Efforts to Develop Skilled Manufacturing Employees Earns Tegra Medical a Community Partnership Award

Tegra Medical received the Community Partnership Award from the Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical School in Franklin, Massachusetts on May 31, 2023. Employees Ken Nadeau, Ronan McDermott and Brian Yanofsky attended the ceremony and accepted the award.

“We are very pleased to receive this award. Tegra Medical is taking the steps towards building a more sustainable workforce for the future,” said Benjamin Stolzel, Tegra Medical General Manager. “Manufacturing in the US is not possible without developing a highly skilled workforce. Co-ops and apprenticeships are the best path to get there. That’s why we have made it such an important goal to have at least five percent of our staff in secondary education programs such as the career paths we have developed with the state of Massachusetts.”

L-R: Ken Nadeau, Ronan McDermott, Brian Yanofsky

The relationship between Tegra Medical and Tri-County began in 2018 with two engineering students employed as co-ops. These students made a great impression, leading to Tegra Medical employing sixteen more co-op students over the following several school years, and even hiring one upon graduation.

Not even COVID 19 could put a damper on the co-ops’ work at the company. As a manufacturer of medical devices, Tegra Medical was designated as an essential business in 2020, which meant that the company was allowed to continue operations – and the students were able to continue their valuable on-the-job education.

Tegra Medical looks forward to many more years of working with Tri-County students, as well as students at other schools and colleges who are interested in a career in the medical device industry.

About Tegra Medical

Tegra Medical

Known as the company that brings medical devices to life, Tegra Medical is focused exclusively on the medical device industry, providing true end-to-end solutions from prototyping to full production, and from complex components to finished medical devices. Offering a wide range of manufacturing technologies, the company creates devices used in cutting-edge procedures for leading medical device companies. Tegra Medical has ISO 13485 manufacturing locations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Costa Rica. The company is ISO 14001 certified for effective environmental management. Tegra Medical is a member of SFS.  

https://www.tegramedical.com/

Tegra Medical expands in Franklin

"Medical device manufacturer Tegra Medical has paid $16.4 million for a 120,000-square-foot new building across the street from its Franklin headquarters, the company announced in a Wednesday press release. At the same time, the company is expanding its Mississippi space by 4,000 square feet. 

The expansion will increase the company’s overall square footage by more than 53%, according to a press release. 

“This is our biggest expansion yet,” said Hal Blenkhorn, Tegra’s Franklin general manager, in a statement. “As large as the space is already, the property can accommodate expansion to more than triple the building footprint in the future, positioning Tegra Medical for a continued growth path.”

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https://www.wbjournal.com/article/tegra-pays-16m-for-franklin-expansion

Franklin radar picked up a couple of references for this including from Twitter
https://twitter.com/TOFranklinMA/status/1284249450249101312?s=09

Pictured (from left) are Tegra Medical Director of Manufacturing Brian Rua and Director of Quick Wire and Tubing Patty Rushia in front of 16 Forge Parkway in Franklin  PHOTO: COURTESY OF TEGRA MEDICAL

Hal Blenkhorn Promoted to General Manager of Tegra Medical’s Franklin Location

Tegra Medical, an end-to-end contract manufacturer of medical devices, is pleased to announce that Hal Blenkhorn has accepted the position of General Manager at the company’s Franklin, MA location. Blenkhorn will report to President/CEO J. Mark King and will be responsible for the local management team and plant operations.

Blenkhorn joined Tegra Medical in 2006 as Manufacturing Engineer and was promoted to his most recent role of Manufacturing Engineering Director in 2011.
“We are extremely excited Hal accepted this position and believe he is the ideal person to lead the Franklin facility,” said J. Mark King. “His years of excellence, hard work and dedication are an inspiration to us all. Hal’s reputation throughout the entire organization as well as with our customers and vendors sets him apart from all others.”

Blenkhorn previously worked at Cybex International and Waters Corporation in roles including lean manufacturing cell leader, production engineering technician and CNC machinist.

A Six Sigma Black Belt, Blenkhorn graduated from Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston where he earned a BS degree in Mechanical Design Technology. He is currently participating in the SFS International Leadership Development Program (ILDP).

About Tegra Medical

Known as the company that brings medical devices to life, Tegra Medical is focused exclusively on the medical device industry, providing end-to-end solutions from prototyping to full production, and from complex components to finished medical devices. Offering a wide range of manufacturing technologies, the company creates devices used in cutting-edge procedures for leading surgical, interventional and orthopaedic companies. 

Tegra Medical has four manufacturing locations in the U.S. and Costa Rica (ISO 13485 and FDA registered, QSR compliant) with additional sales offices in the U.S. and Europe. Tegra Medical is a member of SFS.   https://www.tegramedical.com/

Tegra Medical "where medical devices come to life"

Gold Medal Win Propels Tegra Medical Co-op to National SkillsUSA Competition

How do you top a silver medal? If you’re Ethan Blake you top it with a gold!

