Name: Tristan Michel
Company: Erie Steel, Ltd.
Position: Controls Engineer
Commercial Heat Treater
Years in Industry: 11

Tristan Michel represents the increasingly important intersection between traditional heat treat expertise and modern automation. During nearly 11 years at Erie Steel, Ltd., he has progressed from an entry-level position to become the company’s go-to technical resource for combustion safety, electrical systems, furnace controls, and automation.

Tristan began his career in New Part Entry, where his initiative was evident early on. He created comprehensive training videos for work instructions and later played an important role in the company’s migration to the Bluestreak ERP system. With a degree in information technology, Tristan quickly mastered the platform and became a company-wide subject matter expert, helping guide employees through a major technological transition.

But Tristan didn’t remain behind a computer. He moved to the shop floor as a tooling operator and tool steel hardener, developing firsthand knowledge of thermal processing and quickly mastering furnace controls. The combination of IT expertise and practical heat treat experience made him a natural fit to train under Erie Steel’s former controls engineer.

Today, Tristan has become an essential technical leader for the company. His expertise encompasses combustion safety, electrical systems, and Honeywell HC900 programming, and he completely programmed the company’s new integral quench furnace line from the ground up. He is now leading the company’s integration of FANUC robotics, further advancing the role of automation within its operations.

That versatility is what distinguishes Tristan. In the course of a single day, he can move from hardening tool steel to programming robotics to troubleshooting a combustion system. Just as importantly, he understands the high-stakes nature of heat treat and is known for staying with a problem until the job is done correctly.

By combining hands-on thermal processing knowledge with controls, IT, and automation expertise, Tristan isn’t simply adapting to the changing heat treat industry — he is helping Erie Steel define what the next decade of operations will look like.

Nominated by: Erie Steel, Ltd.