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Case Study

Name: Greg Duff
Position: Mill Manager
Company: Wespine Industries
Qualifications: Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering

How did you arrive at the mill manager position?
My basic training is as a mechanical engineer and I studied in Perth.
I have a working background in power and utility, in maintenance engineering and engineering consultancy. 
I have a family connection in the timber industry and I took on a role at Wespine as a product development engineer, a role that involved quality control, research and product development. That was my link from the technical background and then I’ve evolved more to management and the production side of things since I’ve been here.
 
How has your role benefited from you past studies?
Coming into the timber and saw mill industry, my technical background has been very useful. The industry is very technologically advanced and there’s a lot of research and statistical background in quality control - my knowledge of those things has been very useful.
This company in particular has expanded rapidly and had to adapt to new technology in a short time. So I’ve been a part of all of that, which has been a very exciting challenge!

Are there opportunities for further promotion?
I’ve really savoured the role I’m in now which I’ve been in for two years, but the future for me is still very exciting! Because Wespine promotes from within, there are plenty of opportunities for me to move up in management, so I can hopefully progress further and higher within the Wespine Group.

How does your job make a difference?
Because I’m in a sustainable industry, and one that builds homes for people in an environmentally friendly way, I really do feel my job makes a positive impact on society.
I definitely appreciate working in an industry that is carbon positive. Not all industries are so environmentally friendly, so I do feel excited about the future of our industry due to the way that the environmental movement is going. 

Would you recommend a career in the industry to others?
At Wespine, we have such a wide variety of people working here, from diverse backgrounds such as marketing, information technology degrees, retail, engineering and science. I was amazed when I first came into this industry about how many opportunities and roles there are available for people from a range of backgrounds and areas of expertise.
Opportunities are endless and I would strongly recommend working in the industry.
 
We spoke to Greg about his career and what he does day to day. We hope you find this useful and interesting – but please remember, that all jobs are not exactly the same and other roles with the same title may be different in many respects. Confirm all the details of a particular job with the organisation offering it.