Ethan is a junior at Blackstone Valley Tech, a vocational high school in Upton, Massachusetts USA and a co-op in Tegra Medical’s Accupoint department where he uses a Computer Numeric Control (CNC) machine to grind intricate points on different types of medical needles. He earned his medals in a competition for high school students called SkillsUSA, which is a partnership of education and industry working together to ensure America has a skilled workforce.

Ethan Blake,Tegra Medical Co-op
(courtesy photo)

SkillsUSA holds competitive events in which students participate, initially at a local level, then progressing to state and national events. Ethan participated in the CNC Milling Specialist category, which is part of the manufacturing sector. 

The other sectors encompass 102 diverse skills such as graphic design, carpentry, plumbing, welding, nursing, culinary arts, information technology, robotics, and firefighting. “SkillsUSA is an amazing program,” says Ken Giacomuzzi, Tegra Medical Tool Crib Coordinator and a volunteer with SkillsUSA. “It helps kids be job-ready immediately after they graduate.”

Much to his own surprise, Ethan aced a written test to win a silver medal in his local district’s competition in March – his first time competing. This qualified him for the Massachusetts state competition in April. He prepared by honing his programming skills, which until then had been largely self-taught. This effort paid off, as the competition included two hours of programming a part on a simulator, followed by 15 minutes of execution to see if it ran successfully.
“I was the last one to do the test,” noted Ethan. “We didn’t get any feedback until the award ceremony the next day. But I felt pretty confident. I really enjoy programming, and I had time to test my work before my two hours was up.”

 During the execution phase the program ran flawlessly, earning Ethan a perfect score, a gold medal and a ticket to the national competition in Kentucky June 25. To top it off, local college New England Tech grants scholarships to gold medal winners.

Ethan is excited about competing at the national level where he’ll be joined by his parents and brother, as well as his friend and classmate Jack Mandella, whose gold medal in welding also earned him a spot in the competition. “We are proud, excited and not surprised at his success,” says Ethan’s boss at Tegra Medical, Tom Rabe. “From day one he’s been a model employee who absorbed and picked up the job quicker than we ever imagined. He’s proven, especially with winning gold at SkillsUSA, that the sky is the limit for him.” About Tegra Medical.

Known as the company that brings medical devices to life, Tegra Medical is focused exclusively on the medical device industry, providing end-to-end solutions from prototyping to full production, and from complex components to finished medical devices. Offering a wide range of manufacturing technologies, the company creates devices used in cutting-edge procedures for leading surgical, interventional and orthopaedic companies. Tegra Medical has four locations in the U.S. and Costa Rica and is ISO 13485 and FDA registered and QSR compliant. The company combines a broad spectrum of capabilities with a can-do culture to deliver exceptional quality, solutions, speed and service.

Tegra Medical Invests in People with Toolmaker Apprentice Program

While Massachusetts sees a shortage of employees for advanced manufacturing jobs, Tegra Medical is creating its own skilled workforce with its Toolmaker Apprentice Program.

Advanced manufacturing combines information technology with advanced machinery, and requires highly-skilled employees. The four-year program, which has been implemented in Tegra Medical’s Franklin location and may be extended to other locations, accepts two students who are required to enroll in engineering programs at local colleges. The company pays their tuition and a salary, then promotes them to journeyman toolmaker positions when they graduate.

Apprentices spend 40 hours a week in Tegra Medical’s GENESIS Tech Center® (GTC), which is devoted to prototyping and product development. They learn all aspects of machining including how to plan a machining job, programming the machines, and doing CAD drawing and solid modeling. At least 95- percent of the apprentices’ time at Tegra Medical is spent on the job. They juggle these responsibilities with their college course load.

“We put apprentices right into the thick of things at our GTC,” said Brian Rua, Director of Support Services and the apprentice program manager. “Here, the apprentices are exposed to every kind of machining we do. They’re working on real projects, and learning from all the engineers, toolmakers, maintenance, quality and program managers who are refining customers’ medical device designs and figuring out the most efficient ways to manufacture them.”

Antonio Bettencourt, the first apprentice program participant
and Brian Rua, Director of Support Services
 and founder of the apprentice program.

Tegra Medical is unusual in having this apprentice program. This makes it a popular choice for students graduating from local vocational high schools.

“It’s a great way to help a young person find his niche,” said Rua. “We had one apprentice who was so “green” when he started that he hardly knew what any of the machines were for. Today he is excelling in the program. With what he has learned here combined with a self-starter attitude, he can now take a project from start to finish with minimal help. He is working on some of the most advanced systems in the shop and has done research and presented suggestions for new equipment upgrades and more.”

The first graduate of the apprentice program, Antonio Bettencourt, received his certificate in April. He was also presented with a beautiful oak Gerstner tool chest with felt-lined compartments to protect his tools for years to come. The second graduate, Nick Voyer, is due to complete the program in July.