David Halden

Name

David Halden

Job Title

Area Maintenance Planner

Company

B.P. Oil U.K. Ltd

Time in employment:- 42 years

What is your educational background?

Following formal education I was an engineering apprentice with Mobil and specialised in welding, in addition to welding qualifications I also completed two O.N.C's.

What subjects did you like at school?

History, Geography, all sciences, English, any sport activities

Who influenced your decision making?

During formal school education my parents were influential, after I became an apprentice the apprentice supervisor was a great help, after that I was my own efforts.

What has been your career path so far?

Following school I completed an engineering apprenticeship, I then worked as a welder for several years before moving into a shutdown planning role. Following this I moved into Maintenance group to set up a planning driven environment, and subsequently I have worked in several planning roles.

What would a typical day contain for you?

Morning meeting prior to the workforce arriving to ensure all work is ready to proceed, or to sort out overnight issues, this is followed by another meeting where all the area planners discuss the overnight issues and ensure that we are working on the correct jobs. The rest of the morning will be spent on raising contracts, developing long term work plans or checking the budget spend year to date. After lunch we have a quick meeting to confirm that we will be working to the plan for the following day, ensuring that everything is ready to go. Please note that we develop the weekly schedules on Wednesday afternoon/evenings.

What do you enjoy most about your job?

The diversity, we work with a lot of different people, within the Refinery and external companies. The work tasks vary from developing work scopes, to raising contracts to budgetary control

What skills are important in your job?

The ability to stay calm and focus on the job when things are going wrong, you also need to be able to look at the information available to develop a work scope and plan. All of the above would be useless without good communication skills; you need to be able to explain the plans to all end users, to talk to contactors to develop contracts etc

What are your main responsibilities?

To ensure that the weekly schedules are delivered on time. To ensure all long term plans are in place including all contract and material deliveries. To monitor and control the spend on the Maintenance budget for the Cracking Zone. To be the link between the Cracking Zone Asset and the Maintenance team. To assist the development of newer planners

What training (on & off the job) has helped you perform your role or progress?

Completing an engineering apprenticeship, with formal qualifications (2 O.N.C's).
Formal courses in the use of various planning tools, combined with on the job training.

Why did you choose a career in the oil industry?

Main reason was the quality of training available within the apprentice scheme combined with career opportunities

What advice would you give to someone considering their career?

Decide on the type of career that you would like to follow and the look at where and how you can get the best training/qualifications. This can the be followed by looking at which companies can offer employment in these areas. Oil companies are in a position to offer both employment and training where required to meet aspirations