Brian Kaplan
Component Stamping Operator (2026–Present) · Mechanic (2015–2026)
Summary
Sixteen years at Edgewell Personal Care (Schick) in Milford, CT — hired as a utility operator in April 2010, promoted to Operator A in 2011 and Operator Maintainer in 2013, certified as a mechanic in 2016 after on-the-job training, and currently a component stamping operator on 2nd shift. High-volume production experience with press operation, mechanical maintenance, and meeting aggressive per-shift quotas. Comfortable with hands-on electrical and home-automation projects (ESP32, Home Assistant, Zigbee) in my own time.
Experience
Component Stamping Operator — Schick (Edgewell Personal Care), Milford, CT
2026 – Present- Operate component stamping presses on a high-volume production line with demanding per-shift throughput targets, on 2nd shift.
- Moved to press operation when the maintenance department ended in June 2026, carrying ten years of mechanical experience into production.
Mechanic — Schick (Edgewell Personal Care), Milford, CT
November 2015 – June 2026- Entered mechanic training in November 2015 and certified as a mechanic in mid-2016.
- Diagnosed machine and equipment trouble, determined the extent of repairs, and tore down, rebuilt, and debugged production equipment.
- Measured parts to very close tolerances using height gages, dial indicators, and other precision checking devices.
- Performed trial operation on new or altered machines and operated any machine in the department as production required.
- Followed a predictive maintenance schedule and performed routine preventive-maintenance work at established intervals.
- Ran multiple machines simultaneously during breaks; worked with Central Tool Room and engineering support groups.
Operator Maintainer — Schick (Edgewell Personal Care), Milford, CT
November 2013 – 2015- Provided back-up coverage for the Team Leader: scheduling, overtime, attendance records, inventories, and relief coverage.
- Performed detailed part measurement per Control Plans on stamping presses and blade/cartridge assembly machines, with immediate feedback to operators, team leaders, and mechanics.
- Certified in basic operation of presses, Automated Cartridge Assembly Machines, and Blade Sub-Assembly machines — materials handling, start/stop/restart, paperwork, jam and camera-fault clearing.
- Trained and certified new operators on department policies, procedures, and work instructions, and coached certified operators who were training others.
Operator A — Schick (Edgewell Personal Care), Milford, CT
2011 – 2013- Ran Automated Cartridge Assembly (ACAM) machines on a high-volume production line and trained new operators on the equipment.
Utility Operator — Schick (Edgewell Personal Care), Milford, CT
April 2010 – 2011- Diagnosed and repaired production equipment: tear-downs, part replacement, reassembly, and set-up on department machinery.
- Worked to close tolerances with height gages, dial indicators, and precision checking devices.
- Operated any machine in the department as directed, including trial runs on new or altered equipment.
- Followed the predictive maintenance schedule and kept work areas clean and orderly.
Skills
Stamping press operation
Mechanical maintenance
High-volume production
Shift work discipline
Home Assistant
ESP32 / IoT
Zigbee / Home networking
Beginner soldering
Personal Projects
Home automation and IoT (self-taught)
Ongoing- Run a full-home Home Assistant stack: Ecobee, Govee, UniFi Protect cameras, and a zone-based UniFi firewall with cross-VLAN networking.
- Zigbee mesh with Zigbee2MQTT on an ESP32 + CC2652P PoE coordinator, including LQI/mesh diagnostics and tuning.
- Building DIY mmWave room-presence sensors (ESP32-C3 + HLK-LD2410C) and ESPHome devices, including an LED wall display and fridge/freezer monitor.
- Self-hosted services on dedicated hardware — including a personal AI agent with scheduled jobs, backup/recovery, and watchdog architecture.