Andrew Spence, Coating Technician

Why painting?

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"I like the way the finished product looks and it makes me feel good that it looks nice when I send it out.

"When I send it out it's nice and shiny and it looks brand new. That's why I like working in the paint shop."

Where I work

Standard Aero is one of the world's largest independent small gas turbine engine and accessory repair and overhaul companies.

The Winnipeg facility provides maintenance, repair and overhaul services for a variety of aviation turbine engines, taking the process from diagnosis, through repair and refurbishing to retesting and after-repair performance evaluation.

Standard employs approximately 1,300 people in its Winnipeg plants.

Before painting

There are different steps involved in preparing the parts for painting.

Cleaning

Before I paint the parts they're cleaned in the cleaning area to remove grease and dirt that would affect the paint.

Masking

After I get the cleaned part I cover or 'mask' the sections that aren't supposed to get painted. I follow detailed instructions from a manual to work out what should and shouldn't get painted.

Painting

My job is painting various parts like eye bolts and struts for the manifold of Rolls Royce T56 aircraft engines.

I use a specialized paint sprayer that has a specific compression rate to make sure that the paint goes on evenly and at the right depth so air flow isn't affected.

We follow manuals that give us specifications about which sections need paint, what kind of paint, how thick a coat should be and if it needs curing.

After painting

Curing

Some parts need curing after being painted. They're put in an oven set at different temperatures and times depending on the part and the type of paint. Curing 'sets' the paint to bond it to the surface.

Inspection

After coating and curing are done, I check for flaws and measure it to make sure the coating is the right thickness. Then I take it to the inspector who checks it again for any flaws and re-measures the thickness to make sure it's correct.

Air flow

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"It's got to do with the air flow on the engine. If it's not perfectly smooth or if it's bumpy or something it might not work properly and it affects the air flow."

Dancing daughter

My daughter is a fancy shawl dancer at powwows. She wears a handmade costume crafted by her mother, who's also a dancer.

I'm very glad that my daughter's getting to know her culture and learning about our traditions. Watching her dance makes me a very proud dad!

Lots of fishing

I love fishing. I spend as much of my spare time as I can either fishing on the Red or Assiniboine, in the city or in Lockport or Selkirk. I catch what I can; I even caught a huge catfish a couple of years ago.

Manitoba

I've lived in Manitoba all my life and I haven't really travelled much except to powwows around Manitoba, but I can't really picture myself living anywhere else but here.

My children and my family are here and of course the fishing is great. So basically this is where I plan on staying.

Easygoing guy

I'm an easygoing kind of guy. I get along well with people and I like to joke around and just have a good time in life. I'm also happy to have a good job.

Powwows

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"The reason why I go to powwows is you meet new people. And you see all your friends, because they all go to the same powwows, and you haven't seen them in over a year, some of them; sometimes longer."

Keeping it clean

Because the work we do is so precise, the work space must be as clean and as dust free as possible. Any dust or debris floating around can affect the paint which will cause problems later on with either air flow or peeling or things like that.

So every day, before we go home, we do our housekeeping so that the shop will be ready for the next day.

Leftovers

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I do what I can within eight hours, but sometimes there's more than eight hours of work there.

"So the next day I know what I'm going to have to do because the parts are ready, sitting there from the day before. So that's what I grab the first thing the next morning."

A little loud!

All of the machinery and equipment that we use can make it a rather loud place to work sometimes. So I wear either ear plugs or ear muffs to protect my hearing.

We get yearly hearing tests done to make sure there's no damage to our hearing.

Protective clothing

We have to wear protective clothing for certain parts of the job. Sometimes it's just a matter of wearing gloves and a work coat. For other jobs I have to wear a breathing mask or even a full protection suit.

The suit is sort of space age and I wear it when I'm doing coating in the paint booth spraying larger parts. The mask is to protect me from the paint fumes from the spray gun.

Precise calibration

Painting or coating is very fine work. The layer of paint we put on is measured carefully using calibration tools designed for each kind of part.

The tools are checked for accuracy every six months or so depending on the part and recalibrated as needed by Standard's Calibration Department then we put a sticker on to verify that it's been recently adjusted.

Shift work

There are different shifts; I work the day shift from 6:00 to 2:30. It might seem really early to some people but I actually prefer to work earlier than later because it gives me more of the afternoon off to spend time with my kids or run errands and things like that.

It's great in the winter too, to have time off when it's still light out.

Overtime?

Once in a while we'll be asked to work overtime. It might be to clear a backlog from being really busy or to do a rush job that has comes in with a really tight deadline. It doesn't happen too often so I don't really mind.

