“Our company is the world’s largest manufacturer of infinitely recyclable aluminium beverage cans – although we also have an aerosol division and even an aerospace division in the US,” says Michelle Lyle, 30, lead engineer of global product design at Ball Corporation’s UK engineering office in Tongwell. “I head up the global engineering team, focusing on designing the tooling that makes the cans. They’re already the recycling leader, at 82% in the UK, and my team works out how to optimise the tool and can designs we currently use, making them stronger, lighter, more cost-effective and even more sustainable. Engineering has turned out to be a much broader field than I ever imagined it would be – I definitely never thought I’d be designing beverage cans when I got my engineering degree!”
Here she describes a typical working week …
Monday
I start the week with one of my favourite parts of the job – working in the lab. My ultimate aim is improving the design of our cans, reducing the amount of metal needed to make them. Today, I’ve been running tests on some new designs to measure strength and how well they hold their shape when dropped.
After a lunchtime trip to the in-house gym, I connect with each of my team members individually, either in person in the office or by video call, as one of them is in the US. They’ll bring me up to speed with what they’re doing; I’ll act as a sounding board; and we’ll plan what needs to happen next.
Tuesday
Ball is a very flexible employer, so I’m working from home today. My family lives in Canada, and my bosses have been incredibly supportive – in fact, when I go back to visit everyone in a few weeks’ time, I’ll be able to spend some of the trip working remotely, meaning I can stay out there for longer.
Much of the morning is taken up with calls. Whenever people ask me to explain engineering, I say it’s the science of problem-solving – taking a problem and coming up with ways to fix it; finding out how things work and analysing how we can make them better.
I write up my report from a recent trip to Germany, where one of our plants has been helping with a trial to test out new tooling equipment to make cans. I went to support them and collect some samples to bring back and analyse what’s worked … and what hasn’t. As a huge global company, there are lots of great opportunities to travel and meet people and stakeholders from different cultures and backgrounds – I joined seven years ago, straight from university, and within three weeks of starting, I was sent to Grenoble to meet a supplier.
Wednesday
Today I’m analysing the results from Monday’s lab tests. I love digging into data, figuring out why something worked the way it did, and how we can use that information in a helpful way. It’s something I’ve been interested in since I was 13, where I was even inspired to do an automotive tech class in school in Canada. Thanks to a brilliant teacher who encouraged me to do a short internship working with light aircraft, I then went on to study mechanical engineering at university. No two days are ever the same in this job – there’s always a new problem to solve.
I have some online meetings with the innovation team in the US. They’re doing their own trials into next-generation products, and I’m hoping we can collaborate. I love working with different people, finding out what they know, and achieving extraordinary things as individuals and as a team. I’m planning to visit in a couple of months to assist with some of their trials, to see how their research can help what we’re doing in the UK.
Thursday
I meet up with one of my team members who works on finite element analysis – simulating different designs to predict how successfully they will work, before the designs are physically made up. This was my role until a year ago, when I was promoted, so I’m always happy to help if needed.
I have my weekly meeting with my boss, chatting about what we’ve been working on, and adding a couple of things to my to-do list! We’ve been working together since I started at Ball, and, like all the leadership here, he’s always been supportive, continually pushing me and encouraging me to take on bigger roles and grow. Engineering may be a very male-dominated industry, but I can honestly say I’ve never found it intimidating or had a bad experience.
Friday
We work with several plants, assisting them when needed – today I’ve been reaching out to our factories in mainland Europe to see if they can help one of the US plants source parts at short notice. Mine is a small team, but we’re constantly expanding. Ball has just started work on a new factory in Kettering, Northants, which will be the biggest aluminium can packaging plant in the UK, producing more than a billion cans a year. And at the same time, we’re also constructing another plant in Pilsen, in the Czech Republic. It’s exciting to think my work is going to play a part in these new operations.
I’m on the social committee here and run a monthly “coffee roulette” for female employees, whereby we get paired with someone else in the company for a half-hour chat. Today I’ll be paired with Carey Causey, president of Ball beverage packaging Europe, Middle East and Africa. This type of event has really helped me feel even more connected to other women here with similar experiences to me – something that’s so important in this field. One of the reasons women often don’t consider engineering – or leave it – is because they don’t often see someone they strongly relate to in these roles. I hope to spread the word about this fascinating, diverse career and change that.
Visit jobs.ball.com and join a company where you belong and have opportunities to thrive
