Day in the Life – Phil Winson
My working day starts at 8am and my first task, like most of my colleagues is to head to the kettle and put it on! A good dose of coffee powers me up for the full-on day ahead.
First on my task list is to check the handover from my engineers who were on backshift to see if there were any problems or breakdowns on plant the day before, in addition to ringing my early shift workers and doing the same. If any issues have been highlighted by either, I will get to work with diagnostics and resolution if my engineers have not managed to fix them at the time.
After this, I take a walk around the factory and talk to all our supervisors to find out if there is anything that needs my attention on the factory floor. I also talk to the managers to address any potential issues.
No two days are the same in the engineering department at Silvery Tweed. Having been at Silvery Tweed Cereals for twenty-seven years, I have found myself involved in a few other areas as part of my job; for example, I assist the Health and Safety Department since I have knowledge of the machines and risks, and I’m also part of the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) team which makes sure all the equipment used to ensure product protection is fully serviced and calibrated as required.
I get a bit of desk time after my rounds, where I check my emails to communicate with contractors and get on top of ordering items for the machines, such as spare parts. It is good practice to make sure we have plenty in stock so that we don’t have to stop any processes for an extended period of time. I also make sure all our service contracts are up to date and book in any servicing that needs to be done.
The day progresses itself depending on what comes up, and if it is quiet on the machine front, I focus my gaze on advancements to the plant itself. This can include upgrading or modernising the plant equipment, looking at ways to be more energy efficient and evolving company processes. At Silvery Tweed we like to stay ahead of the curve so there are always improvements to be made.
I finish at 4pm, much to the envy of my office fellows – I don’t get much time to wind down, but I do check out with everyone before I leave. It’s a great team and I genuinely love every day. This is evident in that I was originally employed for a 6-week contract and never left…!