Ruth Hunt is a Chartered Engineer and Organizational Excellence Manager for the Metal Detection business within the Product Inspection Division of METTLER TOLEDO. To celebrate International Women in Engineering Day on June 23, we spoke with Ruth to learn about her role and how she "stepped out of her comfort zone" to build her career in Engineering.
Read Ruth’s interview below.
For at fejre International Women in Engineering Day talte vi med Chartered Engineer Ruth Hunt fra vores virksomhed inden for metaldetektion. Ruth fortæller om sin rolle, og hvordan hun "trådte ud af sin komfortzone" for at opbygge sin karriere inden for ingeniørfaget. Læs det fulde interview ved at klikke på linket nedenfor: https://www.mt.com/global/en/home/library/product-inspection/women-engineering.html to do with production and manufacture, and it also included some engineering, and he felt that my skills were better suited to that area. So it was a sliding doors moment for me in that it pushed my career path to a totally different area than I originally considered. And so I became an engineer. I'd recommend for anybody coming into engineering is don't just focus on one area, look at everything. Don't just consider engineering as engineering. In theory, as an engineer, is you're looking at things, the intricate detail, you're pulling things apart, you're trying to see how they work, trying to see how they can be improved. You can apply that principle to everyday situations, to processes within business, to people. You can make that difference at a much higher level than just purely sitting and designing. There's so many areas that you can go into. As far as I'm concerned is I feel that sky's the limit on what you can achieve as an engineer.
Q: Tell us more about your current role and what it involves.
A: I’m based in the UK and I work for the Metal Detection business within METTLER TOLEDO. We design and manufacture industrial metal detection systems that are used to inspect and reject metal contaminated food, non-food and pharmaceutical products during production. My current role in Operations focuses on change management and continuous improvement activities across the business. Before this, I managed a team working on engineering customer-specific systems to transport packs and products through the metal detector ready for inspection.
Both roles require technical expertise, problem solving, project management and relationship building skills. Working with other departments and business units and sharing best practice through collaboration is key to influencing change and promoting a growth mindset.
Q: Have you always wanted to work in engineering?
A: I've always liked fixing things; trying to find a solution to something blocking my path. It's not attributable to any one person or point in time, it has just always been there. I never really knew it was engineering until my lecturer pointed me in that direction. I actually started my career as a product designer and planned to study industrial design at university. My lecturer told me about a new Masters of Science course with a greater focus on engineering, that he felt my skills were better suited to. I enrolled and my path was laid out before me. Few people can say that they truly knew the direction their working lives would take from an early age. The key is to recognize the moment when it comes and make the best of it. For me, the aptitude for engineering was inside, just waiting to be unlocked!
"As an engineer you are looking at things with intricate detail and seeing how they can be improved. However, you can apply that principle to everyday situations and make that difference at a much higher level."
Ruth Hunt, Chartered Engineer and Organizational Excellence Manager, METTLER TOLEDO
Q: How did your engineering qualification bring you to METTLER TOLEDO?
A: I’ve worked in several different industries in my career. In one company, I stayed for a decade, working hard and gaining experience.
I spent a long time in the same role with one company, hoping that someone would give me the opportunity to climb the ladder. I knew what I was capable of and after ten years, I decided to step out of my comfort zone and find somewhere that would recognize my abilities.
Here I am at METTLER TOLEDO, and they have given me that chance to shine.
Q: What are you most proud of in your engineering career so far?
A: I am very proud of the people I work with and what we achieve as a team. I work with people who have widely different cultural and professional backgrounds and I believe this diversity of life and work experience is richly beneficial.
Q: What advice would you give to somebody wanting to work in engineering?
A: Don't just focus on one area. Look at everything. Don't just look at engineering as engineering. In theory, as an engineer, you are looking at things with intricate detail and seeing how they can be improved. However, you can apply that principle to everyday situations and make that difference at a much higher level than just sitting at a desk and designing. There are so many areas of engineering that you can explore – the sky is the limit on what you can achieve!
Final Thoughts
I am ambitious to make a real impact in my industry. I want to leave a legacy within the company and feel like I have made significant changes that will last. Hopefully, I can inspire someone, or I can change a process that makes a real difference. There are lots of avenues to explore.
Hear From More Women Working in the Engineering Industry
Watch these videos to hear the voices of three more METTLER TOLEDO women working out of Canada, the UK, and India.
Vi kan forvente en bedre inspektionsteknologi og dermed forbedringer i påvisningen af kontaminanter i fødevarer. Der vil være mere samarbejde mellem tilsynsmyndigheder, aktører i branchen og teknologileverandører samt kombinerede løsninger som f.eks. kombinationen af vejning og påvisning af kontaminanter. Vi vil også se en øget integration af kunstig intelligens og automatisering af fødevaresikkerhedsprocesser, hvilket vil gøre det lettere og hurtigere at reagere på sikkerhedsproblemer.
S.W.
Sales Engineer, Canada
Metaldetektorer registrerer uønskede metaller, men understøtter også fødevaresikkerheden på en række yderligere, tilknyttede måder. Først og fremmest minimerer metaldetektionssystemer som RM33R ved pålideligt at identificere og registrere fremmede metaller risikoen for produkt-tilbagekaldelser som følge af forureningshændelser. Det hjælper med at beskytte brandets omdømme og opbygger forbrugernes tillid og sikkerhed i en brands engagement i fødevaresikkerhed. For det andet spiller de en helt afgørende rolle i at opfylde lovgivningsmæssige krav til fødevaresikkerhed. Ved at implementere disse systemer viser producenterne, at de overholder branchens standarder og regler, og de kan undgå sanktioner og juridiske problemer. De forhindrer også, at forurenende stoffer forårsager skade på procesudstyr, hvilket forlænger maskinernes levetid og reducerer vedligeholdelsesomkostningerne. Det forbedrer den samlede driftseffektivitet. Og endelig kan metaldetektorer bidrage til kvalitetskontrol ved at identificere uregelmæssigheder og afvigelser i produktionsprocessen. Ved at registrere metaller kan producenter undersøge og håndtere potentielle problemer, og det hjælper dem med at opnå ensartet produktkvalitet og kundetilfredshed.
Kati Hope
Global Key Accounts Manager, UK
Friktionsteknologien er altid optimeret. Det betyder, at teknologier til påvisning af forurenende stoffer tilbyder en høj detektionsfølsomhed til at opdage uønskede fremmedlegemer og dermed beskytte forbrugernes sikkerhed, hjælpe med at undgå produkttilbagekaldelser, forebygge vedligeholdelse, øge oppetiden og dermed styrke produktiviteten. Formatpris og omkostninger ved eventuelle problemer kan identificeres, før de påvirker produktionen og produktsikkerheden. Datasikkerhed, produkt og brand. Installer de nyeste softwareopdateringer, når det er nødvendigt. Hold systemerne optimerede. Beskyt integriteten af dit brand, dit produkt. Med overholdelse af regulatoriske standarder, detailhandlere og kontraktinformation.
