Meet our team l Mike Davies

 

Before joining Advance Mike Davies has worked in many different industries. From music, to horticulture to manufacturing one thing never changed – his optimism and passion for everything he does. Read the whole interview and find out why he is a perfect fit to our team!

How long have you worked for Advance Tapes?

I’ve been working for Advance Tapes for just over a year. I joined the company on the 1st of November 2017.  

How have your responsibilities changed from when you first started?

I started as a cell leader at Coating at the filmic line.   To put it in context, Advance Tapes has two production sites in Leicester, UK. The Coating site involves all the production steps from the mixing of the adhesive to the coating adhesives to various backings or carriers (such as filmic, cloth or aluminium for foil tape), through the laboratory.

On the Converting site, Advance Tapes converts the products from jumbo (master rolls) into cut rolls in a wide variety of widths and lengths. So, I was in charge of 3 areas in the Coating site which were Range 1, Range 2 and the Mixing room.

My responsibilities were to run the shifts, organise training sessions, make sure that all queries and problems are looked after and dealt with in an appropriate way. I also managed my teams’ absences and holidays too.

Recently, I have been promoted to the role of Deputy Shift Manager on the Converting site. This is a great opportunity,  and I’m incredibly excited to get started. Fingers crossed, I can have a positive impact and help to improve the business with my team. It’s the next step on the ladder and one I am ready to take on!

If you could switch to any career, what would it be?

Working in motorsport. Anything within motorsport, preferably being a driver, but I think I might be a bit too old for that now!  

Who is the funniest person you work with?

Robin Bradley. He is on the same level with me in terms of sense of humour. We try to compete with each other with jokes every day. He is just an absolutely  top lad.  

If you won £10 million, what would you do with it?

Well, that’s never going to happen! First of all I would help my family and friends. I would make sure that they are safe and secure. And probably I would try to do some good things like giving some money to charities.

I would probably spend also some money on travelling. You know, it’s quite a difficult question. It is hypothetical and I couldn’t answer that properly! I know what I would do with £10,000, it’d be a deposit for a house, but £10 million, it’s just too much money to comprehend.  

What are you best known for at work?

I hope positivity and my sense of humour. I would like to think that this is what I am best known for. I would imagine people might say otherwise and that my imminent career in stand up is a non-starter!  

What’s one of your interests we may not know about it?

Well, motor racing, people know about. A few people know that I have played bass guitar for around 20 years, but one thing people might not know about is that I went to a circus school for a while. I have learnt how to unicycle, diabolo, how to juggle. That is probably not going to come as a surprise, actually!

Another thing is that I am also building a race car. I have got an MG which I’m in the process of making track-ready.   I have lots of interests. My brain constantly needs stimulation and I like learning new things. But not only do I like learning new things, I want to be as good as I possibly can be at them.

I have been doing all sorts of things and they usually turned out to be quite successful. I think it is because I always want to be better and want to improve. I know, it doesn’t sound very humble, does it?  

If you could have any superpower what would that be and why?

Probably the ability to know what people think. It would be great to know what girls think, definitely! I have a wife, two daughters, a female cat, a female dog… So, yes that would be quite useful.  

What’s your idea of success in your job?

Success is all about personal fulfilment. My idea of success is being happy and passionate about what I am doing. If I earned millions per year and I was unhappy, I wouldn’t continue doing it. The success of those around me is also very important to me. It is essential for me to take care of the member of my team and to make sure I support them in their development by helping them to acquire new skills.

I strongly encourage them to learn and gain solid expertise in their field, hoping that they will become as passionate as I am. So yes, that’s my idea of success. The happiness, the passion and helping other people grow.

What do you like the most in your job?

First of all, I think Advance Tapes has a healthy atmosphere which is vital to create a nice working environment. I like the people who work here.

Secondly, I like that there are always opportunities to grow which are supported by training programs. I took part in training sessions, which were massively useful and it’s great to see Advance Tapes investing so much in the development of its employees. I really feel that I am listened to by upper management and I have a great relationship with them, useful when ideas start to flow!  

What do you like the most about working for Advance?

Definitely the people, the atmosphere and the development opportunities. It’s a great place to work and I look forward to many more years of success here.

This post is also available in: French German