September 14th 2023
“I’ve remained at Selwood for 10 years because it’s a great place to work and I love the people.” says Jake Beach, Production Engineer.
Jake joined the team a decade ago where he spent four years completing his apprenticeship in Research & Development. Once qualified, Jake progressed into the role of R&D Technician, where he spent five years building on his pump knowledge, before becoming the Production Engineer he is today.
“The role I’m in now differs from my previous positions in that I’m writing instructions on how to build things, instead of actually building them!
“During my apprenticeship I learnt the method of pump assembly which helps me to know the order of build and which parts fit where. I also spent a year in the drawing office learning how to design the pumps. My apprenticeship with Selwood was really the foundation that led to my current position within the business.”
Pump assembly and job cards
As a Production Engineer, Jake looks after the creation of work instructions for Selwood pumps. These are instructions which tell the manufacturing team how to assemble the pumps in the correct order, whilst keeping employee safety at the forefront.
“Most days you will find me in the office producing work instructions. I use the 3D models of a pump designed by the drawing office to produce written instructions of how to build it from scratch.
“The guides include easy to read numbered diagrams and all elements that need to be checked for quality and safety purposes. It’s crucial that I produce these in a clear and easy to follow format to maximise accuracy during product assembly.
“The work instructions tell the person using it which steps in the build are critical to quality (highlighted in green), critical to safety (blue) and any warnings they must be aware of (red). This part of compiling the job cards ensures that the teams are kept safe, so their importance is paramount.”
This fills up much of Jake’s time and can take several weeks to produce a set of instructions, including a specific job card sign off sheet to suit the instruction. But when he’s not working at his computer, Jake supports production as needed.
Improving processes
“In the event that a part doesn’t fit the pump, or something isn’t working quite as it should, I’ll work with manufacturing and engineering to find a solution. I will then make sure these changes are reflected in the build instructions. Not only do we change the instructions if we are fixing an issue, but if a pump has a new feature or added extra, I’ll need to make sure this is included in the work instructions.
“After I produce them, they go to my manager for approval and then are issued to the production team as part of their job pack. This would include the model drawings and a job card sign off sheet. Including a checklist that the team can follow ensures that the pumps are built to the business standard and maintain visibility throughout all stages of production.”
“If a fitter or someone from the production team, for example, want to make changes to a pumps’ assembly, or think of any improvements to current procedures, they can raise a change request where I would then review the process and formally submit to engineering.
“This is a part of making continuous improvements to the way we operate and ensures the teams on the ground are given an opportunity to offer their input, which is important as they are the ones installing the equipment on a day-to-day basis.”
Job responsibility
Jake is currently the only Production Engineer working for Selwood, which is an aspect of the role he enjoys as it allows for ownership of work.
“I like the responsibility that comes with being the only one in my role. It allows for a complete oversight from start to finish and gives me a sense of ownership. It also means that I get to work closely with the production team.
“It’s a rewarding role seeing my work be put to use whilst helping to make our teams’ lives easier!”