Manufacturing Monday x Meet the Team
As part of our 155th Anniversary celebrations, we are shining the spotlight on the people who help make us who we are. Our People are our first Core Value and we are lucky to have a fantastic team working throughout each of our 7 divisions.
After beginning his career as an apprentice joiner, Ruairidh now works as a Setter Out in our Manufactured Joinery division. We caught up with him to find out what he does when he’s not tackling the business 5s with his TJ’s teammates:
Job Title: Setter Out
How long have you worked at TJL? 8 years
You at Work:
What was your first job?
I worked for Three mobile for two weeks prior to starting my apprenticeship with TJL.
How did you get started in the industry?
My grandad was a joiner, When I was in school I worked throughout the summer with him whenever he needed a hand.
What are you most proud of in your career?
Taking the step into Setting Out from the bench & sticking it out
Why do you like working at Thomas Johnstone?
It’s an interesting industry to be in, quite a cliché answer but every job is different & also testing.
Tell us about your favourite project to date.
Has to be Virgin Hotel Edinburgh, the sheer scale of it & the transformation. Site visits at different stages of the contract meant you could see the site come on leaps & bounds.
What is the best piece of professional advice you’ve ever received?
Seek happiness not money
How do you describe what you do for a living to family and friends?
[It’s] quite a difficult job to describe to people. I just say we take an architect/designer’s drawing and redraw it to allow the items to be manufactured.
What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?
Not really sure in all honesty, probably how tricky it can be to get items to production when working with limited information
You Outside of Work:
- Tea or Coffee?
Both - What’s your favourite thing to do when you’re not working?
Spending time with my family, playing football & golf - Who would you like to swap places with for a day?
Currently Rory McIlroy - What song do you have on repeat right now?
Difficult to pick one but can’t go wrong with a classic. Fleetwood Mac – Dreams - Tell us something else we don’t know about you
I have climbed 15 Munroe’s
