Meet Jeff Placek

Machines in his blood

Jeff came of age in Cleveland, Ohio, when it was still a center for steel production and heavy manufacturing. “I grew up in a very DIY working-class culture. From an early age, I was always taking apart and repairing mechanical and electrical devices,” he said. “How many people today can say they went to the corner drugstore to test vacuum tubes on a test machine?”

By high school, Jeff had already rebuilt several car engines and knew how to operate lathes, milling machines, arc welding, gas welding, and other industrial tools. He had planned to follow in his brothers’ footsteps and become a machinist, but his father encouraged him to go to college and study engineering instead. “At the time, Dad worked for General Electric, and they had a bring-your-child-to-work day,” he said. “I was amazed by all the cool projects they were working on, and that’s what finally convinced me to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.”

Jeff exceled at the University of Toledo, was in the National Honor Society for mathematics, and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering.

Lifelong love of learning

Learning didn’t cease once Jeff started working full-time. Every job was another opportunity to deepen and broaden his knowledge base. His earliest roles focused on electrical design and involved electrical equipment. But as he progressed in his career, he started branching out. One of his favorite experiences was working with a woman who retired from the Centers for Disease Control. “She ran our laboratory and spent two years teaching me about titration, gas chromatography, dissolved gas analysis, and mass spectrometry.” Becoming proficient in chemical processes and measuring equipment led to a curiosity about instrumentation.

In addition to his technical knowledge and strong work ethic, supervisors noticed Jeff’s outgoing nature and started giving him more responsibilities in sales and marketing. That sparked his interest in knowing more about the business side of companies, which led to an MBA from Kennesaw State University. Since then, Jeff has earned credentials in sales and executive coaching, and expanded his role in developing and executing business strategies.

Finding a home, and room to grow, at WIKA

About two decades ago, WIKA USA had a very specific wish list. The Lawrenceville-based headquarters needed a product manager who possessed technical ability, application experience, superb people skills, and an engineering degree. It’d be even better if their next hire had an MBA and knew about instrumentation in the process industry. Jeff checked every box (and more), which is why WIKA recruited him. The timing was excellent, as he was ready for his next challenge.

Since joining WIKA USA in 2007, Jeff has left his mark in product management, business development, and the industrial division. Today, he is a senior market segment specialist responsible for mobile working machines, machine building and automation, and upstream oil & gas, and works closely with the OEM and distribution sales teams to execute strategies geared toward those markets.

Jeff has made WIKA his home because the company opens doors – to more learning, more professional challenges, more chances to advance, and more interesting customer relationships. “WIKA is such a great company to work for!” he said. “They invest in their employees and give them opportunities for growth. From our headquarters in Germany and from colleagues in Lawrenceville and other subsidiaries, I’ve been able to learn about various technologies, industries, applications, and products.”

In the mid 2010s, leaders at WIKA noticed that they were having more detailed discussions about hydraulic systems in mobile working machines. To better serve customers, WIKA needed a hydraulics specialist – and naturally turned to Jeff. He started training under industry veterans at Eaton and Danfoss, then received one certification after another: in electrohydraulics, industrial hydraulics, hydraulic systems troubleshooting, and advanced mobile/industrial hydraulics. His most recent credential, attained in 2023, is the CFPHS (Certified Fluid Power Hydraulic Specialist) certification from the International Fluid Power Society.

A passion for instrumentation solutions

Jeffs loves tackling tricky problems. The most satisfying projects he has worked on recently involve hydrogen applications. With the rise of hydrogen mobility, WIKA quickly realized the need to add more products to its portfolio. That’s when Jeff and his colleagues started designing a series of hydrogen-compatible instruments, done in collaboration with various companies’ technical and engineering teams.

“For example, the MH-3-HY OEM pressure sensor came from working with customers developing hydrogen fuel cell vehicles,” he said. “The TC90 high-pressure thermocouple came from companies building hydrogen compressors and hydrogen fueling stations. The list could go on how we made changes to our portfolio.”

This is the sweet spot for Jeff: partnering with a variety of people, learning from them and being challenged, and using his persistence and creativity to design breakthrough solutions that improve his customers’ business. He is not one to sit still.

“For me, I’m drawn to anything that includes new applications and new technology because it forces me to learn new ways of applying our products.”

When not thinking about industrial machinery, Jeff can be found tinkering with personal machinery – the older the better. Some of his hobbies include restoring vintage radio receivers, rebuilding classic motorcycles, and riding them around his home in Metro Atlanta.

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