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Describe your current position and what led to your job.
I started out with a Philadelphia-based petrochemical manufacturer as a Maintenance & Reliability engineer in 2008. This company was bought out by my current employer, Braskem, in April of 2010. We use an extrusion process to make polypropylene plastic pellets. My responsibilities include ensuring the mechanical equipment runs safely, reliably, and is available to Operations when it is needed. I oversee our predictive and preventive maintenance programs. I perform reliability studies to continuously improve equipment and maximize its life cycle. I also conduct failure investigations when components fail and provide solutions to prevent reoccurrences.
What has been the most rewarding/challenging moment in your career?
Every day is challenging for me. No two days are ever alike in the plant. I love being constantly confronted with new issues that I can work on to improve our plant’s performance. I get to work with engineers, operators, mechanics, vendors, safety personnel, etc. I learn something new every day, and I get to solve problems that help us run better which translates to more polypropylene production. That is very rewarding.
What is the best career advice you have received?
I always want to solve the plant’s problems in a day. I’ve learned from some of my colleagues that it is important to make sure you take it one day at a time. Rome wasn’t built in a day!
What would you recommend to someone interested in working in your field?
Learn about today’s manufacturing environment. Take some plant tours, even if it not in the petrochemical industry. Many different industries use similar types of equipment. Talk to professionals in a maintenance or reliability roll to get a better understanding of what your day-to-day activities might include.
What skills are necessary or what prepared you the most for your career?
College was a great foundation for me in which to learn critical thinking and engineering tools to apply to real-world situations. Completing summer internships throughout school helped me gain some real-world experience in both a corporate and industrial environment and helped ease the transition into my first job right out of school.
What professional associations have aided in your professional development?
I am a member of the Society of Women Engineers. SWE provides great technical and personal skills seminars to enhance your current knowledge.
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