It was 1997 and the Space Shuttle Discovery was launched on a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Tiger Woods had just become the youngest golfer to win the Masters Tournament. That was the year that Rocco started his long career with MP&P. Beginning his work he handled prep and plating on second shift.
“I remember how busy it was and there were people moving things round getting rolls through the place. I had to stay alert and pick things up pretty fast.” Rocco recalled, “I was trained on different technical points and also had to figure some things out for myself.”
There was a lot to learn along the way: rolls moved from inspection, to blasting to the plating, area and then moves to grinding and so on. “I remember working 55 hour shifts and everybody was really working hard to get rolls finished.
Rocco first worked on operating the Waldrich machine. Then he went on to operate the STMW-3 and following that Rocco took over the Landis Grinder. Rocco went on to handle finish grinding which can be a complicated process when grinding close tolerances.
There are small but important things to be looking for, like finding pits on the roll surface that need patching and re-grinding. It’s all based on specific and detailed customer specifications. “That’s what we go by,” Rocco said, “sometimes you have to make adjustments when unexpected issues come up. You need to think on your feet because some of the rolls are more complicated than others. You have to be ready for anything. It depends on what the specs are and the condition of the roll.”
Rocco has been working at MP&P for 25 years, “I like working here, the environment is good and moves fast. We get the things we need to do our jobs. There’s always a challenge to face so it keeps you alert. It is a good place to work, no doubt.
