Computer-sceptic engineer pulls plug on 50-year career
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Sheffield, UK – Sheffield Forgemasters QA engineer Phil Willoughby has retired 50 years after joining the company as a 15-year-old apprentice. He is one of three generations of Willoughby men to work at the Brightside Lane site, with his son currently part of the sales team.
Phil’s father also worked for the company when it was English Steel Corporation, and Phil has him to thank for getting his five decades at Forgemasters started.
Phil said: “I had just finished school and my father said I should apply for a probationary apprenticeship. I went along, passed a couple of tests and ended up spending half a century there.”
Having spent his entire working life at Forgemasters, it is no surprise that Phil has seen the company change considerably. But he has managed to avoid ever using a computer, preferring to keep information in books and his head.
“I’ve escaped using one because I’ve never really had the time to be trained up. Forgemasters has changed in many other ways since I started - the site is smaller and there are a lot less people. There were times when six or seven thousand were employed,” said Willoughby.
“However, everything is a lot cleaner and tidier than it used to be and it’s a lot more environmentally friendly. The staff are also more flexible than they have ever been – it’s no longer ‘one man for one job.”
