Fahim Azimy, Vendor Quality Engineer

Published: September 2008

What are your main responsibilities as Vendor Quality Engineer?

I watch over the quality of all Socket products and I do my best to make sure that everything leaving the facility is working properly. Also, I check that vendors send us the right parts and pieces, and I spend a lot of time in the Returned Materials department inspecting and reporting problems to our vendors. For example, if I see a cracked solder joint on a particular product I go back to the vendor and tell them that the component is not getting soldered well, so pay attention to that part.

What are the most rewarding/challenging aspects of your job?

I get to see all the new product concepts we’re working on, and I work closely with engineering on prototypes, which is a lot of fun because I learn new things all the time. I also get the opportunity to meet many of our vendors from the US and abroad, and when I visit their facilities I sometimes catch a glimpse of the products other companies are working on, which is interesting to me.

The most challenging aspect of my job is going through all the different product revisions and identifying any problems before shipping. Whenever we make a new product, I want it to be perfect before it’s shipped, which I cannot do every time. It makes me feel bad when I see a product shipped and returned because it still has problems.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

I have two kids and I really enjoy spending as much time with them as possible. I also like to work on cars. Lately I’ve been working on a lot of hybrid cars, which are different because they’re half electric and half gas. I learned about hybrids the hard way—I took one apart and it took me six months to repair it because I didn’t know much about it, but now I do. They’re very high-tech because they have an inverter to switch from gas to electric—it takes a lot of electronics to accomplish that.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world dead or alive, who would it be and why?

That would be my father. When I left Afghanistan in 1983, I didn’t get a chance to see him again before he passed away. He used to teach us about etiquette and manners, like which forks and spoons to use during dinner. He was highly educated, and I admire the courage it took for him to go outside of Afghanistan and study. Any time I had dinner with him, I learned something from him.

What is your favorite food and what makes it taste so good to you?

I like Italian food the most—especially from the Olive Garden. When I go there I always order the Tour of Italy; it’s just delicious.

Is there anything in particular you miss about your native Afghanistan?

In Afghanistan we’re bonded families—we’re always together. That is something I miss that I don’t often see in the United States. Everybody is busy 24 hours a day and sometimes it seems that people don’t care about each other, which is kind of sad. I’ve made a lot of very nice friends in America because I’ve been here for a long time, but even still, during holidays and weekends we spend most of our time alone. In Afghanistan, when we knock on someone’s door, people are happy to see you. Here in the United States you have to make a phone call to see if someone has time for you to come and visit.

What about Socket has enticed you to work here for 14 years?

Honestly, the reason why I’ve lasted so long at Socket is because of the people I work with. The executives are down-to-earth and approachable, and the working environment allows me to be productive.