Controller

I began my apprenticeship at the paper-making training centre when I was 16. Then, when I was 18, I got hired immediately by Papeteries de Clairefontaine as a Drying Technician. My career has advanced since then and I am now a Controller.

It’s a very interesting job. You really have to know how to work independently because you manage the pulp vats all by yourself: the additives, dyes and everything else that must be added to the cellulose fibres to obtain different types of papers. But the fact that I work alone doesn’t stop me from keeping an attentive eye on machine performance to see what types of modifications could be made to improve the machines.

There are a lot of different recipes that we use, which means the work never gets monotonous, and I particularly enjoy that aspect. However, you have to react very quickly because my station is at the start of the paper manufacturing process, and can have serious consequences on the machine run. I also like to work with my colleagues. We all have a good mindset and can count on each other. The only negative point is the shift work schedule, which has an impact on your family life.

To be successful in this job, you definitely have to stay motivated and not get complacent. You need to experiment with new things to learn different skills. That way, new hires will be able to figure out what type of career they want to pursue. In any case, I would tell them to profit from every moment and to live their lives day by day: that philosophy has definitely paid off for me.