Deborah Browning

Profile of Team Member – Deborah Browning

“Building an exceptional company is the result of building exceptional teams with exceptional people.”

Team 1 Plastics, a plastic injection molding company for the mobility industry, has been and continues to be a successful company because of our exceptional team. Today, we will introduce one of these exceptional people, Deborah Browning, as we continue a series of articles profiling our team members.

Name: Deborah Browning

Current Position: D Team Captain

Date of Hire: 3/2/2017

What is your favorite story or memory during your time working at Team 1?
Deborah said that she does not have one particular favorite story or memory.  She just really enjoys all of the PAs (Production Assistants) with whom she works – even though she often loses them to other positions.  “I have a pretty good relationship with everybody.”  Deborah mentioned one PA in particular.  “I have a really good rapport with one of my PAs who is no longer on my shift.  She’s on a different shift, and she’s pretty bummed.  She liked being on the D Team but didn’t like the hours.”  The Production D Team works an overnight shift which is not always the favored work hours for team members, and they often switch to other shifts when positions become available.

How has Team 1 helped your personal and/or professional development?

Deborah’s previous employer was, like Team 1 Plastics, an injection molding company.  She worked there for almost ten years in Process Technician and Supervision, so she had obtained a lot of knowledge and experience prior to coming to Team 1.  Deborah said that she likes the training that Team 1 offers, but that she sometimes finds it’s difficult to obtain “because there’s so many people wanting to train for so many different things.”  She is hoping that she will have some more opportunities for training in areas, such as robotics programming, which would help her in her current position of D Team Captain.

What is your favorite aspect of working at Team 1?

It’s the challenge of solving production problems that is Deborah’s favorite aspect of working at Team 1.  Though she admitted that “I complain sometimes about having too much on my shoulders because I’m by myself without all the technical support.”  D Shift works overnight, so there is not the same immediate technical assistance available to her as other Team Captains experience.  Deborah said that when there’s a production problem, “I like the challenge of trying to figure things out on my own.  Do I shut it down or keep trying to figure it out?  Sometimes I do figure it out, and sometimes I don’t.”  Deborah said that she is hesitant to call for technical assistance because “nobody wants to answer their phone at that time of night.”

What do you want to share about your life outside of Team 1?

Deborah said that when she’s not at work, she is usually taking care of her three granddaughters, ages two, four, and almost seven years old.  Both of the oldest two girls attend school, but when they’re all together, Deborah said, “We’re usually finding something to do, or we’re just sitting around having a lazy day.”

Do you have any advice and/or encouragement for future Team 1 team members?

Deborah’s advice is directed to new PAs.  “Just stick with it.  Don’t get frustrated with it.  They’re machines and plastics – don’t let them overwhelm you.  You’ll get the hang of it.”  She explained that she has seen so many people get overwhelmed with the injection molding presses.  “Gosh, there’re just pieces of machinery!  Just don’t give up!”  Deborah said that she tries “to get people to understand that you have a good team – you have people who are willing to help.  Don’t think you have to go in there and do absolutely everything 100% right when you start.  Take time to learn it properly, and eventually, you’ll get quicker and quicker.  And, eventually, you’ll be able to do everything without any help.”

Now for a totally random question:

What’s the best single day on the calendar?

Deborah replied, “Probably Christmas Day because I get to see the looks in my grandkids’ faces when they open up all their presents.  It makes it all worth it.”