Team Insights - Luke Stephenson

We have such a fantastic team at Premier and we have taken the opportunity to get valuable insights on their journeys with Premier Labellers. Each member of the Premier team is individual and crucial to meeting our objectives. Here we take a look at a young thriving engineer that started his journey with Premier Labellers, building his knowledge and experience to become a self sufficient engineer. Contributing to some of our finest products and developments. Luke, 24 from Clacton on Sea, Essex. Our Digital Marketing Executive, Dan interviews Luke in this edition of Team Insights.

Dan: Tell us about yourself and how you came to be part of the Premier Team?

Luke: I am 24 years old and started working at Premier Labellers 11 months ago. Before joining I was working in my chosen field of childcare which was my chosen field of work experience and study. Once that ended, I went into retail to figure out what I wanted to do while I studied Children and Young Peoples workforce at College. Engineering is something I've grown up with, watching my Dad do it, conducting his design and contract work at home. I'd sit there and watch it while learning the basics. He would talk me through the in's and out's and its always something that has stuck with me. I became part of the Premier family by following in my Dad's footsteps and becoming a Trainee Mechanical Engineer.

Dan: It's quite interesting to see how you come from a trainee engineer to a mechanical engineer in such a short amount of time. Would you say that it's an achievement of yours?

Luke: Yes, definitely. Even before starting here, I wouldn't have been able to tell you what an M6 screw was. I've learnt a lot of things being here from small assemblies to more complex ones and now building the machines. When I first started, I was taught the basics for example, how to use a drill properly. It's so simple but if I was to just jump into it, I wouldn't know what I was doing at all. At the beginning I had a lot of support, I still get the support now but over the year I've had to learn so much from smaller and more complex assemblies. For example, how to use the press, the fly press, pillar drill everything like that. Even now it's learning how to turn, how to use the mill, I'm always learning, I don't think I'll ever stop here. There'll always be something new to learn. And, if its not learning something new its learning how to be more efficient in what I do.

Dan: I suppose having the younger engineers around you that have been here a little bit longer and, also, the older generation of engineers, you probably pick up the tricks of the trade and how they differ.

Luke: Definitely! Sometimes the old way will always trump the new way but a lot of the time the new way is more efficient and not so much easier, but, better.

Dan: What would you say is unique about the team you're surrounded by?

Luke: We're a very tight team. Like I said previously, you get the support and the team help you and sometimes people will ask you for help. At the end of the day there's no point not supporting the team because you're just going to put up barriers that is just going to disrupt the whole environment and slow production time.

Dan: What would you say is unique about Premier Labellers as a company?

Luke: Customers will come to us and asks if we can do a particular thing for them, Premier Labellers is always ready to say yes. Premier is extremely accommodating to what customers need and desire which motivates us to get creative and produce the best quality possible.

Dan: Were you a part of Premier Labellers before the site expansion?

Luke: when I came in for my trials, it was a really small workshop. I don't know how anyone was able to work in it, it was such close quarters, but they obviously made it work. I joined the week that the wall between the old workshop and to be the new workshop expansion came down and we expanded into the new part of the workshop. We also got our trolleys rather than having our stationary benches, so we can always just take it on the go with us if we need to move. The expansion development has an incremental impact on the productivity of the team and the business as a whole.

Dan: Where do you see yourself in 5 year's time?

Luke: I'd love to go to night school or a university course just to get to the point where I am able to help design new parts and design new machines and contribute to the next generation of Premier products.