John Cross

Updated Nov 7, 2026

Hi, I’m John.

I have spent three decades in manufacturing, most of it in precision machining for medical devices. I was educated in Rhode Island, where I studied industrial engineering and management at Rhode Island College, and I later completed a Mini-MBA at Rutgers University.

In 1993, while still in school, I founded Metro Technology in North Smithfield, Rhode Island, a prototype and contract manufacturing company built on early adoption of multi-axis CNC machining, 3D scanning and reverse engineering. Over thirteen years we grew through networking and referrals, serving clients that included Tiffany & Co., Boston Scientific, Texas Instruments, IBM Canada, Lenox and Gorham Silversmiths, whose century-old handmade masterwork patterns we digitised and reproduced by CNC.

In 2006 I moved to Florida, recruited by the shareholders of Structure Medical in Naples during its start-up phase. Structure is an ISO 13485 orthopedic implant manufacturer, and I built its CNC and manufacturing processes from prototype to shipped, implantable product, leading lean initiatives that drove growth, quality and on-time delivery.

In 2010 I joined Micro Stamping Corporation in Somerset, New Jersey, recruited during a strategic shift and charged with building a precision machining capability the company did not have. Micro is a global medical device developer and contract manufacturer, making components for laparoscopic and robotic surgery. I built that capability from the ground up, in particular its 7-axis mill-turn CNC, its PEM (precision electrolytic machining) and its automation, alongside Swiss turning, EDM, additive manufacturing and computer integrated manufacturing, staffed and directed across research and development, prototyping, process development and operations. I trained countless engineers who had never worked with this kind of equipment before. That teaching ran beyond Micro: I was involved in creating the Machining Technology program at Raritan Valley Community College and the advanced manufacturing program at Lincoln Tech in New Jersey, so the trade keeps producing people who can do this work.

I was promoted to Senior Manager of Precision Machining in 2016, joining the senior management team, and to Director of Advanced Machining in 2019. Along the way I introduced the multi-axis machining platforms that gave Micro its entry into the highly profitable surgical robot marketplace, and I was the first to deploy and perfect PEM, precision electrolytic machining, in North America. I am credited as a key contributor to an average of 15% per annum revenue growth in that period, driven by the profitability of the CNC and Swiss machining processes we developed.

As Director, I lead advanced machining and act as the company’s digital factory architect. I led the multi-year initiative that created Odin, Micro’s digital twin: a real time view of the manufacturing floor, running 24/7 and fully integrated with our ERP, so overall equipment effectiveness can be analysed and acted on instantly. I also brought in the SupplyPro SmartDrawer system, now at 8 installations throughout the facility, automatically managing $4MM of inventory and integrated directly into IFS for automated purchasing. I work directly with customers’ engineering, quality and design teams on design for manufacturing early in the product development cycle, and I led the team that delivered a New Jersey state certified training program for apprentice toolmakers across CNC milling, CNC lathe, Swiss turning, PEM and EDM.

More recently I have been adding artificial intelligence to that foundation, as a plus on top of the machining core rather than a replacement for it. I have earned more than 100 professional certificates, most of them in AI, and I am building expertise in how AI tools get validated for use in regulated medical device manufacturing under FDA and ISO 13485 quality systems.

Things that bring me joy include time in Italy, travel, good food with family and friends, and seeing a difficult part come off the machine right.

Find me on LinkedIn, or send me an email at [email protected].