Meet our July Employee of the Month: Karl Akester
Meet our July Employee of the Month, Karl Akester! Karl is fabricator in our uPVC factory and a key member of the uPVC production team, with 20 years of industry experience under his belt. Karl’s expertise is with prepping which includes working with our welding machines, getting uPVC frames ready to be made into windows and doors. Karl joined Tradeglaze straight from school, having followed in the footsteps of his Dad who works at Tradeglaze glass manufacturing company Allenby Glass and has recently celebrated 25 years with the Tradeglaze group.
We have caught up with Karl to ask about his role and what he enjoys most about his work and here is what he has told us: “I like working with others and being able to teach some of our newer members of our team new skills. The job is really technical and it can be quite fast paced. I like to step in and help others where I can.”
“The industry has changed a lot over the past 20 years. In the past we used to have lots of smaller machines to do the many jobs required to fabricate a window. With all the upgrades to our machinery in the past couple of years, such as the the Stuga CNC machining centre that we started using this summer, the process is so much smoother and faster.”
What advice would you give to anyone who is interested in a career in the glazing industry? “Jump in feet first and be prepared to learn a lot! It’s a good industry to be in, people are really supportive. Working at Tradeglaze is great, no-one here ever feels that they are on their own.”
Karl’s manager, Kenny King, uPVC production manager at Tradeglaze, has said: “Karl is always willing to help out, and involves himself in all areas within the factory. He has stepped forward and I can always rely on him to organise the loading for supply only deliveries. He is a great team-player and a very important member of our uPVC fabrication team.”
In his spare time, Karl enjoys football – he is a keen Leeds United supporter! – and he loves spending time with his family and friends.
Congratulations to Karl on earning the Employee of the Month! It is well deserved, you are a hard-working colleague who is always ready to step in, help and teach others new skills. We are very lucky to have you as part of our team here at Tradeglaze!
