Rob Lewis – Operations Director
Please describe your role at Contamac:
I am the Operations Director, with overall responsibility for the company’s Production, Machining, Despatch & Facilities at Contamac.
I have been in this Company and the Industry for over 34 years and obviously, my role has evolved continuously throughout, having started all those years ago as primarily a Machine Operator. I think the fact that I have experienced and carried out nearly every role within the organisation at some point gives me a valuable insight into the requirements of both the staff and customers’ expectations.
The primary function of my role now is to try and exceed these for both groups, whether it is providing our staff with the best facilities, training, support or social activities. They are all designed to ensure that as a team we can provide our customers with the highest quality Products, Services and Support we can offer.
What do you enjoy most about working at Contamac and our industry?
For me it’s always been about the people within the Contamac family, I consider myself very lucky that I still love going into the office every day, filled with the same drive and enthusiasm to achieve the best for the company.
The most enjoyable part of my role is being able to work so closely with these people to help them maximise both their individual and team potentials. I am again fortunate to work within an environment that supports trying to continuously improve and develop our personnel, processes or products which provides me with great satisfaction.
Can you tell us about some of the most rewarding projects you have worked on?
The two of the many highlights I would choose from my time at Contamac would be:
The development and integration of the lathing processes which we have built on steady since we received our first machine in June 2012. The use of this platform has provided significant improvements in both the Product flexibility, Quality and process capacities as well as providing significant cost benefits to the company.
The second area, and by far the most challenging, personally was managing the design, construction and execution of the relocation of Contamac into our purpose-built facility at Carlton House in 2015.
This was a three-year exercise during which I carried out multiple functions and faced extreme highs and lows that examined every part of my character, but I enjoyed the challenge immensely. There is also a hugely rewarding feeling to see others enjoying working within this building and seeing its functionality benefiting the whole company.
What have been the biggest operational challenges in the past year due to COVID-19?
The biggest operational challenges caused by COVID, especially during the chaotic early months, were trying to achieve the right balance between limiting our manufacturing activities and maintaining an uninterrupted distribution of Products to our fluctuating global markets. The constant changes in spatial requirements and staff safety measures certainly kept us on our toes.
How do you see the direction of the company going as we recover from the global pandemic?
I see a very positive direction for Contamac as we emerge from this pandemic. We have worked hard to maintain good channels of communication with our business partners, implemented an excellent new SAP B One Inventory System, which will provide better access to information for many aspects of the organisation and of course, we are looking to further improve our manufacturing processes throughout 2021. All of these changes will hopefully help us in improving the overall service delivered by us to our customers as we all look forward to a better future.
If you were shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you?
Sun Lounger and a set of golf clubs!
My idea of heaven on holiday, early morning on the greens and afternoons on the beach. Ok – maybe the odd G&T just to be social!