When it comes to building M.52, Incoming Quality Control (IQC) Inspector Yuri Varela is Scythe’s first line of defense. She meticulously examines every part with a keen eye for detail, ensuring potential issues are caught before they impact production or field performance. Embracing the Gestalt value, Yuri collaborates closely with various teams to address complex challenges and ensure top-notch quality for each robot.
What does a typical day at Scythe look like for you?
Inspecting so many parts for the mower! Each part gets its own First Article Inspection (FAI), which I handle for all incoming components before they go into inventory and are used for production. Every FAI is customized to the specific part, with a unique checklist to follow. I deal with all sorts of pieces — weldments, cables, circuit boards, and other random components. I use the critical measurements from engineering drawings to build the FAI spreadsheet, which helps guide my inspections.
When there’s an issue with a part, we follow an escalation path: it goes from Supply Chain to Production Engineering, then to Production Engineering management, and finally to Engineering. This process gets different people and teams involved and brings in multiple perspectives and potential solutions.
What is a project you’re working on right now?
Right now, I'm working on updating the FAI spreadsheets to match the new revised engineering drawings for the sixth generation of the machine. These new drawings highlight critical dimensions, which are super important to check. If there's a problem with these dimensions, it could lead to issues down the line in production or even out in the field.
What is an accomplishment at Scythe that you are most proud of?
My biggest accomplishment so far has been getting promoted to IQC Inspector and diving into the IQC world.
I started at Scythe as a Robot Assembly & Test Tech, where I built robots on the production line. For months, I had been interested in transitioning to IQC and when the chance finally came, I realized just how much there was to learn. The complexity of the processes was a challenge, but the collaborative environment here made it a lot easier to handle. Working closely with everyone has been crucial in implementing these processes and making the transition smooth.
Yuri in action, meticulously inspecting Breckenridge
Which of Scythe’s values means the most to you?
For me, the value of Gestalt really stands out. Collaborating closely with Production has been invaluable for understanding how parts are used on the line and spotting quality issues early. Production engineers have shared their expertise to help make my inspections more efficient, and engineers step in to help me tackle more complex issues. Supply Chain also plays a crucial role by providing insights into inventory, quality, and counts. This teamwork is key to ensuring everything runs smoothly and efficiently.
The best part of my job is this cross-team collaboration — coming together to solve problems and improve processes. While I might not see the immediate impact of these efforts, it's clear that our teamwork aims to reduce quality issues and enhance overall performance. It’s this collective approach that really makes a difference in delivering high-quality parts.
Who is your favorite fictional robot?
WALL-E! I love his personality and his dedication to cleaning up Earth. What really stands out about him is his curiosity, a bit of shyness, and his bravery.
Offering a snapshot of life at Scythe, the Scyther Spotlight series showcases our team members and the work they do as we pursue our mission together. From software to hardware, manufacturing to customer operations, you'll get to see what our
multi-disciplinary team members are up to and how they collaborate every day.