Q1 Craig, please tell us about your time at AML? How has your role changed over the years?
I joined AMRC Ltd (our original name) as the third machine operator. We had 2 machines on site and were renting capacity on a machine in AMRC’s Nuclear building. From there my role progressed to working with the engineers as a development operator proving out new work and improving existing jobs. As head count and the number of machine tools increased, I took on a supervisory role looking after the operating team. With the growth of the company and a move towards production around the clock it became evident we needed to increase the preventative servicing intervals on the machine tools. From my time around the machines, I had built up a fair amount of knowledge/ skills relating to minor mechanical problems on the machines so another natural progression came about and after some training by the machine tool manufacturer I moved into my current role as Maintenance Technician. I now look after all maintenance and servicing not only on the machines but all plant and facilities.
Q2 Working for such an innovative company must come with its challenges? How has the machinery evolved in the last 10 years and how do you stay abreast of the technological advancements?
AML has always been around new technology, how else do you stay advanced? The machine tools themselves haven’t changed that much, we have though started to bring in machines that have different control types and operating systems.
The best way to stay abreast is to embrace the training offered and have a hands on approach, getting to know the quirks of the machinery, a good memory also helps!
Q3 AML is known for its commitment to high performance precision machining and quality. How important is the maintenance of the machinery in achieving this?
As I said earlier preventative maintenance is the key to it all, scheduling known downtime is easy to plan and schedule delivery dates, unplanned downtime is what hurts delivery promises. With good planning we hope to reduce the unplanned downtime and avoid letting customers down.
Q4 What do you most enjoy about your role at AML?
Cliché I know but literally no two days are the same, there’s 16 hours a day where I am not on site, and with 18 machines across 2 sites and all the facilities around them lots of things can happen.
I also have an apprentice working with me while he studies at the AMRC training centre, and it gives a real sense of satisfaction to watch him progress and learn under my guidance.
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