“Patience is key to building your mechanical career”
Michael is a Utilities Lead working on a biologics site in Dundalk Ireland. Michael has over 30 years’ experience varying from taking over his father’s HVAC (Heating Vent & Aircon) business to mechanical engineering with experience working across semiconductor, biologics and pharmaceutical sectors.
Michael joined the LotusWorks team in 2015, as Mechanical Technician working on a short-term project within the semiconductor sector. After the project had finished up, Michael sought out opportunities in the UK working for a facilities company.
In 2018, much to Michael’s delight, an opportunity arose to return to LotusWorks as Project Engineer working on a project within a pharmaceutical facility. After this project finished up, Michael progressed to Utilities Lead within the biologics sector, his vast experience and expertise meant he was a great fit for the role on this project start-up.
As Utilities Lead, Michael and his team work on project systems on a manufacturing facility in the biologics sector. The systems the team work on include working utility systems such as cooling towers, boilers, compressors, process air and water, CIP, clean steam, WFI and HVAC units. The team are working to prepare for the project handover with the project set to go into the sustaining phase in the next couple of months.
In August 2019, Michael and his team worked closely with the client to build a Sustaining and Calibrations Team to support a project startup with the vision being to sustain the team long-term on site. This state-of-the-art manufacturing facility was one of the largest green-field biologics projects in Ireland. It features single-use bioreactors for commercial bio-manufacturing and is equipped with next-generation processing technology.
As well as his regular day to day responsibilities, Michael is the LotusWorks Wellness Champion representing his team on site.
“The wellness champion role meant I got the opportunity to give back. In 2020, I shaved my hair live via a Microsoft Teams Meeting for SOSAD Dundalk raising over €1,000 for the charity. If I hadn’t participated in LotusWorks Wellness Programme and given the opportunity to become a wellness champion, I wouldn’t have shaved off my hair for charity. This created a buzz around the site for us all, and it felt great to give back to such an amazing cause locally and close to peoples’ hearts”.
When asked about the advice he would give to someone starting a career in Mechanical Engineering, Michael said “When you start a new job, you have to give yourself about 3 months to settle into the role by getting to understand expectations, get to know the team and understand site processes. It takes a year for you to be comfortable in your role, so be patient.”
