Hello, and welcome to my page. My name is Cuong, but many people know me online as MaiGiao. I am a mechanical engineer from Vietnam. I live and work in Cu Chi, a district on the outskirts of Ho Chi Minh City.
In this article, I want to introduce myself. I will talk about my work, my experience, my strengths, and the skills I have learned over the years. I will also share a little about my values and my goals for the future. I hope this helps you understand who I am and what I do.
I write this in simple English so that more people can read it. I am still learning English myself, and I believe clear and simple words are better than complicated ones.
1. Who Am I?
I am a mechanical engineer. This means I work with machines, metal, and technical drawings. My job is to turn ideas into real products that people can use.
I started my career many years ago. At first, I was just a young worker who knew very little. But I liked to learn. I watched senior engineers, I read books, and I practiced with my hands. Slowly, I became better. Today, I have more than five years of experience in the mechanical field.
I do not come from a rich family or a famous school. I learned most of my skills by working on real projects and by making real mistakes. That is why I respect hands-on experience more than theory alone.
My personal brand is called MaiGiao. This is not the name of a company. It is my own name, my own voice. Through MaiGiao, I share what I know about mechanical work, factory management, and using technology to work better.
2. My Main Work
My main work is in a mechanical workshop. The workshop belongs to a small company called 3T (the legal name is Cong Ty TNHH Giai Phap Ky Thuat 3T). I help manage this workshop and I also work as an engineer there.
The workshop has two parts. The first part is for production. In this area, we have a laser cutting team, a team that makes screw conveyor blades, and a team that welds tanks and steel structures. The second part is for storage and accounting.
Our most important product is the screw conveyor blade. In Vietnamese, we call it "cánh vít". This is a spiral metal part that moves powder or small materials from one place to another. It is used in many factories, such as food factories, animal feed factories, and construction material plants.
To make a screw conveyor blade, we need to calculate the flat pattern of the metal sheet. Then we cut the sheet, roll it into a spiral shape, and weld it onto a shaft. It sounds simple, but the calculation must be correct. If the angle is wrong, the blade will not work well.
Besides screw blades, we also do general sheet metal work. We cut, bend, and weld metal parts based on customer drawings. Many customers send us a CAD file, and we make the real product from it.
3. My Experience
I have worked in mechanical engineering for more than five years. During this time, I have done many different jobs.
In the early years, I learned how to read technical drawings. A drawing is like a map for engineers. It shows the size, the material, and the way to build a part. If you cannot read a drawing, you cannot build anything correctly.
Later, I learned how to use AutoCAD. This is a computer program for making 2D and 3D drawings. I use it almost every day. I also learned SolidWorks, which is another design program. With these tools, I can design a part on the screen before we cut any metal.
I also learned how to develop sheet metal patterns. This means I can take a 3D shape and calculate how to cut a flat piece of metal so that, after bending, it becomes the right shape. This skill is very useful in our workshop.
One experience that taught me a lot was a dispute with a customer. We delivered steel stairs and stainless steel products for a project, but the customer was slow to pay. The goods were delivered, but the site was not ready, and the payment was delayed. From this, I learned that technical skill is not enough. A good engineer must also understand contracts, payment terms, and how to protect their own work.
I have also helped build internal systems for the workshop. For example, I used AppSheet and Google Sheets to track daily production reports. This helped the team leader see what each group did every day. Small improvements like this save a lot of time.
4. My Strengths
Everyone has strengths and weaknesses. Here are the things I believe I do well.
First, I am good at calculation. Mechanical work is full of numbers. Diameters, angles, tolerances, material thickness. I enjoy solving these problems. I do not guess. I calculate and check before I cut.
Second, I care about real results. Some people only want to finish a job quickly. I want the job to be correct. If a part does not meet the standard, I would rather redo it than send a bad product to the customer.
Third, I am honest. I do not like to show off or exaggerate. If I know something, I share it. If I do not know, I say so. In my opinion, pretending to know everything is dangerous in engineering.
Fourth, I can learn new tools fast. A few years ago, I did not know what AI was. Today, I use AI tools every day to help with reports, drawings, and planning. I am not a programmer, but I know how to use these tools for real work.
