Ripon natives Joey and Matt VanWie are teaming up to install and service high-tech automation systems for the global paper industry.
Joey VanWie entered the manufacturing field in 2011 after he graduated from Fox Valley Technical College with an associate degree in Automated Manufacturing Systems Technology. “I tried a four-year school, which I didn’t like, and then did odd jobs,” says the 31-year old. “I saw robotics at work and then discovered that Fox Valley Tech had a related program and the tuition was reasonable,” he says.
As a service technician for Tissue Excellence Center in Appleton, a Tissue Machinery Company from Italy that provides training, service, and parts for packaging machines in North America, Joey handles installations and troubleshooting. “This equipment is half the size of a school bus and it wraps individual rolls into different configurations of packages,” he says.
Joey has worked at paper companies across the continent. “I’m on the road about 70-80% of the time,” he says. “It gets hectic, but the extra pay is great. I was debt-free from my Fox Valley Tech days within one year of working here.”
Matt VanWie, 29, came to FVTC on the advice of his older brother, Joey. “I heard him talk about what he was doing there,” says Matt. “I was living in South Carolina and decided to move back.”
Matt enrolled in FVTC’s Electro-Mechanical Technology program. “Fox Valley Tech made it very easy for me to return to school,” states Matt. “My original plan was to get an associate degree and then a bachelor’s degree in engineering. That’s when Joey recommended me for a job at Tissue Excellence Center.”
Like his brother, Matt travels across the country as a service technician handling everything from original installations to updates and troubleshooting. “Fox Valley Tech gave me the skills I needed for this great career,” he says.
Quick Facts:
100% job placement for graduates of both the Automated Manufacturing Systems and Electro-Mechanical Technology programs. 2014 FVTC Graduate Employment Research Report
$43,700 average annual salary for graduates of both the Automated Manufacturing Systems and Electro-Mechanical Technology programs. 2014 FVTC Graduate Employment Research Report