J.R. Lopez

Howdy! I’m J.R. All my life, I have been interested in statistics and strategic thinking. My interest in stats started as a child when I would deep dive into NBA players, teams, and accomplishments they achieved. I got into strategic thinking when I read a lot about people who I thought were interesting and wanted to know how they got there. The combination of my interests in statistics, as well as getting to where I want to go, led me to pursue an Industrial Engineering degree at Texas A&M.

During my time in undergrad, I had the opportunity to work for two companies in the aerospace manufacturing industry. The first was a co-op in continuous improvement, also known as kaizen, at Collins Aerospace. This experience allowed me to learn more about the aerospace industry, and how important efficiency and crossfunctional collaboration is in manufacturing environments. I made spaghetti charts to track operator movement, led a presentation about kaizen to new hires every two weeks, and implemented productivity initiatives such as shadow boards and taping areas of a production cell to indicate WIP, raw materials, and finished goods.

My other experience in undergrad was an internship in Quality Engineering at TTM Technologies. I got to
strengthen my skills in statistical analysis using the Minitab software. I also got exposure to outside the box
thinking. My main project for the summer was to approve a scope for production use. In order to approve the scope, I needed to verify that measurements were repeatable and reproduceable by doing what’s known as a gage R&R test. At first, I couldn’t get my desired results, but then a coworker gave me the bright idea of trying a new way of measuring, which in turn led to a reduction in variability of 20%.

Another valuable work experience I’ve had was being a tour guide at Space Center Houston. All these
experiences led me to want to be someone that other people can rely on to provide valuable work and a good experience. I’m now an MBA candidate at Mays Business School, with the goal of combining my technical skills with business acumen to maximize productivity and team satisfaction in the aerospace manufacturing industry. I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead and potentially contributing to putting the first person on Mars.