Questions & Answers
When did you join IMET?
I joined IMET at the start of 2017. Before that I worked at Caledonian Alloys.
What do you do here at IMET? What is your main responsibility?
My main responsibility is metal sorting, but I do have other duties including some processing and dispatching material. I’m also happy to jump onto other things when necessary.
What do you need to be good at to do your job well? What particular skills and knowledge do you have?
You've got to have the knowledge of the elements that are in the metals. You have to have it all in your head in case you don't get the reading you're expecting. So attention to detail is vital.
This includes things like taking care of presentation, for example sorting the materials into different shapes and similar physical forms. We want to make sure our customers get a good product at the end of the day.
I also teach others to write notes when something new comes in, including the part number, history and to take a picture. It keeps you alert to the material the next time.
What problems do you need to overcome as part of your work?
We can’t mix any of the materials as we need to keep each material to the spec it's in. I always check and sort until I’m 100% confident so that when the material goes to the customer it's bang on.
We note any contamination on sorting tags and downgrade or upgrade as necessary. For example, you could get a big part and not realise it contains a faint alloy. And you need to know when you're picking up a nickel coating. I like helping people who don’t have the experience and showing them what's in the different materials.
How do you know when your work has gone well?
We get feedback from the office here in Livingston. And I spend a lot of time trying to make sure everyone is doing their best, every day, to do the job to the best of their ability. I wouldn’t keep any comment from anybody because that’s how we learn.
What do you enjoy most about your job and working in this industry?
I enjoy everything about it. I like the challenges that people put in front of you - there’s something different every day. I wouldn't change any of it.
We work with a lot of good people and I always try to share my experience and listen and learn off others, whoever they are. IMET is a breath of fresh air in the industry and really takes care of people, putting safety first.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
I like road biking, playing football, climbing the Munros, walking and running.
