A DAY IN THE LIFE OF ALAN COOKE AT TYRONE FABRICATION
TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF: My name is Alan Cooke, I am new to Tyrone Fabrication as I only joined the team in July 2019. I am married with two children; Ruby and Willow. I’ve worked in purchasing for approx. 20 years, mainly in the food industry but I worked 3 years in engineering previous to this. I am heavily involved with soccer coaching, having coached Dungannon Swifts, Coleraine FC and now coaching for Dungannon United Youth and Roy Carroll Academy. WHAT DID YOU STUDY AT UNIVERSITY / CURRENTLY STUDYING:
I started as a junior purchaser in Dungannon meats 20+ years ago fresh out of high school. I have managed my way through my work career to progress from a junior into senior purchasing roles. For most of my careers I have been in FMCG mainly food but I’ve also worked in Engineering. PLEASE TALK US THROUGH A TYPICAL DAY FOR YOU AT TYRONE FABRICATION:
As I am learning new products and about Tyrone Fabrication my day usually consists of working on the electrical site. I’m spending time learning the components for the cabins/cabinets - batching items for the builds and pricing and also ordering items for builds and stores. HOW AND WHY DID YOU GET INTO PROCUREMENT WORK?
I finished school with qualifications but University didn’t appeal to me so I started to apply for jobs straight away. I got a junior purchasing role and enjoyed sourcing buying and the challenge of managing suppliers. I guess 20 years on and still in that type of role says I made the right choice. WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB AND HOW DO YOU FIND WORKING WITH YOUR TEAM?
I enjoy a new challenge of learning a new sector and what may be out of my comfort zone but with time I’m getting there. In my short time here everyone has been very helpful which helps massively when trying to learn new products and the few I share an office aren’t too bad either ;) DO YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR NEW RECRUITS? Ask questions!! Don’t be afraid to muck in and it will help you to learn on the job.
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