Drying technician

When I was 19, I graduated from a technical school that had apprentice training for paper making. It included a work-study programme with Papeteries de Clairefontaine, and afterwards they hired me. I have been working here for four years now. My current position is a Drying Technician; I work with the foreman to make sure that the characteristics are respected for the produced paper–in particular, the moisture levels.

We work on a 5×8 shift, which means I have two morning, two afternoon and two night shifts at the plant. Because we work in continuous production, at the shift handover the previous drying technician gives me the latest information about the paper in production and about the next batch. We talk about any issues that arose or any adjustments that needed to be made before I take over.

A Drying Technician has to do a lot of different things. You have to be very well organized and versatile, because you have to know about quality controls, machine settings, handling and information systems. This is what I like the most about my job, and in a few years, I hope to advance in my career in this area. I like to take part in the daily meetings, where we review the operations from the past 24 hours. We also talk about ways to make improvements, and I appreciate when people listen to your ideas.

To relax after work, I like outdoor activities and fishing, which really helps me to gain focus.