Jason Cryer, Head of controls

Jason Cryer, our head of controls, has worked at Sewtec Automation for 15 years. We caught up with Jason to get his thoughts on why he chose a career in automation, the characteristics you need to be a success and his ambitions moving forward.

Q: Tell us about your typical working day

Jason Cryer (JC): After an early morning kick of caffeine, I check through the emails to see if anything requires urgent attention before walking out to the shop floor to check on the progress of current and pending projects.  At that point I decide if my time is better spent assisting with what’s happening on the current projects or carry on with something that I may be scheduled to do, perhaps writing some code for a machine. I usually try and balance what I am doing on any given day to suit project progress and timescales.

Q: What made you choose a career in automation?

JC: On leaving school, I didn’t really have a chosen career path but all I got told by my parents was you need to get a trade.  So, I applied for all the engineering apprenticeships in the area and ended up with a choice of apprenticeships: electrical/controls or mechanical. I chose electrical/controls and looking back it was the best decision I ever made. Wires and typing are a lot easier to fix than lumps of metal!

Q: What would you say the best thing about working at Sewtec is?

JC: Undoubtably the people. We have some top-notch engineers here and we always manage to have a laugh along the way.

Q: Name three characteristics you would say are needed to work in automation?

JC: The three characteristics I’d say you need for a career in automation are:

Attention to detail –Minor typing errors can cause you a world of pain.

Calm temperament – When you’re stood at the machine with a laptop, you’re automatically the focal point of attention. So when things go wrong, you need a cool head in order to resolve issues quickly.

Team work – Everything we do is a team effort, so the ability to fit in and work comfortably as part of these teams is essential.

Q: What’s been your proudest moment whilst working at Sewtec?

JC: You may be aware that not every project sails through without a hitch. We once did a machine upgrade entirely on the customer’s site and it became evident very quickly that there were serious issues with what we were planning to do.

Within the originally allotted timescale, onsite, we managed to basically re-design the job, adapt the installation to suit and commission the machine for it to start up day one of scheduled production without an issue, much to the customers delight.  Again, this is testament to the efforts and quality of people we have here.

Q: Do you feel inspired by working as part of an award-winning team?

JC: Awards are great and stand the company in good stead going forward.  But on a personal level, it’s the engineering challenges we face and working with the people we have here to find the right solutions that get me out of bed in a morning.

Q: How have you developed your skills whilst working at Sewtec?

JC: My skillset has developed massively since working here.  We have a core of people here who are at the top of their game and in this environment it’s difficult not to develop and, as they say, you never stop learning.

Q: What do you make of Sewtec’s move to the brand-new facility at Wakefield?

JC: We had outgrown the Dewsbury site many years ago and this is exactly what we needed to develop and move forward.  By comparison, it has been like moving from the Sunday league to the Premier League.

Q: How do you think the new facility will help improve your day-to-day role and help the business grow?

JC: We have far more space in which to operate and much better facilities, so a massive improvement all round. From a customer’s point of view, you can’t help but be impressed the moment you drive up.

Q: What aspirations do you have for your career at Sewtec moving forward?

JC: I continually look to develop my personal skill set. However, we are all getting a bit longer in the tooth and going forward I intend to pass on some of this knowledge, tricks and tips onto the next generation through our development programs. In return, I expect them to show me how to correctly operate an iPhone.

If you like the sound of working at Sewtec, visit our Careers page for more details on our current vacancies.