Lane Gobbs, Business advisor for the Eastern Montana Region

Contact Information

Montana Manufacturing Extension Center
201 N Broadway
Billings, MT 59101

Phone: (406) 949-1699
Email: Lane Gobbs

About

A fifth generation Montanan, Lane Gobbs was raised in Townsend.  His background is in agriculture, and his family maintains a farm and ranch in Culbertson.  At Montana State University, he studied Mechanical Engineering Technology, leading him to a career in manufacturing. 

Lane has over 10 years of firsthand experience working in Montana manufacturing firms.  He started his career at Boeing of Helena, machining titanium, aluminum, and stainless steel components.  He also helped to implement Boeing’s internal Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system into the Helena facility.

From there, he moved to Billings to work as a Mechanical Engineer for H-E Parts, supporting manufacturing, purchasing, quality control and sales.  He helped to shift culture through the implementation of quality management systems, lean thinking, and innovative design.  Lane also has extensive international experience, working with groups from Australia, Colombia, Peru, Chile, China, Germany, and Canada.

Lane has a strong passion for Montana and for manufacturing, and he is excited to contribute to its growth and development.

Expertise

  • Quality Management Systems (ISO 9001)
  • Lean Manufacturing
  • Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP)
  • Failure Analysis
  • On-site Problem Solving
  • Engineering Design (CAD)
  • Reverse Engineering
  • Machining
  • Design for Manufacturing
  • Non-Destructive Testing

Education & Professional Background

  • B.S. Mechanical Engineering Technology (MET), Montana State University

Professional Credentials

  • Lead Auditor Training Certificate -- AS9100:2016 Aerospace
  • Lean Bronze Certificate – SME (Society of Manufacturing Engineering)

  • Level II NDT – Dye Penetrant (PT) Testing

  • Level II NDT – Magnetitic Particle (MT) Testing

  • Patented Inventor