Mike Walsh

Background

I have been with MD&A for 14 years. I started in the tooling center for the Outage Services Division.  I have been very fortunate at MD&A to have had a variety of opportunities that have come my way. Building new tooling trailers, helping in the valve shop, working for Outage Services as a millwright, and finally starting my new role with MD&A Parts Division.

What do you do here at MD&A? What aspect do you enjoy most about your role at MD&A?

I travel to job sites to perform packing evaluations for customers. I reverse-engineer old parts to manufacture new ones, install the new parts, and custom-machine them to achieve the proper design clearances. The best part of my job is the challenge; every project is unique. I also enjoy the interactions with customers, on-site engineers, and our Laser Alignment Engineers as we work together to meet schedules, satisfy customers, and ensure all clearances are set to the correct alignment specifications.

What is the most interesting packing & seal challenge you have come across on a project or jobsite?

The job site was in Canada; it was a very complex and detailed packing installation. The packing rings were made with extra stock. We had to machine entire segments to custom fit the gland holders, the correct axial positions, and radially at vertical and horizontal to achieve correct design clearances for the new rotor.  Working alongside the field engineers and our parts engineers, this job went smoothly, even though there were many chances for it not to.

What do you think sets MD&A’s approach to seals apart from other companies in the industry?

There are a few reasons; our Marion shop makes a phenomenal product. Our engineering team, communication, and support are above and beyond. Finally, our Guardian Packing is an outstanding product for our customers.

Why did you choose to work for MD&A, and why have you continued to choose to work at MD&A? How would you describe our company culture?

The support from our leadership, our Marion shop, and the engineering team is 100% committed to making us successful in the field. By saying that, it’s not only support within our division, but also across the MD&A team. We get support from TLA (Laser Alignment group) , Steam Path Division, and Outage Services field engineers as well.  The best part about the company culture is if you have a problem there is someone in the organization you can count on to help get it solved.

What’s your favorite hobby or pastime outside of work?

My favorite hobbies are fly tying and trout fishing. But the most important thing in my life is spending time with my family and building a solid foundation for my kids and grandkids.