We learn, we teach, we master. Tom Nagler, CEO, sees Natech Plastics as a living laboratory, built to deliver experiential learning opportunities to the community of people the company touches. Tom joined Natech in 1999, moving from steel, at Marubeni America Corporation, to plastic, with the common thread being new product development and multi-disciplinary engineering challenges. Natech’s late founder, and Tom’s father, Gerd Nagler firmly and lovingly groomed him for the diverse challenges of steering a manufacturing business headquartered in Long Island, New York, USA. This included supporting Toms’ academic pursuits, most-recently as a Beta Gamma Sigma graduate of Columbia Business School’s Master of Business Administration program. Outside of the office Tom has a life-long passion for science fiction, believes that he’s his best athletic-self (surfer, baller) today in his mid-40’s, and seeks to foster a life of gratitude and connection, starting at home with his wife Chris and shepherd Arnold.
David Kachoui joined Natech Plastics in 2010 to lead the Business Development team. He is in charge of building the company's long-term profitable relationships through the company’s Marketing and Sales efforts. Previously Kachoui managed North American Electronic Receivables at Citibank where he doubled product revenues by improving the sales-to-implementation processes. Prior to that he was Project Manager for Smith Barney’s Corporate Client Group. He has written articles on quality management for Quality Progress Magazine, holds the PMP certification from the Project Management Institute, achieved the Certified Quality Engineer certification from the American Society for Quality, and earned his MBA from Columbia University. He is an avid runner, a member of the New York Road Runners, and a regular finisher in the New York City Marathon.
New product developers need plastics engineering support to move their novel devices from lab to manufacturing. As your Applications Engineer, I support your product development through design transfer. I will help you understand your options, navigate the risks, and make the right choices for your project. I received degrees in both Applied Mathematics and Statistics and Chemical Engineering from Stony Brook University. During my senior year of college, I became a Quality Engineering Intern at Natech, where I gained valuable experience from performing first article inspections, first audits, and acting as an intermediate between engineering and quality. Call me to advance your design for manufacture. (631) 580-3506 ext. 233
My clients need engineering support and someone that cares about their product and can guide them through the process of making a part. But sometimes, they waste time and resources hunting down the solutions they deserve. When clients need someone to support them at every stage of the design process, I help scale my client’s designs to manufacturing through designing, prototyping, troubleshooting, and maintaining quality. I also help clients select material appropriate for their application, think about scaling production, and ensure the quality of their parts. Providing design for plastic injection molding, design for assembly, prototyping, testing, molding, and manufacturing support gives my clients a quote that considers their specific product applications, requirements, restrictions, and goals. I received my B.E. in Chemical Engineering from Stony Brook University. I’ve worked with stent coatings, microfluidic reactors, and done 3D printing research, experience that I apply at Natech. I received my Solidworks certification last year and will be graduating from the AIM Institute early this year. Call me to advance your design for manufacture. Direct: (631) 285-2432
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Mike Botta is the Engineering Manager at Natech Plastics. Having joined Natech in 2012, he provides end-to-end engineering and design support and fulfills general management and account management responsibilities for many Natech accounts. With over ten years of experience in the engineering of medical devices, he has developed client relationships by owning the details of their programs and offering solutions to their engineering challenges. He authored Natech’s IQ/OQ/PQ Mold Qualification Protocol, and spearheaded its implementation using Scientific Molding and Scientific Processing as its foundation. He’s also very happy to talk your ear off about all things Scientific Molding/Processing. Botta holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Binghamton University and has 18 medical device patents to his name. When not at work, you’ll find him at his quiet Long Island home spending quality time with his loving wife and his toddler twin boys. He is an avid weight lifter and fitness enthusiast and loves getting some fresh air on local biking and hiking trails.
My clients come to me with their conceptual designs and want functional, quality parts. So they need engineering support and a manufacturing partner. But many times they end up with designs that cannot be made, are not cost effective, or will take too long. I believe a broad knowledge base lays the foundation for creative design to quickly solve problems and avoid new problems. My clients are the program leaders who sometimes rely on me to own more than my scope of work.
