Weber Knapp Employee Spotlight: Joe Cabrera, Plant Foreman

At Weber Knapp, long careers often begin with a single opportunity. For many employees, that first step grows into years of learning, contributing, and becoming part of the company’s everyday work.

Joe Cabrera, Plant Foreman, is one of those employees. He joined Weber Knapp more than 30 years ago and found a place where steady work and dependable leadership make a real impact.

Joe’s story reflects the way Weber Knapp develops its people. His path shows how consistency and collaboration shape daily life across the facility – and why so many employees choose to stay and grow here.

From Temp Worker to Plant Foreman

When Joe Cabrera first arrived at Weber Knapp, he was a temp helping with material handling. He was still early in his career and looking for a place that offered stability. As he explains it, “I had a friend that worked here and he took a chance on me.”

Starting a new job while building a young family came with pressure, but Weber Knapp felt like the right fit. What began as a temporary opportunity grew into something larger as Joe took on new responsibilities and learned the pace of the plant.

Over time, his reliability and steady approach led him into leadership. Today, more than three decades later, Joe serves as Plant Foreman – a role shaped by years of experience and a strong commitment to the people he works with.

Supporting the Flow of Work on the Floor

Joe spends much of his day moving between the teams working on the different assemblies that pass through Weber Knapp’s production floor. Some areas focus on straightforward component builds. Others handle more detailed motion-related work that requires closer coordination. Being present helps him understand what each group is dealing with and where attention might be needed.

His support often looks like this:

• sorting through assembly issues before they slow down a build
• keeping parts organized as jobs move between stations
• adjusting timing when customer orders shift
• checking on hinge components or other assemblies as they reach key points in production

There’s plenty to juggle, and Joe describes it plainly: “Sometimes the most challenging part of my job is juggling all things that need to be done.”

Even with the demands of the day, certain moments stand out. New customer orders or unfamiliar applications give him a chance to learn something different, and that keeps the work interesting. As he says, the meaningful part comes from “truly working with our employees and trying to make our customers happy.”

Those connections – with both people and projects – shape the way Joe approaches each day on the floor.

Improving Work Through Initiative

Joe noticed that when workers moved between different builds, small details or varied steps could cause confusion. To help, he started documenting procedures with photos. “It has helped all of us to remember how things go together and avoid costly mistakes,” he says.

His guides now support a variety of assembly work, including:

• Custom hinge builds that use Vectis counterbalance systems
• Hinge assemblies for lift-assist and lift-gate hardware
• Spring-assist hinges and other motion-control components
• Workflows connected to CNC fabrication and progressive stamping

These images give teams a quick visual reference as different jobs move through the plant.

Why Weber Knapp Still Feels Like Home

Joe’s career reflects the steady environment he found when he first walked through the door. Over the years, he’s appreciated the way people are supported and the consistency that comes from working with teams who know the work and care about doing it well.

He puts it simply: “If you put the work in you will be recognized.”

That perspective has carried him through more than three decades at Weber Knapp, shaping a career built on commitment, routine, and the relationships formed along the way.

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