We caught up with Gemma Finn Lewis, Product and Process Development Manager for packaging, to find out more about her role at Tata Steel.
How would you describe your role?
My role means that I lead a small team of technical specialists looking at new product development, and product and process enhancements. I work closely with customer services, marketing, sales, product management, manufacturing, and research and development. I am also responsible for looking after our product regulation systems, within food contact and hygiene-sensitive product regulations.
What is your day-to-day role like?
Day to day I attend project meetings, keeping up to date with current projects ensuring that everything is happening when and as it should be. These might involve physical line trials, research and product development, or laboratory trials. I also regularly have meetings with customers or suppliers – keeping in close contact to ensure product satisfaction. Every day is different and changes on a regular basis.
How did you start your career?
I joined Tata Steel in 2009 as a graduate, after studying chemistry at Cardiff University. Since then I have always worked at Trostre in the packaging works within the quality department. Throughout my time at Tata Steel, I have had four main roles, gaining experience in different parts of the quality teams. My second role was as a quality specialist in which I provided technical support for a whole range of projects including laboratory analysis, new process developments, and quality investigations. I then moved on to being the Customer Quality Manager, handling customer queries and complaints and managing the laboratory – ensuring all activities were in line with tight deadlines. In my previous role I was as a Manufacturing Support Manager, supporting within the quality function, but also supporting the manufacturing teams in long-term investigations, projects, and complex project solving.
Why Tata Steel?
I had the opportunity to attend a careers fair at Cardiff University at which Tata Steel, Corus at that point, had a careers stand. I had a great conversation with the representative on the stand who actually also studied Chemistry Engineering at University. They really opened my eyes to the diverse and unique opportunities and career paths there are at Tata Steel, so I put in my application and here I am 15 years later!
Does anything surprise you working for Tata Steel?
The steelmaking industry is so fast paced! I think steelmaking used to be portrayed as an old industry that isn’t relevant, but I don’t think I have had more than a two-year period since I have been at the company where things have stayed the same! Things are constantly changing, whether that’s technology, consumer demand, or economic pressures. During COVID we had a huge boom as beans became everyone’s store cupboard staple!
What do you like the most about working for Tata Steel?
Tata Steel is one big community. Besides our job roles, the local community is important to us all – this can be shown by our apprenticeship scheme, talking to local schools about job opportunities, and more recently the sponsorship of the Llanelli Half Marathon. My favourite thing about working for Tata Steel is that we are shaping the future of what steel packaging looks like.
What challenges do you face in your role?
It is a bit of a balancing act at the minute with new innovations, legislations, marketability, and finances. Packaging is a global market, it’s not just the UK businesses and European markets, China and America also have different legislative changes that we have to adapt to. You could have a brilliant idea and project, but it won’t always align across international standards or regulation – that’s just one of our technical challenges supplying our products globally.
What was your favourite project?
We make a lot of speciality packaging which people would presume is your biscuit tins but it actually can also be the high-end eyeshadow palettes and beauty projects that I enjoy seeing on the shelves the most. It makes people realise that it's not just this abstract piece of steel or, you know, fancy cars or whatever that you see in most steel industries, it's the everyday stuff that you've got at home.
What would you like to achieve in the next 10 years?
I want to continue working in a job that I am happy in, achieving both personal and professional goals and continuing to be recognised for my hard work and drive for the industry.
What do you do in your free time?
When I’m not working, I like to spend time with my children, either playing games or going on various adventures. Both mine and my husband’s families aren’t local to South Wales so we like to spend time visiting them on the weekends. I am also a typical millennial – I love to read, knit, sew, and bake they are all things that help me unwind.