Explore: Manufacturing

Production Team Leader
Aggregate Industries

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Paul R

00:00:01 My name’s Paul R and I’m a Production Team Leader. My job involves the supervision of production operatives within a production environment. My role at shop floor level is to ensure that the products we make meet the set standard, and we meet the set targets. What I enjoy about my work most, is being able to give to people what I had given to me before I took on the role. So it’s nice to invest in people yourself and give them the opportunity to gain a few recognised qualifications, and perhaps move on to be a Production Team Leader or whatever they want really.

00:00:38 The company started sending me to college, it would be four years ago, to gain recognised qualifications in Team Leading. Going to college I found very strange initially, because I was in my late thirties when I embarked on this, and it’s a long time from leaving school. Absolutely more focused than I ever was a school. There was a real reason to get through this. Whether you call it pride as much as anything else, I think it was a realisation that it was perhaps my last chance to do something other than be on the shop floor.

00:01:15 What I was like at school? No real idea where I wanted to go, what I wanted to do. More interested in sports than other subjects, shall we say. I hoped to get a trade, perhaps be an electrician following in the footsteps of me father. Left school with only basic CSE qualifications, and never really achieved that goal. I think it was an age thing, and it was immaturity and not realising that you needed to put the work in at that time. If I could go back, I’d go back and I’d do things differently. But – that’s hindsight for you.

00:01:50 When I left school there was no real ambition – just to go out and start earning money. I started work – at that time it was the Youth Opportunities Scheme – so it was a basic wage working for a local company. It was part of a yard maintenance crew for a local factory. It wasn’t an interesting or exciting job, but it was a job nevertheless at that time.

00:02:17 I then moved on to a refractory business, which was in the quarrying side of things. I started work as a production operative. And then I went working in the lab as a lab technician for five years. The reason I left a job I enjoyed as a lab technician was purely financial. It was at a time in our lives where we were trying for a family, and the money I was earning at that time wasn’t great, although I enjoyed the job. Aggregate Industries at that time were renowned for paying really well. Coming to Aggregates in terms of the work I did seemed like a step back at that time, it was more manual work. I can’t say that I enjoyed it too much initially, I was doing it for a specific reason, and that was for the family.

00:03:05 Not long after my daughter had been born, I was told I was going to be made redundant. That was quite trying at the time. But things fortunately worked out. The redundancy didn’t happen. I was two days from leaving when I was told that I had had a reprieve and I could now stop. Where we’d be now if that hadn’t happened I don’t know.

00:03:27 Outside of work – many interests, particularly in DIY. I’ve restored a car recently, which is something I’ve always wanted to do from a young age. So – a challenge. I’m easily bored, and I like to be doing something. Just over two years ago I bought one of these as a non-runner. It was bad. It was beaten, battered, it didn’t run, and really it was fit for scrapping and nothing else. So it was a challenge. And eighteen months later I’ve brought it back to its original state.

00:04:00 I’ve actually got the job now I’ve wanted for quite a few years. I’ve put the time in at college to get this job, and I don’t see any reason now why we can’t move on perhaps further up the ladder.

ENDS

Paul R is a Production Team Leader in an Aggregate Industries factory. He started working for Aggregate Industries in a manual job. They paid well and he wanted to support his family. Four years ago they sent him to college and now he is supervising production in one of their factories. “I’ve actually got the job now I’ve wanted for quite a few years.”

More information about Production managers and directors in manufacturing

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£61,360
average salary

The UK average salary is £29,813

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37
average weekly hours

There are 37.5 hours in the average working week

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85%  male 
15%  female 

The UK workforce is 47% female and 53% male

Future employment

Future employment?

Description
? Production managers and directors in manufacturing plan, organise, direct and co-ordinate the activities and resources necessary for production in manufacturing industries including the maintenance of engineering items, equipment and machinery.
Qualifications
There are no pre-set entry standards. Entry is possible with either a degree or equivalent qualification, and/or relevant experience. On-the-job training is provided and professional qualifications are available, as are S/NVQs in Management at levels 3 to 5.
Tasks
  • Liaises with other managers to plan overall production activity and daily manufacturing activity, sets quality standards and estimates timescales and costs;
  • Manages production to ensure that orders are completed to an agreed date and conform to customer and other requirements;
  • Monitors production and production costs and undertakes or arranges for the preparation of reports and records;
  • Oversees supervision of the production line and its staff, ensures targets are met.
Employment by region
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Top 10 industries for this job
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Architectural & related 33235
Wholesale trade 30199
Specialised construction 28491
Metal products 23962
Machinery, etc 18671
Food products 17681
Rubber & plastic 13109
Motor vehicles, etc 9359
Computer programming, etc 9261
Repair & installation 8990
Employment status
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