Sue Ling, our Quality Assurance Coordinator at Tridan Engineering, tells us about how she got into the industry, and why she stayed…
“After a radical job change from publican, I found myself working in an electronic engineering company.
How did I adapt from pulling pints to my current position at Tridan being responsible for our Business Management System?
Working initially on the shopfloor assembling printed circuit boards for BT, this was not for me, and I moved into quality assurance which is where I gained my first taste of BS EN ISO 5750 the Quality Management System. I progressed to looking after the system, becoming qualified to conduct internal and external audits. I would travel to our sister companies and audit their systems.
My next career move came when 14 years ago I came to Tridan, which has been my home ever since.
From a women’s working environment to the exact opposite, being the only female on the shop floor working in inspection. A 100% different challenge to what I had done before but I was accepted and made to feel like one of the team, working to AS 9100 standards and then incorporating ISO 14001 the environmental standard. Our BMS covers all aspects of the working environment including Health and Safety in which I am involved.
I do not know why there are so few women doing the job I do, not many have been given a chance. It is not a glamorous career, steel toe caps and going home occasionally smelling like (as my other half would say) ‘metal mickey’ but I have loved the challenge, the guys I have worked with are the best, and I shall be sorry to say goodbye when I come to retire. On a positive note, regarding females in our industry, there are now a further four ladies employed here whose positions include Manufacturing Manager, two ladies in accounts and one in sales.
So, ladies, looking for a challenge – do something different – work in precision engineering. There are numerous opportunities in different areas – I am glad I chose quality.
Our company values reflect the company I work for,
Respect – Passion – Reliability – Teamwork – Integrity and Autonomy”
#womeninengineering #precisionengineering #tridanengineering #tridanteam
