
With a career spanning almost 38 years in the food manufacturing sector and also my mechanical background, along with an affinity for plant and machinery operation and processing I bring to the table something very few others can offer. Over these years I have been involved in countless projects, from simple upgrades to existing equipment to major re-fits.
The roll of a technical operator within the butter plant covers all aspects of production, depending on your allocated task on any particular day. The roles can be broken down into three distinct areas. Process, this role cover everything from unloading tankers (cream), testing the load before hand to insure they meet all relevant requirements and are within specification. Processing the cream via pasteurization into batches following a production plan, insuring at all times that production specifications are met, the cip of all associated equipment. Running the Butter Maker (churn) to match production inline with a plan for required quantities, product type and customers requirements and insuring at all times quality control is maintained with regular testing for specification and micro. Dealing with by products (Butter milk) that my need further processing and despatching from site. Production, the running of packing machinery following a plan within an SOP to ensure customers requirements are exceeded at all stages and ensuring all test are carried out, including CCP tests and grading samples takes. This roll also requires
Dispatch, this roll pick up where production passed from packing over to boxing and palletization through to the loading of lorries. Again, at all stages insuring the highest standards and efficiency within a fast moving high output production facility.
As a technical operator you are also required to carry out minor maintenance tasks and adjustments to equipment to insure smooth and efficient running.
RD Engineering Solutions offer process control, automation and integration right through to project management to a wide array of industries, but predominantly within the food manufacturing sector. My roll within the company was installation and maintenance, from a mechanical stand point, of any project.
It was site based throughout the UK and Ireland
After starting work at Dairy Crest as a general team member I soon found myself moved up first to a machine operator, rapidly taking control of the the most important line and then on, after a fairly short time, to be offered a position as a butter maker. At the age of 22 I became the youngest person to hold that title in the companies history, I was later told that there was some trepidation over giving me this roll due to my young age and the responsibility that comes with it.
Over the time I carried out this task, something like 25 years, I rose to became the senior Butter Maker, right up until the factory closed.
Working in a fast moving high output continuous production environment, running a butter churn and all of it's associated secondary equipment to the highest food standards at all times.
I also found myself to be the required operator for product trials, R&D and also found myself heavily involved in many major projects, ranging from new products to new equipment and production techniques.
I did my apprenticeship as an automotive technician after leaving school and qualified as such. To this day I strongly believe this has stood me in good stead in all walks of life, with fault finding, diagnostics and root cause analysis being very much the order of the day back then, long before the days of plug it in and find out.
During this time, tasks carried out.
I have a broad skill set particularly around machinery and production plant operations, predominantly in the food industry and food manufacturing I hold certification for, Level 2 in food safety, Level 2 in Health and safety in the workplace, Level 2 in the principles of HACCP, COSHH and Risk Assessment trained Along with less relevant skill certification such as Electrical safety, Working at Hights I have an extensive knowledge of food production, processing plant operations, cip, open plant cleaning and customers needs working to ISO and Red Tractor food standards
With my automotive industry training in my formative years I often blur the line between operative and engineer and am often their first port of call when attending a brake down, while not being above getting stuck in with them to help with getting plant back up and running
I have a preference for shift work and have no issue working nights and weekends