Role in the Spotlight series: How the different experience in our teams helps us approach things more creatively

In FY2023, we processed approximately 1.3 billion litres of milk, 37,755 tonnes of citrus, 6,778 tonnes of apples, 1,409 tonnes of pears and 18,000 tonnes of peanuts in Australia, which was certainly no easy task! As a business we’ve made important investments in manufacturing equipment and embed continuous improvement resources at our large manufacturing sites and within the logistics network. These resources focus on improving the efficiency of our production lines and processes. To do this across our 19 manufacturing facilities takes an experienced team of experts particularly in the reliability engineering space who are always on the lookout for ways to prevent, predict or eliminate issues and inefficiencies. This week Laly shares a little more detail about her role and what it is like to be a Bega Group team member.

Tell us about your current role at the Bega Group and what advice you would give someone considering a similar career path?

In my current role as Engineering & Reliability Manager, I lead the Engineering team in the Vegemite Way production site, this includes Reliability Engineers and managers within different departments, including production, utilities, and services. The role requires me to leverage my leadership skills, all facets of people skills and my strategic thinking skills. The role demands a high level of organisation! What has been most enjoyable about this role is seeing the different experiences within my team, it is such a diverse and unique team who are accountable for the most critical aspects of the plant.

Innovation plays a big part in my role and more generally at the Bega Group. We have routines in place for improvements, especially for safety items, to review hazards and approach them with problem-solving and accountability. My team has been in charge of engineering numerous solutions on site to optimise our safety, quality, and production systems.

My advice for others considering a similar career path would be to expand their experience in production including people management, safety, and quality. When working in manufacturing I think it is very helpful to understand different areas and how we impact other departments, especially for maintenance, since we are providing a service and at the same time leading the team with technical experience.

What’s the best project you’ve been a part of at the Bega Group?

I'm very excited about working on the team’s long-term strategy. This will allow me to bring my planning experience and translate it into a five-year plan for the site to ensure the continuity and quality of our brands - it's very gratifying to feel proud of the brands we produce and know that all our teams’ projects impact such important brands in some way. I think our long-term strategy for engineering will set the team up for success in the future and prepare us for growth and increasing productivity.

What makes the Bega Group different to other employers?

Firstly, how I’d describe the Bega Group in three words would be proud, iconic, and local. Proud because it's evident how workers take pride in their workplace and the products, I'd use the word iconic because we produce iconic brands that have been in Australian households for many years and local because of our Australian made products. 

The work environment feels family oriented, friendly, and focused on people. An example of this would be my favourite company event, which is being able to bring my family to the site for Open Day! I absolutely loved the opportunity to have my family on site at Vegemite Way. Being able to show my little one what I do and where I go every day meant a lot for both of us and we still talk about it all the time after many months.

At the Bega Group we care about the brands we produce, and the people in our teams and that is refreshing, knowing that coworkers care and look after each other and it’s this plus the opportunity to get involved in meaningful projects, and develop my team that keeps me here.

What’s your advice to others considering a career at the Bega Group?

Give it a try, I think you would be positively impressed by our ways of working!

Ready to give it a try? If you are ready to explore a career with the Bega Group, have a closer look at our vacancies listed here.