That is why after earning my M.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Stony Brook University, I have pursued both engineering and entrepreneurial experiences. I have engineered energy storage, fluidics, point-of-care diagnostics, aerospace, internal combustion, and electric transportation systems. I am a patent holder and have won the Sema Best New Product: Tool and Equipment Category Award. As your project engineer, I will 1. Manage your project, 2. Design for manufacturing, 3. Launch to manufacture. Call me for an initial review of your project so you can start making your product. Direct: (631) 285-2441
Many clients aspire to have clean products produced in a controlled environment. But some clients may have a hard time with suppliers who can’t improve to meet their new needs. I work to continually enhance Natech’s capabilities, like building and improving our new clean room, so clients can trust that they will receive parts up to their standards. As your Project Engineer, I handle internal projects and drive continuous improvement within the company so clients’ quality products are delivered on time. I received my B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from Farmingdale State University. After graduating, I came to Natech as a Project Engineer and Sales Engineer Intern and worked my way up from there. With both new and legacy projects, I try to incorporate new technology and methods to improve all jobs that are running personnel on a continual basis. Constantly educating myself on the latest technologies helps me think outside the box when I tackle new projects. From the clean room to the quality lab, call me to guarantee your high-quality parts. Direct: (631) 580-3506
My clients need thoughtfulness regarding how their product will be interacted with. Inefficiencies and short-sightedness in end-user usage ceremony, part count, labor, or cost can cause problems. Understanding this and asking deliberate questions regarding the context of the usage ceremony informs constraints and helps steer the logic of the project toward a low risk and efficient solution. Asking the right questions helps to understand client constraints so I can deliver intelligent and creative solutions. With a degree in Industrial Design from Virginia Tech, and experience in medical product development, I bring awareness to user-centered design: rapidly iterating to optimize usability, functionality, manufacturability, and aesthetics. As your project engineer, I can help you reevaluate what you are trying to achieve, what is required, and what is not required for your project, so you can launch your product to manufacture.
Jose Domingo Hernandez joined Natech in 2006 and is the Plant Manager. He supervises all production and daily manufacturing operations at both manufacturing facilities. He manages the manufacturing engineers, shift forepersons, mold forepersons, molding technicians, floor persons, and operators. His responsibilities include manufacturing improvement projects, operator safety, plant expansion, and employee hiring, and he takes ownership of the professional development of the people on his team. Domingo takes pride in having started at Natech in an entry level position and growing into one of the key managers of the company. He is currently pursuing his degree in Manufacturing Technology from Suffolk Community College. He holds professional certificates in ISO 9001 internal audit, mold polish, and mold maintenance and repair and is fluent in Spanish. His mutual growth with the company has instilled his sense of giving back through the sharing of his professional knowledge and experience to the youth of his community.
Andrew Dunham joined Natech in 2016. As Natech’s Quality Assurance Manager, he manages both the Quality and Audit Teams. He is responsible for designing and implementing Quality Plans, part inspections, internal and external audits, the Quality Management System, and the Management Review. He successfully spearheaded the implementation of ISO 9001 at his previous position at Electronics Distribution. He holds the Certified Quality Auditor certification from ASQ. Andrew is a history buff and art lover.
My customers need certainty and confidence in the performance of their life-critical products. Unreliable inspection data could disrupt their operations and increase their product risks in ways they just could not accept. As a SUNY Farmingdale adjunct professor, I teach courses in Quality Control, Design and Drafting, and Tool Design. As Natech's Quality Engineer, I provide accurate and precise measurements and filter out measurement system variability to achieve repeatability and reproducibility for my customers. Prior to joining Natech, I served as the Senior Application Engineer / Additive Manufacturing Manager at JAD Specialty. I hold Bachelor's Degrees in Mechanical Engineering Technology and Electrical Engineering Technology with a specialization in quality control from SUNY Farmingdale. If your product demands heightened inspection requirements, and you cannot tolerate quality risks, call me for your initial product consultation at (631) 285-2424 ext. 214. Engineering Drawings: Three Mistakes You Don't Want to Make 5 Steps to Implementing GD&T in Your Part Drawings Top 3 Mistakes in Engineering Drawings: How GD&T Will Clarify Your Design
Jennifer Wrieske is in charge of Customer Service for Natech with responsibilities in processing customer orders, issuing invoices, and fielding customer inquiries and concerns. She joined Natech in 2004 and has adapted to the changing needs of the growing company through the years by supporting recruiting, hiring, internal ISO audits, and accounting AP/AR. Jen graduated with her bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University. Jennifer spends her free time with her family gardening and rescuing and breeding animals.
Kim Hildreth joined Natech in 2013. As the Human Resources Associate, she creates the environment to position Natech as an employer of choice. She manages talent recruitment, employment processing, employee onboarding, compensation and benefits, development programs, safety training, employee relations and retention, and labor relations. Kim brings a strength in management and team development. Prior to joining Natech, she was Co-Manager at Talbot’s where set financial goals, managed inventory, planned and executed the brand’s visual direction, developed the selling team, and grew the key selling metrics. She started her career at Starbucks where she supervised a diverse team and learned about customer experience, management, and employee coaching and training. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, Marketing from Salisbury University’s Perdue School of Business. She enjoys family movie nights and nature walks in Long Island’s local nature preserves.
Christine Murray joined Natech in 2010. As the Administrative Assistant at Natech, she oversees reception, accounts payable, accounts receivable, office administration, and systems and facility vendors. She holds a Word Processing Certificate from Berkeley College. She enjoys time with her family and traveling with a fondness for California wine country and the country music scene in Nashville.