Enhanced by Engineering: Aichi Lomeli

CDI is proud of the amazing contributions of women engineers and women who support engineering departments globally across our organization and the various industrial markets we serve. The following interview is part of a two-part series profiling our team members as we recognize International Women in Engineering Day.

Q: What is your job at CDI?

My job title is Designer III, and I work in the engineering department at CDI's Humble, Texas, location.

Q: What attracted you to CDI and the work you are currently doing for the engineering department?

I joined the company in 1995 when it had only three engineers, and I was the only designer, so I was able to learn the different types of products we manufacture. With a little over 125 employees back then, the company was small enough to know everyone by name. Today, I am still working with drawings and design, but we now have many more employees and products in addition to downhole and valves, such as pumps, compressors, and solutions for aerospace.

Q:. Can you tell us more about your team and some of the challenges you've encountered and overcome?

Our engineering department has many great talents in different fields, yet we are able to cross-train, collaborate, and help solve our customers' problems. We recently instituted Oracle as our ERP system. The change had some hiccups during startup, but we were able to quickly learn and implement the necessary process to move products along.

Q: How would you describe the culture at CDI, particularly for women working with the engineering team?

The engineering department is very diverse and allows everyone to learn and grow by mentoring each other through new projects and processes.

Q: What innovation trends or technologies related to your role are you excited about for the future, and why?

My hope is that we will be able to automate our drawing software and have a vault system for our network of drawings! Doing so will save us so much time. There is still so much more to learn and do in this industry, especially now that we are part of Michelin, and thus, many more opportunities have opened up for us.

BONUS: What advice would you have given your younger self about working in the manufacturing industry?

To my younger self, I would say: Embrace new ideas and challenges and learn as much as you can without fear. It's a good thing! The world is constantly evolving, and you will need to be involved and comfortable with moving forward with it.