Low stress

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"There's really no high pressure in my job. It's just basically parts you've got to finish, and when you're finished you're finished.

"There's really no rush into it. So I don't find any stress in my job."

Working in cells

We work in groups or 'cells' of 15 - 20 people and each cell has a cell leader. It's a good system. Even though I work independently in the paint shop, I'm part of a cell.

It makes it more of a team environment with everyone working together to get the work done for the day. The people in my cell are great. It's a good team.

Stand up meetings

Stand Up Meetings

We have 10 or 15 minute stand up meetings every morning. Our Cell Leader gives us the plan for the day, what jobs need to be done first and what we can expect for rush jobs or new work.

It's a way of keeping us working as a team, knowing what our cell has to work toward together.

Different techniques

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"Every part is different for every operator. It's not all the same. I paint a different way than my trainer did.

"He paints a different way and I paint a different way, but it's still the same product at the end."

Cross training

I started out here as a parts runner, moving parts from department to department as they go through the repair process. Then I got the opportunity to do some cross-training in our Non-Destructive Testing area, the cleaning department and in the paint shop.

Cross-training is important because it allows us to help other cell members when your area is slow and another area is busy.

I chose painting

After trying out the other positions I decided I liked painting the best. So I asked to be transferred into the paint shop and when there was an opening they let me go there, and that's where I've stayed ever since.

I basically learned the job as I went along, trying things first with supervision and then on my own.

Wise auntie

I have an auntie who has been a big influence on my life. She's taught me that even when things aren't going right you have to keep going and not give up trying.

It's an important lesson and one that helps me every day, not just at work but in my personal life too. It's the best thing I've been taught, I guess.

Useful skills

People Skills

Having good people skills is important. In this job you work with different kinds of people and it makes it a much nicer place to work if you know how to get along with all of them.

Technical Skills

You have to know how to read and understand some fairly technical manuals used in this job. You also have to be able learn how to operate different kinds of equipment, though they're good at teaching things on the job.

Courses to prepare you

I'd say that taking shop courses in high school would help you in this job. Learning about tools, methods and safety procedures before you look for a job would improve your opportunities. Some schools even have actual aviation courses you can take. That would definitely help too.

English is another important course to take. Knowing how to speak, read and write clearly are very useful skills for virtually every job there is.

A good life

(TEXT FROM SOUND BITE)

"I just made it in my mind that I wanted to have a good life and support my family. That's basically why I got where I am today.

"Because if it wasn't for my family, I don't know if I'd be at Standard Aero. So I give all my success to my family."

Growing industry

With everything getting more expensive, repairing instead of replacing parts is becoming more common. So this industry is getting busier all the time.

Where other parts of the aerospace industry have maybe had to lay people off, Standard Aero has kept on hiring new or replacement staff to keep up with things. So I think this is a good area, and a good company to work in.

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 Andrew's occupation is "Industrial Painters and Coaters" and its *NOC code is 9496.

Job Futures Canada

Who Hires - Manitoba Labour Market Information

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

Education

High School

Useful high school subjects*

- Industrial Arts
- Machine Shop
- Math
- English

*Source: Job Futures.ca

For those out of school, Adult Learning Centres can help you get or upgrade your high school diploma, including adding subjects that are required for work or further education. All Manitobans are normally entitled to 4 free courses.

After high school

Red River College

Aircraft Maintenance Engineer
Aircraft Maintenance Journeyperson Apprenticeship
Collision Refinishing  

Winnipeg Technical College

Auto Paint  

University College of the North - The Pas/Thompson

All Programs (PDF)

Industrial Trades - Page 84
Vocational Trades - Page 111

Essential Skills

The most important Essential Skills* for Painters and Coaters - Industrial are:

- Document Use
- Numeracy
- Oral Communication

*Essential Skills provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to evolve with their jobs and adapt to workplace change. For more detail about forthis occupation, go to: Essential Skills NOC 9496

Professional resources

Manitoba Aerospace Human Resources
Works with industry leaders, educational institutions and governments to provide a trained workforce for Manitoba's aerospace sector, developing courses, apprenticeship programs and ongoing training for those currently working in the industry and to promote careers in aerospace to Manitoba's youth

Manitoba Aviation Council
A provincial organization that promotes, facilitates and protects the development of all facets of aviation in Manitoba

Canadian Aviation Maintenance Council
A national, not-for-profit organization responsible for the human resources strategy for aerospace manufacturing

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (Local 181)

Related careers

Supervisors of Manufacturing Painters and Coaters (NOC 9214)

Plating, Metal Spraying and Related Operators (NOC 9497)

Motor Vehicle Body Repairers (NOC 7322)