Nathan Hogue Joins Compass Operating Company

Charlotte, NC – September 1, 2022 – Compass Precision, a Charlotte-based manufacturer of custom, close-tolerance metal components for mission critical applications, announced Wednesday that Nathan Hogue has joined R&D Machine in Oldsmar, FL as the company’s new Quality Assurance Manager.

“This is a role that is critical to this type of business, especially in the aerospace industry,” said Nathan. “We are ensuring we’re making products that are up to our customers standards. I look forward to working together with high-profile customers and building relationships with them while having R&D meet their expectations.”

“Nate has all the skills and background that we were looking for to fill this important position,” explained R&D Machine VP & General Manager Justin Kovscek. “And we love that he has extensive CNC machining experience. When your quality guy understands the manufacturing process, everyone wins.”

Nathan’s unique personal and professional backgrounds make him an excellent fit for the role and all of the extensive responsibilities it requires.

“Thanks to my family, I grew up in the environment,” said Nathan. “I have been around machining and manufacturing in aerospace, automotive and commercial since I was a kid. My dad and grandfather owned and operated tool shops. I started working full-time after high school and since then have acquired a vast amount of knowledge/experience in quality management systems, machining, implementing and improving processes, communication, and time management. I can wear many different hats due to my well-rounded machining experience in a variety of roles.”

The 35-year-old Harrison, Mo. native is looking to have a lasting impact on R&D that will help the company prosper for years to come.

“Quality is about meeting customer requirements and standards,” said Nathan. “My goal is to establish a quality culture with the proper processes for people, so they don’t have to think about quality because the right processes and training are already in place. It’s essential to establish the processes correctly and ensure people are trained properly.”

R&D Machine specializes in CNC machining of precision metal components for aerospace, defense, and space applications. Most of the company’s parts have complicated geometrics, are made of aluminum, and are used above the Earth’s surface, in either our atmosphere or in outer space.

“I think we’re building a good team atmosphere here and everyone is helping one another to get the job done,” said Nathan. “My quality team gets along well and willing to help wherever needed. I think it’s a big reason the company continues to thrive.”

The company’s capabilities are highlighted by extensive 5-axis milling capabilities among with state-of-the-art Zeiss coordinate measuring machines (CMM). R&D Machine also has lathes and both 3 and 4-axis mills. Using computer models of customer parts, R&D Machine expertly programs both the cutting tool paths needed to machine these components and the CMM’s to automatically measure every dimension.

R&D Machine’s quality system is certified to the ISO 9001:2015 and AS9100D standards. This system ensures each customer receives machined components which dimensionally meet their part specifications and are finished correctly. The company’s customers can use their machined parts for further assembly without any additional work or inspection.

For more information about R&D Machine and Compass Precision, please contact David Wyscaver, Compass’s Communications Manager at david.wyscaver@compassprecision.com.