Career Profile
Tony Heaven
Mechanical Engineer
People say I’m Dow Corning all the way through. And they’re absolutely right. This is my thirteenth year, and I can honestly say I’ve loved every minute of it. I first came here on a nine-month placement during my Mechanical Engineering degree, and left with a very good impression of the company. That said, I was keen to see what else was out there in terms of career options. After an apprenticeship with a petrochemical company, and a spell as a Maintenance Engineer in the steel industry, I returned to Dow Corning. On reflection, it was one of the best moves I ever made.
I’m currently a Team Leader within Dow Corning’s UKAS-accredited Integrity Department. Basically I make sure that all the vessels and pipes that contain hazardous chemicals and store energy are fit for purpose, and that they meet strict legal, statutory and corporate requirements. Additionally my remit includes responsibility for the training of members of the Integrity team, as well as the verification and application of external technologies. So if a brand new vessel were needed, for example, I would have to approve the design from a legal point of view in whichever country it was being manufactured.
It’s a fascinating and varied job that comes with a number of hats: technical, legal, safety and supervisory. There’s also lots of interaction with different people throughout the company, including my equivalents in the USA - we’ll help each other out on our respective tri-annual plant shutdowns and share knowledge where it’s applicable. All in all, I genuinely enjoy what I do and derive a great deal of personal satisfaction in knowing that my judgement calls are instrumental in preventing serious and potentially life-threatening incidents from occurring.
One the things that struck me when I first came here was just how professional everybody was - people take a lot of pride in their individual roles, which makes for a positive working environment. Of course, structured career progression and financial incentives such as performance-related bonuses are great motivators, but at the end of the day you need to be passionate about what you do. If you are then there’s no limit to how far you can go. I’m proof of that: I’ve moved up three levels since joining, having exploited all the training and development opportunities that have come my way. And believe you me, there have been many of them!
