Sheila Serelo, Machine Operator

“The fact that I don’t have to stand in one spot…you’re constantly moving so your day goes pretty fast instead of looking at the clock all the time. It’s fun.”

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My Job

MY JOB

Title: Production Worker (P2)
Key Tasks & Responsibilities:
- prepare dough, fillings and bacon for various products
- pack products into cartons
- operate and maintain wrapping and packaging equipment
- monitor health, safety and cleanliness standards
- monitor product quality
- monitor production flow
Started Job: 2001
Works with: other production workers (P1, P2, P3)
Reports to: Floor Supervisor TOC

Keep It Running

Keep It Running

You have to watch for the machines jamming, and act fast.

If I can fix it, or if someone on the floor can fix it, at that minute when it’s jammed, we’ll fix it. It could just be something like pulling a bag straight or something like that.

If something actually breaks then we have to get maintenance and they stop the line to fix it.

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Different Shifts

Different Shifts

We go 24 hours a day. The morning shift will start 6:30 and go home at 2:30 or 3:00 and then the evening shift will start at 2:30 or 3:00 and go home at 11:30 or 12:00.

Night shift is the sanitation crew. They take everything apart and wash it and sanitize it.

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Product Flow

Product Flow

The potatoes come in, get washed and then cooked and mashed. Then the spices are added.

The potato filling gets put onto the dough and then it's die cut into shapes. From there, they go into the cooker, then onto a cooling conveyor and then through the freezer for about half an hour.

After they're frozen, they’re bagged, weighed, sealed and date coded. Then we pack them and send them off to shipping.

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Leave Work At Work

Leave Work At Work

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I love leaving work at work. When my day’s done, it’s done. I go home."

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Where I Work

Where I Work

Established in 1945, Naleway Foods is the premier producer of perogies and panzerotti in Canada.

Along with the Naleway brand, they produce private label perogies and panzerotti for a number of large retail chain stores in North America.

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About Me

ABOUT ME

Background
- born and raised in Ituna, Saskatchewan
- moved to Winnipeg in 2000

Interests/Activities
- rollerblading, cycling
- camping, fishing TOC

Favourite Perogy

Favourite Perogy

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I like the cheddar ones because they’re almost the same as my mom makes. I just boil them, fry some butter and onions and a little bit of sour cream and away you go! That’s the best."

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Going Fishing

Going Fishing

I love fishing. I usually go with some friends near Seven Sisters Falls. The fishing is terrific there.

I caught a sturgeon there once, about three feet long. It was rather ugly but very impressive!

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Farm Girl

Farm Girl

I grew up on a small farm near Ituna Saskatchewan. It's a small town; probably at the most 500 people.

My Mom and Dad are cattle and grain farmers which is a full time job, pretty much 24 hours a day. And they also both have full time jobs in town. My dad works mornings and my mom works evenings. So I grew up with a strong work ethic.

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My Day

MY DAY

(Perogy Days)

6:30 am: Help set up machines, pack product
7:45 am: Break
8:00 am: Check product moving into freezer section for quality
10:30 am: Lunch
11:00 am: Stamp boxes, pile boxes on pallets, pack boxes
12:20 pm: Break
12:35 pm: Run packaging machine; deal with breakdowns due to jamming, pack boxes
3:00 pm: New shift comes on; go home! TOC

Panzerotti Days

Panzerotti Days

Our schedule changes on the days we make panzerotti. We start at 7:00 and finish at 3:30.

We set up different equipment because the product is bigger and goes into different packages.

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Don't Be Late

Don't Be Late

If you start at 6:30 they expect you to be there on the floor at 6:25.

And you don’t go home until 3:00 whether the next shift is on the floor already or not.

You’ve got to wait until 3:00 because if you’re short people for even half an hour, everything can pile up and go haywire.

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Keeping Up

Keeping Up

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"If the machines aren’t working properly then it’ll be really hectic because they don’t really stop the freezers for any reason, or the production line.

"So it’s kind of up to us to either package them into loose boxes and just put them in the freezer or whatever we have to do to keep up."

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Making Bacon

Making Bacon

As a P2, one thing that we do that’s different is we cut and cook the bacon for bacon perogies, which is done on the production side.

So that’s a little bit different, because you’re in your own room. We cut the bacon and cook it and put it in the cooler and use it in the mix for bacon perogies.

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Fast Paced

Fast Paced

It’s fast paced. I’d say panzerotti days would be the fastest pace because they run the lines fast and if you’ve got to work quickly to keep up.

Perogy days have a slower pace because everything’s just continuous and you don’t need as many people. But it’s still pretty fast.

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Me and My Job

ME AND MY JOB

Likes
-the flexible hours/shifts
-working with people
-casual dress code
-variety: the fact that I don’t have to stand in one spot

Challenges
-the cold: the average temperature in packaging is between 45 and 50 Fahrenheit
-the noise
-the pressure: some days are more intense than others TOC

Socializing

Socializing

I like to talk a lot with my co-workers. The machine are loud so the noise is a factor but I’m a social person, so I like to talk anyway.

