Education and qualifications:
MSc Structural Integrity, Brunel University London
BSc Mechanical Engineering, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana 

Job title:
Engineering Support

Employer:
Anikin (Katkin) Kitchen Limited, Haverhill Suffolk

What/who inspired you to become an engineer? 
At an early age, my uncle who is an electronic engineer taught me to fix lots of different things. I also developed a interest in physics and mathematics in school, and I believe this led me to fall in love with engineering.

Please describe your role within the workplace. 
My role is to provide technical support to the engineering team relating to corrective, preventive and predictive maintenance. I am also involved in the design and installation of new plants in the manufacturing section of the company. I played a key role in our recent conversion of a cat food processing plant and restructuring of the production lines to improve effectiveness and efficiency.

What is the most challenging aspect of your role? 
Since it is a new process and production line, there comes a time when you are faced with a totally new challenge and have to come up with a quick solution to get the line back and minimise the loss of production hours.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your role?
The ability to predict a fault, fix it or prepare for a new part before the part fails. It is always rewarding when I am able to predict a fault to minimise or eliminate production downtime.

What is the biggest career highlight or achievement you’re most proud of? 
As a maintenance engineer in the telecom sector in Ghana, I managed to identify certain flaws in equipment shelter designs, propose possible solutions and finally get them implemented across 200 cell sites. This significantly improved the service level agreement (SLA) between my company and the telcos.

Why did you choose to become professionally registered? 
Professional registration provides a certain level of confidence to the employer, especially having moved from a different terrain to the UK and it gives me that global appeal. I also needed a structured format to enhance my continuous professional development, which the Engineering Council and The Welding Institute give me with webinars and talks on how to achieve that.

I would recommend professional registration because… 
I believe it makes one stand out among a list of engineers and gives an employer a certain level of confidence in putting you in charge of a certain critical project, knowing your conduct is being regulated by a globally recognised body.

What career advice would you give to your younger self? 
Stay humble and respectful to both superiors and subordinates and be a critical thinker at all times. Don’t just accept the status quo, respectfully ask questions, and challenge non-performing status quo and suggest new and smart ideas whenever possible. Be abreast with current trends in your field because with artificial intelligence these days, things are moving at the speed of light.

Do you participate in mentoring, volunteering, or membership of other engineering groups? 
I have not had the opportunity yet, but will be more than willing to share my experience and know-how with upcoming engineers when given the chance. I only participated in a volunteering group back in Dubai during the COVID-19 lockdown, helping to maintain equipment and cars at the UAE food bank.

If relevant, please list three favourite projects you have worked on

• Installation of new processing plant at Katkin Limited.
• Conversion of Perkins Generators control panel from power wizard controllers to deep sea controller on Vodafone cell sites in Ghana
• Shelter upgrade on Vodafone Ghana cell sites.

Do you identify as disabled, or as a member of a minority or under-represented group? Would you like to comment on what impact or influence you feel this has had upon your career? 
As a person of colour (black) practising engineering outside of my home country, with all the expertise and experience acquired over the years, I feel, I have not been given certain opportunities in certain roles during my previous employment because of the colour of my skin. I always have to go the extra mile to get the same opportunity other people from other races will easily get it with minimal effort. At the end of the day, it is what it is.