SHEQ Officer Steve Bridgwater can. He remembers exactly where he was and what he was doing – it was his first day working at Glassworks Hounsell in 1999.
Little did he know that 25 years on, he’d be celebrating a quarter of a century’s service with the company!
“I started as a shop foreman having been an apprenticeship toolmaker for 13 years at another firm,” Steve explains. “When I joined GWH, they already had one CNC machine, but they wanted more, so I was put to work on a CNC Miller program.”
Today, the fabrication division operates with highly experienced welders across four semi-permanent weld pens and a 4000 sq. ft. dedicated assembly shop. In 2021, they completed their longest fabrication to date — a 14-meter build with an impressive overall length dip of less than 10mm — showcasing both precision and scale.
A man of many talents
The CNC Miller program was just the start of Steve’s impressive GWH journey, which in his words has seen him “bouncing around a lot”.
In the last 25 years, Steve has stepped up to the plate, fulfilling various roles and responsibilities with the company including Foreman, Chief Inspector, Production Manager, and Materials and Planning Coordinator.
“I can help out everywhere now!” Steve laughs. “I can even jump on the machines if needed, and I have done in the past!”
ISO – uh-oh!
One of the major projects Steve has overseen in his time at GWH is the recovery of the company’s ISO 9001 system, which could have been wiped out had he not stepped in.
“We had a consultant who used to look after it. He was in his 90s, and sadly, he passed away. He had the only electronic copy of our ISO system, but he’d done it in Lotus 1-2-3, an outdated spreadsheet software that meant it couldn’t be recovered,” Steve explains. “I had to oversee getting someone in to take our paper copies and rewrite our entire ISO system – that was a task!”.
Steve has also been involved in overseeing some of the changes that have taken place in and around the factory, including creating the new restroom and canteen, complete with kitchen. “It’s nice for the guys to have somewhere to sit at lunchtime,” he says.
A quality role
Currently, Steve is Glassworks’ SHEQ Officer, which he says might just be his favourite role.
“I enjoy inspection and looking at things closely. I’ve got a science degree, and I like that element of investigating when you’re looking over jobs and making sure it’s correct,” he shares.
Today he’s got a new arm on trial from Hexagon, which has been set up and is about to be put through its paces. But as Steve explains, no two days at GWH are the same, which is what’s kept things interesting and enjoyable for the last 25 years!
“There’s no such thing as an ‘average day’!” Steve exclaims. “I’m doing something different all the time. I do put plans together, but usually by 5 past 8, they’ve gone out the window!” he jokes.
The company’s marked Steve’s ‘Silver’ anniversary with a thank-you gift that he’s put towards buying a very special reward for himself: a much-coveted 308 rifle to take his Target Shooting hobby to the next level! “I only shoot targets, nothing live,” Steve affirms, “I am looking forward to using it on the range!”
