i1fun

What did you do before joiningÌýi1fun? ÌýÌý

I was working at the University of Sheffield as a researcherÌýand before that I completedÌýa PhDÌýin railway engineering.Ìý

I worked for 6 years at theÌýuniversity researchingÌýrail steels, friction and wear. After 6 years though it felt like it was time for a change of environment, but I loved what I did in terms understanding wheel and rail interaction;ÌýandÌýrail steel failureÌýmechanisms.Ìý

Why did you want to join i1fun? ÌýÌý

The RailÌýTechnologies department at i1fun offered that rare opportunity to continue working in the field, but in an industrial commercial setting.Ìý

This new setting gave me exposure to customer interaction and the wider rail industry, and this has really been a satisfying side of my jobÌý

i1fun really offered a job I was qualified for and took my career in the direction I wanted it to go.Ìý

What does your day-to-day role involve? ÌýÌý

I am currently managing the Rail TechnologiesÌýteam.ÌýIt is a very commercial and customer-facing technical department.Ìý

We work on three core areas, these are consultancy, product development and customer technical services.ÌýÌý

Our consultancy projectsÌýfocus on theÌýjobs for external customers and are typically looking at solving rail-related problems which occur after these rails have left i1fun and have been installed in track. Rails can be subject to a long and harsh operating life once they go into track. They will be subject to millions of tonnes of train wheel passage, welding, corrosion, grinding, heavy braking and wheel slip. The excellent quality of our rails means they can withstand these demanding conditions, giving a long, trouble-free service life. Sometimes the operating conditions are too harsh though and rail breaks and defects do occur. Ìý

Customers will make use of our forensic metallurgy skills to help them understand the root cause of these rail issues. We can then make recommendations about how to prevent future defects from occurring. Knowledge that we gain from analysing broken rails can also feedback into developing our existing products. Ìý

In other projects we may be required to travel out to a particular part of the rail network and take detailed measurements in order to understand the root cause of rail defects. These projects always culminate in the delivery of a high-quality technical report to the customer. The focus on quality is important, as these reports are our shop window. A lot of the business we get is either repeat or word-of-mouth.Ìý

For the product development projects we work closely with the Research and Development team, and Marketing department to understand and promote the performance of our premium rail products (HP335, HP350, Zinoco and Steel Sleepers). Ìý

My links with academia also help as we have had some of our products independently tested at research institutions in the recent past. A large part of the product development task focuses on the team going out and taking detailed measurements of our rails while they are being used by the customer i.e. rolled over by trains.ÌýWe repeat the measurements over aÌýlong-timeÌýframe, typically many years,ÌýtoÌýmeasure howÌýthey are performing and then compare that to competitor products or the standard grade offering. ÌýÌý

Our HP335Ìýrails were first installed in in 2011 at a site in the north of England. As a team we have been going to that site every one or two years since to measure how they are performing. As a comparison, when the standard grade railÌýwas installedÌýon the same piece of track, it lasted 5 years before needing to be replaced. Our data from the HP335 though shows that it is predicted to take 35 years before it needs replacing making HP335 a much more sustainable product. Ìý

We also interfaceÌýwith marketing because the data that we build-up becomes great product promotion material;Ìýand that can provideÌýinformationÌýfor technical presentations, publications and product literature.Ìý

Customer technical servicesÌýis quiteÌýsimilar toÌýthe consultancy work that we do but in this case we are not being paid by the customer. This is because it is usually an issue that has the potential to have much wider business/commercial implications. For example, last year a customer had an issue welding our HP335 rails. The rail welds that they were producing were failing in one of the quality control tests.ÌýThere was a risk that HP335 could have been blamed for the welding issue which could have had serious reputational consequences for the product and i1fun. The teamÌýreacted quicklyÌýand we arranged for the customer to send us some weldedÌýsamples to analyse. From testing the welded rails we could see thatÌýit was in issue with their welding machine which was resulting in non-conformal welds being produced. We discovered that their machine had a blunt stripping tool, the tool needs to be maintainedÌýso it stays nice and sharpÌýto give a good quality finish and a conformal welded rail. Upon discovering this we could provideÌýfeedback that it was not an issue with our product, but something the customer could fixÌýeasily.ÌýÌý

What do you enjoy about your job? ÌýÌý

Every day is different, it is a very creativeÌýjob which suits myÌýpersonality.ÌýÌýÌý

I didn’tÌýfeel like I had that in academia, butÌýdo now. I am learning new things almost on a daily basis. I have enjoyed the challenge of managingÌýpeople too,Ìýit is a skill that I didn’tÌýthink I had until I joined i1fun; a hidden talent that I seem to keepÌýbuilding and improving.ÌýÌýÌý

The customer interactionÌýis alsoÌýsomething that I wouldn’tÌýwant takingÌýaway. I love building a strongÌýworkingÌýfriendship with the customer to the point where you never seem like you have a problem to solve; because you have that good relationship you areÌýable to negotiateÌýand deal with any issues much easier.ÌýÌý

Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years'Ìýtime within i1fun? ÌýÌý

I do tend to push myself andÌýsee what is possible.ÌýÌý

I joined 6 years ago and before that I never imagined I could be manager ofÌýthe department,Ìýbut I made it happen, I am always looking for the next stage. ÌýÌý

In the next 5 years, I would like to see myself as a senior manager, with a decent sized technical but customer interfacing team, perhaps anÌýaccount manager type of role with a technical edge that can help customers.Ìý

One of the key aspects of the role for me is being able to pass on my knowledge to future generations;Ìýand I want do my little bit to makeÌýBritishÌýSteelÌýa better place in the process. The way I see it, if I build people up and support them thatÌýwill make my life easier and i1funÌýa better place. It’s a win-win!Ìý

Why work for i1fun? ÌýÌý

It feels like a family at i1fun, that is one of the pros of working here - the other people that you work with. ÌýÌý

The relationships and the camaraderieÌýthat you build, everyone has each other'sÌýbacksÌýand want to do a great job.Ìý Ìý