Fifth, I stay calm under pressure. In a workshop, problems happen every day. A machine breaks. A drawing is wrong. A customer changes the order. I have learned to stay calm, find the cause, and fix it step by step.
5. My Skills
Here is a list of the main skills I have.
Mechanical skills:
- AutoCAD (I would say about 90% confident)
- SolidWorks (about 70% confident)
- Sheet metal development (calculating flat patterns)
- Welding and cutting basics
- Operating a CNC laser cutting machine
- Reading ISO 286 tolerance standards
Production management:
- Using AppSheet to build simple apps
- Using Google Sheets for tracking
- Using Excel and VBA for calculation
- Learning ERPNext for work orders and bills of material
Business and marketing:
- Building a personal brand
- Writing content and basic SEO
- Managing a Facebook fan page
Technology:
- Using AI tools to automate daily work
- Basic understanding of how to connect different software
I am not an expert in all of these. But I know enough to do real work, and I keep learning.
6. A Small Story
I want to share one short story. Early in my career, I followed a customer's request exactly. I made the product according to their first drawing. But later, the customer was not happy and complained to my boss. My boss was angry with me, even though I had done what was asked.
At that moment, I felt unfair. But I did not argue. Instead, I decided to learn more. I told myself: do not wait for others to teach you; go and find the knowledge yourself.
That experience changed me. After that, I studied harder. I learned not only how to make parts, but also how to confirm requirements, write clear notes, and protect my own work with documents. Today, when a young worker faces the same problem, I understand them, because I was there too.
7. Why I Share Knowledge
Many engineers keep their knowledge secret. They think sharing makes them less special. I think the opposite.
I share what I know because I believe real knowledge should help people. When I write about a calculation method or a workshop tip, someone out there may save a day of confusion. That is worth more than keeping the secret.
Also, by sharing, I meet better people. Other engineers, factory owners, and students talk to me. We learn from each other. This is how a small person can grow — not alone, but with a community.
My goal is not to have the most followers. My goal is to build a network of honest, practical people who want to make things better.
8. My Interest in Technology and AI
In the last year, I started using AI tools seriously. At first, I only used them to write text. But soon I saw they could do much more.
Now, I use AI to:
- Summarize daily production reports
- Check incoming material documents and turn them into Excel
- Help write price quotes for screw blades
- Organize my ideas for this website
- Even draw simple CAD parts through automation
I believe the future of small workshops is automation. A workshop that uses AI well can do the work of a much larger team. I am not a big company, but I can work smart.
This is why I also learn about ERPNext. It is a free system that helps manage production, inventory, and orders. I am still learning, but I see its value.
9. My Goals for the Future
I have a few clear goals.
First, I want to make my workshop smarter. I want less manual paperwork and more automatic tracking. AI can help with this, and I will keep building small tools for my team.
Second, I want to grow my personal brand, MaiGiao, in an honest way. I will share more real stories from the workshop — the good and the bad.
Third, I want to improve my English. This page is one step. By writing in English, I can connect with engineers and factory owners in other countries.
Fourth, I want to keep learning about business and management, so that my skills grow beyond the technical side.
Fifth, I want to keep my values: be honest, keep learning, and create value before asking for money.
11. A Note on My Style
You may notice that I do not use big words or fancy talk. I prefer to speak like a real engineer who works with his hands. I do not want to sound like a teacher. I am still a student myself.
I also do not want to show off. One small swan cannot make a spring. This is a Vietnamese saying I like. It means no single person can do everything alone. We need each other.
So if you read my articles and find them useful, that is already a good result for me.
12. Closing
Thank you for reading about me. I am Cuong, a mechanical engineer, a workshop manager, and a lifelong learner.
If you work in manufacturing, engineering, or factory management, I hope we can connect one day. I am always happy to share what I know, and to learn from you as well.
The mechanical world is large. There is always something new to build, something new to fix, and something new to understand. I plan to keep going, one small step at a time.
See you in the next article.
— MaiGiao (Cuong)