It sometimes takes a bit of yelling, but we manage to keep a friendly, sociable atmosphere at work. It also makes the day go easier.

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Early Shift

Early Shift

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I start early, I’m done at 3 o’clock so I still have the rest of the day to go grocery shopping or whatever; gardening stuff…what ever I can do in my apartment."

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Serving Customers

Serving Customers

I don’t really deal with customers in person but in some ways I do feel I have some contact with them.

If I’m not happy with the product that I'm packing, it’s going to go to them and they’re not going to be happy either. So I’ll stop it before it goes out.

In that way I guess I do deal with them.

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Harder After Lunch

Harder After Lunch

After lunch the job is always harder. The machines tend to run really well for just so long and then they start to jam up. Plus, people sometimes go home earlier so we might be short staffed.

We have to keep the product moving no matter what the situation is so it can get a little tougher later in the day.

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My Resume

MY RESUME

Education
1997: High School Diploma

Experience
2001-Present: Naleway Foods: P2- 2nd Level Production Worker (in charge of processing equipment)
2000-2001: Naleway Foods: P1- 1st Level Production Worker; (assisting with processing equipment)
2000: Naleway Foods: Packer (entry position)
1998-2000: Caregiver in a nursing home
1997: Hog barn worker TOC

Moving Up

Moving Up

You start as a Packer and then you go up to a P1 where you can run some machines, or assist somebody else.

And then you move up to a P2, who should know everything about the machine in case it jams or needs maintenance.

I was a packer for about six months. As soon as I started they were training me on the machines so I skipped the assisting part and just learned to run them myself.

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People Skills

People Skills

I’d say, learn how to discuss things with people so they’ll listen to you and not get offended. And you need patience, because some people want to do it just their way.

You have to talk to them, and keep showing them and convincing them that it’s easier done the right way. They’ll eventually come around.

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Training People

Training People

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"The way I train somebody, I show them first how it’s done properly and then I let them do it and I’ll just stand beside them and help them until they get it.

"Luckily, actually everyone’s caught on pretty quick so a day or two and they can do it themselves."

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Technical Skills

Technical Skills

With most of the equipment it's just off and on switches. There’s a little bit of computer control required for setting the speeds on some of them.

I also have to watch out for mechanical problems and be able to do minor adjustments and things like that.

It's really just common sense when you’re down there.

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My Future

MY FUTURE

As far as promotions go, from being a P2 or Production 2 worker, I could go up to a P3, where I would run the bagging and weighing machines.

The next move after that would be to Supervisor. There is obviously more responsibility with that position and the hours and shifts would change too. TOC

Computer Course

Computer Course

The union is offering a computer course that I might take. I haven’t done much with computers since high school, so I’d start with the basic level.

But I’m willing to take anything that has to do with computers.

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Advice

Advice

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I would say, take some courses, like computer courses or a business course of any kind.

"Even a machine course, so that way you can skip packaging and all that and just go straight to the good paying jobs."

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Useful Links

MORE INFO

Food and Beverage Processing workers are in high demand in Manitoba today. Many workers who are hired have only some high school education and no specialized training. They receive on-the-job training.

But the following can be a big help in getting hired into a better starting position or advancing more quickly in your career:

-experience in your particular industry or occupation
-knowledge of regulations covering production of various food products and safe production practices
-a trade/vocational certificate or community college diploma TOC

Job Market Info

Job Market Info

The links below take you to federal and regional government information on employment, education, salary ranges and long range prospects for this career.

The official name for Sheila's occupation is "Process Control and Machine Operators, Food and Beverage", and its *NOC is 9461.

Job Futures

Manitoba Labour Market Information
(Select Manitoba, the Area in Manitoba, NOC code 9461, then click Search)

Human Resources Development Canada

*Each occupation has an official name and unique number called the 'National Occupational Classification' code or 'NOC'.

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Education

Education

Useful High School Subjects*

- Machine Shop
- Sciences
- English

*Source: Job Futures.ca

High School
A high school diploma is helpful, but not required.

Assiniboine College - Brandon
FoodSafe
(see page 18 of the pdf)
Students seeking employment in the food industry increase their opportunities with this course. FoodSafe is a nationally recognized seminar. Participants who pass the examination receive a nationally recognized certificate.

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Industry Association

Industry Association

From french fry factories to fish markets; from fresh herbs to food-based pharmaceuticals, the Manitoba Food Processors Association (MFPA) exists to support and promote Manitoba's food industry to the world.

The MFPA gives Manitoba's food producers a powerful voice in the global marketplace and ensures continuous health for our province's food industry, through ongoing training initiatives, networking, industry publications and sales promotions under the "Manitoba Made" logo.

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Related Careers

Related Careers

Related careers from Human Resources Development Canada web sites:

Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities (NOC 961)

Supervisors, Processing Occupations (NOC 921)

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