At Patchett Joinery, we have been manufacturingsliding sash windows,casement windowsandtimber doorsfor our customerssince 1840. We are proud to collaborate, as a team, to provide you with high-quality timber doors and windows,expertly manufacturedtoyour specification.
As a family-business based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, we would love for you to get to know us better and trust us to always do our best to assist you with your timber projects! This iswhy we created this blog post series “A Day in the Life of…”, where you can get to know our team members and joiners, from the office to our factory and workshop!
This week, we are going to look into a day in the life of our Production Manager here at Patchett Joinery, Gareth Crowther.
The role of the Production Manager is fundamental in the manufacturing process. His main responsibilities are the planning and control of the manufacturing processes. Certainly, a manufacturing production manager knows that when they get up each day, there is going to be a challenging day ahead!
In timber manufacturing, the Production Manager has to be able to oversee the entire process of production and at the same time be actively involved in other related areas such as marketing, sales, and finance.
What does a typical day at work look like for Gareth?
Take a look at the timeline of an average day in Gareth’s life, as a Manufacturing Production Manager:
7:00 am: Soon as arrive I check everybody is here and clocked in.
7:30 am: Meeting with 2 team leaders to go through work for the day that needs to be completed.
8:30 am: Production meeting every morning with other heads of departments to discuss the next day’s job as well as any health and safety or purchasing issues.
9:30 am: Process the day’s job thoroughly, going through the batch to check for any anomalies.
10 am: Program and check the Weinig link for our window-line machine.
11 am: Check and print out previous days working hours on the kelio clocking in the system to ensure employees are clocked onto jobs at all times, so their time can be allocated.
11:30 am: Walk round to ensure we are on track for the day’s production.
12:30 pm: Print out purchase orders for paint and hardware, so they can be checked on the shop floor at least a week before needed to be proactive in preventing issues.
4 pm: Quality control inspections on the finished goods completed that day to make sure they are up to standard.
5 pm: Final meeting with team leaders at the end of the day to go through the issued work and make sure targets have been met and understand any issues during the day.
Q&A with Gareth
Q: What do you enjoy the most about your job?
A: I enjoy the wide range of tasks I have to complete every day which makes every day unique with different challenges and opportunities to overcome in order to progress the company and myself forward. I also thrive on the responsibility of having to allocate the workload to ensure targets are met and to the highest standard possible. This is made easier that we have now built up an experienced and settled workforce that is keen to learn and develop themselves.
Q: What education, skills and experience are needed?
A: Before joining Patchett Joinery I was a self-employed installer of windows, doors, conservatories and roof-line products and previous to this I did dry lining so with over 10 years’ experience in the construction industry I settled in quite quickly and the knowledge I had was easily adaptable. I continued to learn and adapt my knowledge to focus more on the production process working my up under the supervision of Derek Downer the previous production manager and gaining the skills and vast knowledge he had to offer and this paved the way to be where I am now. I continue to learn every day and I am currently 6 months into a management course which has already had a positive effect on the understanding of management in more detail.
Q: Any misconceptions about your job?
A: The view from many people is that when you get a manager’s position things are easy but that is far from the truth. I believe my position is one of the hardest within the company with 18 members of staff to manage daily, deadlines to keep and quality the main focus throughout it is difficult to juggle all this but I am enjoying the challenge and hope to continue the successful development of myself and Patchett Joinery.
Q: What advice would you give?
A: With hard work and determination anything is possible. If you’ve been given an opportunityin life, take it with both hands and live with no regret.