infor's newly launched Enterprise Automation solution and Innovation Showcase program. In this role, Fisher combines his technical, organizational, communication and business skills to bring a product to market and grow the Infor OS business.
Much of Fisher's time is spent with other Gen Z-aged workers. He helps manage an intern program, and his direct team features three recent college graduates. Communicating with workers his age comes easily, but Fisher stressed the importance of receiving guidance, mentorship and challenges from more experienced colleagues.
Fisher added that this presence allows younger workers to ask questions about traditional processes, which could lead to streamlining and innovation.
"Having a generation to grow up being exposed to technology all their lives, [they are] looking at a business process that's been around for 25 or 30 years and [asking], 'Why are we doing [something] in this fashion, and why aren't we skipping this step? This could be so much more efficient.' I think asking questions is the biggest thing that could help someone in Gen Z."
If you are a member of Gen Z and would like to discuss your experience in the manufacturing industry, please contact Nolan Beilstein at [email protected].
