Day in the Life – Charles Wilson
Charles Wilson – Processor
I’ve been working for ICD Alloys and Metals for seven years now. It’s my job to process the materials that come into the warehouse on a daily basis. We’re processing them into a state where the materials can go back out to our customers for re-melting.
It is hard to describe a typical day as every day is different here. Generally, I’ll come in early and get started with the orders for that day. Each consignment has already been tested and has a job card which tells me exactly what the material is and what the customer requires.
The type of material we work on varies on a day-to-day basis. You’ve got to be very careful not to mix up the different types of material, as they have different properties and contamination could cause a serious problem.
We use different techniques for processing the materials, depending on what’s required. Each method has its own workstation, so I tend to move around those throughout the day.
For example, the plasma bay burns the metal down to smaller sizes before it gets transferred to the shot blaster for further processing.
The shot blaster cleans any paint or debris off the scrap, removing any surface contaminants.
Once the material has been processed, it is almost ready to be packaged for the customer. At this point quality checks per customer requirements are inspected and material is then weighed for accuracy, as some weight can be lost while processing. We need to record any variation in the paperwork.
I am constantly busy, but I enjoy the challenge. There is a daily and weekly plan of what needs to go out, and I work out the best way to get it done on time.
The best thing about the job is being around nice people. We’re all like a family here. ICD are very focused on training their people properly and getting things done in the right way, which is great.
Outside of work I’m a real family man. I have two grandchildren who keep me very busy. I love playing basketball and hanging out with them.