Patrick De Vos
Patrick De Vos, born in Belgium, holds a master's degree in production technology and production economics.
He played a key role in the development of the Seco Technical Education Programme (STEP), leading global technical education and consulting efforts. Patrick also created the NEXT STEP production model, which explores the relationship between machining processes, manufacturing organization, and production economics.
A respected author and educator, Patrick has published numerous technical articles and books, including: Metal Cutting: Theories in Practice, Tool Deterioration: Best Practice, Applied Metal Cutting Physics: Best Practice, NEXT STEP: A Practical Model for Efficient HMLV Production, & Knowledge, Insight and Skills for Sustainable Machining
His work continues to support professionals and learners through the training content featured on our platform.
Gary Meyers
Experienced Product Manager with a demonstrated history of working in the mechanical and industrial engineering industry. Skilled in SolidWorks, Industrial Engineering, Continuous Improvement, Manufacturing Engineering, and Kaizen. Strong product management professional who studied Business at Davenport University.
Maria Strömberg Bylund
My personal mission is to get youngsters to understand how fantastic our machining industry is!
I have 30 years of experience in this business, a broad profile reaching from machinist to production engineering to R&D to teacher.
I have had the privilege to learn the industry by taking all kind of different courses throughout the years, done a lot of trial-and-error, but I think the most important source of knowledge have been all the experts I met, from the old and experienced guys at the shop floor to the professors :-)
Vladimir Dolgikh
Vladimir holds a PhD in metallurgy, with a thesis focused on Forming Diffusion Coatings Based on Titanium, Chromium, and Vanadium on Cemented Carbides.
He began his career at Seco Tools as a technologist and went on to spend over a decade as a STEP Master, where he specialized in machining process optimization and led technical training initiatives across Russia and neighboring regions.
Vladimir’s deep technical knowledge and practical experience are reflected in the high-quality training content now featured on our platform.
