Oliver Clayton promoted to Manufacturing Engineering Manager

Oliver has been with JointMedica for five years as Senior Manufacturing Engineer, during which time, he has proved himself to be a committed company advocate. ​ We have taken the opportunity to ask Oliver several questions to get a better insight into his new role, and on a personal level.

​ What will your new position entail? ​ Many of the key aspects have not changed within the Engineering side to my role at JointMedica., However, I have gained much more responsibility, such as, aligning a team to keep coordinated and connected, especially in today’s challenging times with pandemics still active. Right now, staying connected and organised is more important than ever which is why JointMedica’s clarity and ease of collaboration helps my team work better. As a manager, I prefer to lead others how I personally would like to be led. I feel “leading” is far more beneficial than managing and will be a critical aspect of the promotional position. ​ How do you think your new position will benefit JointMedica? ​ Managing the manufacturing and production of a company regardless of the industry, is always going to be an extremely busy role. I believe JointMedica will benefit from me being in this position, by not only keeping a close eye on the production on a day-to-day basis, but as we increase in employees, running manufacturing as close to 100% capacity is critical for revenue flow. I can control these processes within a limited window to allow JointMedica to benefit. JointMedica will also benefit from an engineering aspect and engineering matters, which require more formal control and decisions to be made, which I am able to make. ​ What is the best career lesson you have learned so far? ​ One of the greatest lessons I have learned, in my career and in life, is to surround yourself with successful people and you will be successful. The motto I stand by in life is ‘walk in strong, walk out stronger’. I am a true believer of not letting people who drag you down become close. In my working career, if someone has led me in a wrongful direction, I tend to disassociate myself from them. I am a particularly good judge of character, so it is critical to surround yourself with people that matter and will only aid you in your career. Doing so, will take you and the company who you work for far in life. ​ What’s a fun fact about you many people may not know? ​ I have a secret passion for breakdancing, as I was taught as a young boy. Though it is a shame to say this side of me has failed to make an appearance as of late. ​ What do you get up to when you are not working? ​ Apart from spending time with my family, I have a huge passion for sports, giving most of my free time since the age of fourteen to weightlifting, and football. ​ I gained the engineer side of me from my passion for cars, by where I used to have fleets of race cars and take part in circuit racing. My heart lies with race meets and building cars that are extremely quick and wacky. ​ I also have a big interest in property, this pushes me to use all 24 hours of the day. ​ If you could meet anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would it be and why? ​ The Busby Babes. As I have previously said I have a passion for football, and Manchester United has always been my team. I used to watch with my mum and dad, and I enjoyed every game I could. Unfortunately, the eight players were taken by a tragic accident. It would mean a great deal to meet them, talk about the lives they led and ask them about how different football was back then as compared to now. ​ What’s the best piece of advice you’d give to someone looking to enter a career in manufacturing/mechanical engineering? There are lots of great industries to get into with the qualification of Mechanical Engineering which takes you into a role like manufacturing. My career window has seen motorsport, oil & gas, and medical industries, and I believe that is mainly because of what I was taught within my lifetime. A career in my industry is extremely interesting and keeps you on your toes with a different scenario every day. It allows you to work with a wide span of colleagues who you can gather information from, which, in turn will teach you to drive forward. The Manufacturing/Mechanical Engineering world is full of knowledgeable people who you can surround yourself with and benefit from. It is a great way to learn and hit your career goals, so my advice would be, get stuck in.

How do you feel about being promoted to Manufacturing Manager? ​

It is a great responsibility and feels good; it gives me a strong sense of pride and accomplishment. Whilst having previous experience in this, I will be able to learn new skills as the role diversifies and apply my existing skill set to the role. The promotion gives me great knowledge that I have worked hard, and my efforts have been recognised.