Jamie’s Journey: From Engineering Graduate to Master Planner at InfraBuild

Jamie Gatland has been working with InfraBuild for three years. Her career with the company began through the Engineering Graduate Program at Newcastle Wire Mill, where she worked in the Process Engineering team during her first rotation, focusing on the PVC coating line. Jamie later joined the Innovation team, where she was involved in multiple projects related to corrosive soils in rural markets. Upon completing her graduate program, she was appointed as the Master Planner at Newcastle Rod Mill, where she has been working for the past eight months.

We recently had the opportunity to interview Jamie and learn more about her experiences and role at InfraBuild.

What makes you InfraBuild proud?
Being a part of a company with a strong and enduring legacy in Australian manufacturing is something I take great pride in. It’s incredible to think that we can trace our end-user products – such as reinforcing mesh and bedding springs – all the way through our chain of manufacturing processes. It is truly remarkable.

Best part of your job?
The people. Since day one I have been welcomed with open arms and no one has ever made me feel unwelcome.

If you could go back and give yourself advice on day 1 – what would it be?
Be confident and back yourself! It can be very challenging to share ideas in a room of people with decades more experience than you, but you must trust your skills to do your job well.

What InfraBuild value resonates with you best? [Family, sustainability, respect, innovation], Why?
I think sustainability is a pretty important value. Innovation also ties into this as striving for a sustainable process forces us to be creative and come up with new ideas that challenge the norm. We are at a pivotal point in history where sustainability focused projects are taking over traditional practices and that is pretty exciting to see.

Most exciting career milestone?
I think accepting the master planner job. I really enjoyed my engineering roles, but I was definitely in my comfort zone, I wanted to step out of that comfort zone and push myself to gain some skills in areas I know I was lacking in.

What does a typical day look like?
My typical day involves various tasks such as calculating daily production targets, planning section changes at the mill, coordinating truck movements between sheds, and predicting gas usage. Additionally, there is significant planning involved weeks prior to production, including receiving and converting customer orders into production orders to avoid any capacity issues. A rolling schedule is created in advance, but it must remain adaptable as unforeseen issues can arise, such as equipment breakdowns, billet shortages, or quality concerns. Effective communication skills are crucial in my role as I must ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the production timeline for specific products, any necessary requirements for production, and any potential delays.

Career defining moment you have been a part of?
Following the devastating floods that hit the eastern states, we faced significant challenges in relation to damaged rail infrastructure. Despite the challenge, I remained in constant communication with various stakeholders, such as suppliers, customers, and the mill, and had to adjust our plan as new information became available. I am proud to say that our team excelled at problem-solving during this period and was able to minimise any negative impacts on our customers.