Tony Mallett
- Name
- Tony Mallett
- Job Title
- Maintenance Technician
- Company
- Bespak plc
Time in employment: 5 years
Company Activity: Bespak plc is a leader in medical devices for inhaled drug delivery and anaesthesia. The Bespak Group develops drug delivery systems for the pharmaceutical industry and disposable airway management products for critical care settings in hospitals. The Group has facilities in King’s Lynn, where Tony is employed and Milton Keynes in the UK, Indianapolis, Indiana and Kent, Ohio in the United States and Mumbai in India.
- What is your educational background?
- GCSE’s
English Lit
English Lang
Double Science
Mathematics’
History
French
Art
Computing
‘A’ Levels
Mathematics’
Physics
Computing - What subjects did you like at school?
- Art, Mathematics and Computing.
- Who influenced your decision making?
- My parents had some input but mostly this came from me, I could see where I wanted to be when I hit the point in life when I had a wife, family and a new house to pay for. I wanted to have a secure future with prospects so I set myself some aims.
- What has been your career path so far?
- Completed my GCSE’s and ‘A’ Levels, during this time I worked at a jeep dealership where I considered a job in car mechanics but decided I wanted more and with that in mind I moved on to working in a food factory where I tried to get an apprenticeship but they were not recruiting at the time. So I took a job at royal mail, which allowed me more time to do an open learning course. Whilst at the Royal Mail, I applied for an apprenticeship at Bespak Europe Ltd and was accepted. The education & training programmes I have undertaken during my apprenticeship with Bespak and continue to undertake in my present role as a Maintenance Engineer have included:
NVQ Level 2 – Performing Engineering Operations
Principles of Injection Moulding
NVQ Level 3 – Engineering Maintenance
BTEC National Certificate - Mechanical Engineering
SMC Pneumatics Training
City & Guilds 2140 in Pneumatics
DVT Vision System Training
HNC Meccatronics
So far I have worked in a number of different parts of the company as part of my development programme, this has exposed me to the various aspects of the company’s operation and the impact that a Maintenance Engineer has on the efficiency and productivity improvement aspects of the companies operation.
Toolroom
Central Engineering
IT Department
Moulding Department
Maintenance - What is your current role?
- Maintenance Technician. I am responsible for the maintenance and repair of the injection moulding machines, high speed fully automated assembly machines and any auxiliary equipment, which are used in the clean room environment I work in. I work on continuous improvement programs and undertake planned preventative maintenance.
- What would a typical day contain for you?
- Planned preventative maintenance, to ensure that any potential problems that may arise on equipment and facilities are kept to an absolute minimum. Dealing with unexpected faults and breakdowns that arise during the day to day running of the machines. Come up with designs for improvements to allow increase in machine efficiency and completing quality documentation.
- What do you enjoy most about your job?
- Every day is a challenge; there is always something different and unexpected to do or something new to learn. I enjoy dealing with the computer control side of the machines and equipment as I like working with computers anyway. The control systems take you to a completely different level of sophistication.
- What skills are important in your job?
- The ability to think logically is one of the best skills to have, if you can analyse step by step what is happening in one part of a machine and from that see possible causes for the problems you are facing then you are half way to solving the problem. A working knowledge of pneumatics, hydraulics, electrical wiring and PLC programming are also key tools when working in the maintenance environment. As a Maintenance Technician, particularly working in a company producing medical devices, requiring a clean and hygienic production environment, it is vital that a broad but in-depth range of skills and knowledge is attained. Problems can arise as a result of mechanical, electrical or electronic problems and it is important to resolve these quickly and accurately to minimise production downtime.
- What are your main responsibilities?
- Ensuring the machines are running correctly and efficiently with minimal reject count and downtime. To set in place improvements and undertaking special projects that will aid in the improvement of operational equipment efficiency Completion of essential documentation.
- What training (on & off the job) has helped you perform your role or progress?
- Most certainly all the training and development I received during the apprenticeship programme. However the learning doesn’t stop as new process technology and control systems are being introduced everyday, which requires you to be competent in their operation. Also new regulations are constantly being introduced, particularly in the electrical maintenance and installation area, requiring constant up-skilling. Some of the additional programmes I have undertaken include:
Pneumatic Training – SMC training course and City & Guild 2140
Machining – Training in house within the Toolroom.
Shadowing of maintenance technicians. - Why did you choose a career in the Polymer industry?
- I wanted to follow a career path that would take me other parts of the country as well as the possibility of all over the world. I decided I wanted a career that would have good prospects; this was one of the reasons for choosing to apply to Bespak for an apprenticeship.
- What advice would you give to someone considering your career?
- Look for an apprenticeship when you leave school after completing your GCSE’s or ‘A’ Levels, as these will give you a very good insight into what sort of things go on with in the Polymer Industry. If you can’t find one at the time you leave school then enrol on a City & Guilds course or a NVQ in an engineering discipline. This will allow you to work towards the same qualifications as an apprenticeship and also put you ahead for when one does come available, this will also give you a head start against other applicants.