Meet the Maker – Mould Shop

Next up in our ‘Meet the Maker’ series, we are going into Verallia’s Mould Shop to meet Ian Appleyard, who works to ensure all the moulds are expertly prepared and so we make the highest quality glass packaging to bring our customers’ brands to life.

Tell us a little about yourself.

I started my career as an Apprentice Engineer in 1979 for a company called Werneth Engineering, who then made moulds for the glass container industry.  This means I have worked solely within the mould industry for a staggering 43 years.   Here, I was given the most thorough training, learning how to hand engrave mould equipment, also machining and fitting which means I am expert in all aspects of mould making. In 1998 I brought my expertise to Gregg and Company being employed as a Mould Shop Chargehand, and as they say ‘the rest is history’, my current role being Verallia’s Mould Shop Manager for both the Leeds and Knottingley sites.

Can you explain your job role at Verallia to me? What does your typical day look like?

The Mould Shop is essential to the manufacturing process as it is responsible for the maintenance of all the mould equipment and its’ ancillary parts. We are therefore a very well-resourced department, recent significant investment in three machines for both the milling and turning of mould equipment, meaning we are capable of quickly adapting to specific customer requirements.

A typical day at work for me involves every aspect of managing the department from ensuring the highest standards of health and safety to ensuring that each IS machine is supplied with the mould equipment they need to effectively run each job.

What do you enjoy the most about working at Verallia?

I enjoy being able to support and see the younger members of our workforce growing and evolving into credible apprentices and then on to be fully competent engineers.

I am always working to instil ‘pride of work’ into every member of my team.  I honestly believe that motivation creates pride and pride leads to excellent workmanship, which is the basis of the exceptional quality we produce at Verallia.

What trends do you see happening within the glass industry?

Growth!

Over the years, I have seen the demand grow for high quality glass containers which has had a knock-on effect on the way the department performs. With the help of the Site Manager, we have continuously invested in machinery to update the shop and created a department that performs to provide a superior, more efficient material flow which ultimately provides a smarter way of working at every stage of the operation.

What is the most exciting project you have worked on? 

I would say that my continued work to develop our young workforce is my highlight and definitely the most exciting project within the business.

If you missed them, check out our previous Meet the Maker articles on our blog page here.

Verallia is dedicated to bringing the world’s most prestigious brands to life, and our employees are at the centre of this.