Al Guzman '83, Industrial Engineering
Senior Vice President of Operations, Fender USA

Guitar music is deeply ingrained in the American musical consciousness, encompassing genres that range from folk to funk to rock. The name that is synonymous with guitar music is Fender, the instrument of choice for beginning musicians and megastars alike.

“When you think ‘Fender,’ you think Americana,” says industrial engineering alumnus Al Guzman, currently the senior vice president of operations at Fender USA. “The name has been around since the 1930s, and it packs a historical punch. A Fender guitar isn’t just any guitar — it’s a name brand associated with the American tradition as identifiable as a T-Bird or Corvette. It’s an icon.”

Guzman’s role is to supervise the manufacturing end of the musical instruments that have made Fender the leading guitar-maker in the world. Fender USA currently employs more than 2,000 people worldwide and produces about 9,000 guitars a month.

He started at Fender soon after graduating from Cal Poly Pomona. Then owned by CBS, the company stopped manufacturing guitars in the United States in 1985, causing Guzman to leave for other industrial arenas. However, Fender USA, a private company, was formed in 1985 and began producing guitars again in 1986. Guzman was delighted to return.

Guitars such as the American Standard Stratocaster, Fender’s best-selling instrument, are available in a number of semi-custom configurations, including necks made of maple or rosewood, as well as a variety of colors and trim options. A second product line, the Fender amplifiers, features high-end tube and solid state amplifiers.

Fender guitars are considered an art form, and each model begins in the design room. Once the initial design is created, the manufacturing team devises a cost-effective plan for the entire production process, determining whether the guitar can be made using existing equipment and optimal processes to help keep manufacturing costs down.

“We want to always adhere to the design of the guitar, but we have to make sure that the guitar is designed for manufacturing,” says Guzman. “You can have a really nice-looking guitar, but if you can’t produce them on a consistent basis, it doesn’t make much sense.”

Within the Fender USA factory in Corona is the custom shop, which manufactures those special, oneof- a-kind instruments that end up on magazine covers and in rock-and-roll calendars throughout the world. At the custom shop, the sky is the limit. Customers work closely with designers, selecting customized paint jobs,
exotic woods, unique shapes and more.

“When you buy a Fender guitar, you’re buying history,” says Guzman, who helped the university make history last year by arranging for the donation of a Fender FR 50 Resonator Sunburst guitar to be played by the Smothers Brothers and then auctioned at Founders’ Celebration. The proceeds helped fund scholarships
and programs to benefit students.

Guzman, who notes that his education at Cal Poly Pomona gave him a running start in industrial engineering, also guest lectures at area schools, introducing students to the world of manufacturing. Just as musicians are passionate about their music, Guzman is equally so about the manufacturing process. Industry, he says, it what you make it.

“Some of our employees are touring musicians, some are guitar teachers, and some have a great time playing chords in their garage,” he says. “The thing about Fender is that we all have a passion for what we produce. It’s more than just a product. We’re producing a dream.”