November 2, 2014

Tomorrow’s Engineers Week: Tracey Foster, Manufacturing Director, PepsiCo

As part of our participation in Tomorrow’s Engineer’s week which takes place from Monday 3rd November to Friday 7th November we will be bringing you some case studies of women who are blazing a huge trail in engineering.

Meet Tracey Foster, a Manufacturing Director at PepsiCo. A female role model within the company, Tracey is an inspirational engineer, keen to create a diverse and inclusive environment and pave the way for a new generation of female engineers to follow through. Tracey has a hand in making some of the UK’s most well-known snack products including Sensations, Walkers Extra Crunchy and Wotsits.

Can you explain what you do as an engineer?

My roots are in engineering and I am now a Manufacturing Director at a site based in North East England for PepsiCo. The site, which is in Peterlee, manufactures a range of snack products including Sensations, Walkers Extra Crunchy and Wotsits.

Without engineering, I would not be in the position I am today. I studied engineering at Manchester University – with a specialism in textile – and the skills I learned while achieving my degree enabled me to get my first role, and to really kick-start my career.

What’s the best bit of your job?

Working together with like-minded people to reach a common goal is absolutely the most rewarding part of my job.

What’s been the highlight of your career?

There have been many along the way – but a couple of achievements really stand out. The first was our work to enable the business to transport raw materials using new trailers – this is the first time PepsiCo had transported anything other than products that were ready to eat.

The loads were heavy and variable and required bespoke trailers to be designed, tested and then built by a third party. In addition, the drivers needed to be trained to be able to drive the big lorries to maintain road and driver safety. The timeline was also very tight – which made it even more interesting – but the team did a fantastic job to get the work done!

The second aspect that I really enjoy is recruiting new people for the manufacturing line and helping them develop their careers.

What are the everyday things you do as part of your job?

I set out what’s required for the site and work with the relevant teams to develop plans to execute the best possible performance, whilst of course ensuring that our customers get exactly what they want.

Above all things, we are completely focused on ensuring that we do this safely – so no one is hurt on site and the quality of the brand is always protected.

How did you become an engineer?

I went to university to study for an engineering degree. I was keen on sciences through school, but I wanted to undertake a course that was more practical in nature and would be really useful for my future career.

What advice would you give to someone looking to become an engineer?

Go for it! You will enjoy learning about all the different aspects of the discipline and it is a great platform on which to build a career. It’s flexible too – you could be an engineer for all your working life, or like me you might move into a more generalist role.

Whatever path you choose, engineering is a great place to start and gives you a great set of skills.

What do you enjoy doing outside of work?

I love music of all kinds – from classical to heavy rock! I will happily go to any concert or festival – small or large – and have a great time. I also play a couple of instruments, but not particularly well and certainly not in public!

To find out more about Tomorrow’s Engineers week visit their website: http://www.tomorrowsengineers.org.uk/TEWeek/

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