Meet Sergio Maldonado, our Quality Control Inspector at our GWS-Welland facility in Welland, Ontario, Canada. Sergio first came to work at what was then known as Indexable Cutting Tools in 2000 as a surface grinder, working on brazing and honing on small machines. After a year, he moved to quality control.

The story of how Sergio came to the Welland facility is quite an interesting one. He was working at a local welding facility and held a secondary job restoring treadmills. One day, he came to do a service call at the home of the previous owner of the facility. It just so happened that the company was looking for someone who spoke Spanish to help assist in transactions and meetings with Spanish-speaking customers and distributors. After this first meeting, Sergio was asked to visit the factory to see if he would like to work there. Upon touring the facility, Sergio was offered the job on the spot. Sergio then worked at the facility and traveled with the company to these important meetings once or twice a year.

Now, Sergio has been working at the same facility for 23 years. While he no longer assists in translation, he has gone from a cutting tool novice to an expert! Sergio contributes part of his success advice that he was given early on “to think small.” When working with tool diameters and precise details, you have to be able to pay attention to the little details. Sergio had never done this before, and the new perspective allowed him to become extremely proficient as a Quality Control Inspector.

Sergio says his favorite part of working at GWS Tool Group is completing a job and sending out a perfect product to the customer. However, he also really enjoys the company culture and that it is really team-focused. Since he has been working with us for so long, he knows everyone really well but still tries to make friends with everyone. He goes out of his way to help everyone and appreciates when others are there for him as well. For example, if he is having a difficult time with a complicated tool blueprint, he can collaborate with a machine operator or engineer to figure out how to best measure the tool.

Life Outside GWS

Like his journey to GWS Tool Group, Sergio had a very interesting journey on his way to settling in Canada. He was born and raised in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and met his wife, Marjorie, there while she was visiting. They fell in love, and she traveled back and forth from Canada to visit. After some time, she finally decided to move to Mexico! They got married and had their daughter, Lesley. When she was just 7 months old, Sergio’s wife moved back to Canada to be with family, but Sergio had to wait until he could follow her there. Eventually, he found his way to Canada but quickly found out he didn’t own a winter coat, boots, or any winter apparel! Now, Sergio goes to visit Mexico every once in a while but hasn’t been back in a while. His mother and siblings still live there, and he is planning a trip back soon.

While Sergio is the go-to for all things related to tool quality, and letting others make improvements, he is the handyman in his personal life! He loves working on all kinds of things – from houses, cars, and even his own lawn. Sergio has one son, Christopher, who has special needs, and one daughter, Lesley, who has two children with her husband Darren. Between all of the children, they keep his hands full with lots of projects, sports, and spoiling them all!

Sergio himself used to be very involved in sports – volleyball, golf, and basketball, but now he belongs to a fishing and hunting club and spends a lot of time fishing. The club owns a cottage on a small island in Quebec and his family stays there for a few weeks every summer. His biggest catch was a 14-pound pike!

Interested In A Career At GWS Tool Group?

If you enjoy working with dedicated people like Sergio, consider applying to GWS Tool Group. We are always looking for talented and driven individuals to work at our facilities in Florida, California, Illinois, Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Canada. Browse open jobs here.