Faron Ritz, Plant Manager, NWP Industries, Moose Jaw, SK
"Hi, I'm Faron Ritz. If you decide to work in the oilfields, you'll probably use some of the supplies and equipment my company sells. The plant I supervise here in Blackfalds, Alberta, manufactures storage tanks, pressure vessels and piping for oil and gas companies.
Most people in my job have business degrees, but I took a different route, starting as a journeyman welder. Five years ago I started my own welding business and worked for NWP as a contractor. When they offered me a full-time job as plant manager, I took it because I wanted a job with more status and responsibility. In retrospect, I made the right decision. I like being in charge of my own destiny.
Having that responsibility means I usually work 10 or 12 hours a day, and I often come into the plant on weekends. However, I can arrange to take time off in the afternoon to go to my daughter's music competitions.
I love what I do. Manufacturing is an extension of me. It's rewarding when I see our profitability go up and our product quality improve."
Base salary: $75,000 - $125,000, plus potential annual bonus
Education: A business degree or equivalent on-the-job experience
Advancement: Scope for the individual to expand his/her job responsibilities.
Salary, education and advancement may vary from company to company.
07:00 -- I like getting into the office early so I can have some quiet time to do the things that need more mental application, like writing a new work procedure or working on budgets. My days can get pretty busy and scrambled, so it's hard to find a stretch of time to sit down and do things like that later. Even coming in early, I never get to the bottom of my in-file. People in my work area call my desk the Abyss.
08:30 -- One of my jobs is to make sure that the new welders I hire can meet both professional and company standards. We give them a test, and I'm often the one who officially witnesses these tests. That means I check to see if the new hire is following procedures and doing things properly.
09:00 -- Every morning I sit down with my Plant Supervisor, my Welding Shop Supervisor and my Quality Control Supervisor. We check the daily schedules and talk about on-going projects. I catch up with what's happening in the plant and help with any problems.
09:45 -- Hiring and training are also part of my job. If I have a new welder, I let him get his feet wet, and once he's settled into a groove, I'll touch base with him and see how he's doing and if he needs any help. Discipline and firing are also parts of my job, and if there's any downside, that's it.
10:30 -- I have a full-time draftsman working for me, but I work with him on the designs for new tanks and vessels because we have to build them to our customers' specifications. I believe a good manager has to keep in touch with all the pieces of his operation.
12:30 -- A year ago, I would have been in my coveralls half my day, but I'm not so involved in manufacturing the product anymore. Research and development is something that's taking up more and more of my time, like finding a better design for this man way cover. It's part of my job to look at how we do things and say just because we have always done it that way doesn't mean we can't do it any better.
14:00 -- I like to do random sweeps through the plant to check on procedures and quality and to get a feel for what's going on. I'm not out there yelling and screaming and cracking the whip. I'm not into that totalitarian style. I facilitate my guys by giving them good working procedures and good equipment.
14:45 -- Safety is also my responsibility, so when my people are doing anything dangerous like lifting the heavy stainless steel sheets we use to make vessels, I like to drop by and check that everything's being done according to our procedures. I have 40 people working for me and I worry sometimes about making sure they're safe.
15:30 -- Every once in a while, I'll go out to the plant and do some welding, maybe demonstrate a new technique. I have an advantage over some of the people who do my job because I can pull my helmet on and weld right beside the guys. It keeps my hands in it, and it shows my people what I expect from them.
16:45 -- I volunteered to put together a promotional package for our company, so I'm writing some verbiage on our history. I also talk to our president and our sales and marketing guys in Calgary and pass along their input to the graphic designer.
18:15 - After-hours is often the only chance I get to sit down and talk with my boss and our Vice President of Finance. We'll talk about budgets, supplies I need to order and any problems in the plant. Sometimes I'll call the sales guys in Calgary because I need to know what they're pushing and where they expect the industry to go so I know what products we need to manufacture. Everything I do is aimed at one thing: ensuring profitability in the manufacturing plant.
