Page 38 - DePuy End of Year Magazine 2020

Interview with Mark Kennefick Quality Person of the Year 2020
Where are you from?
I am from Ballygarvan and still living here but recently bought a house in Carrigaline so hoping to move in early 2021.
How long have you worked in DePuy Synthes and what is your current Role?
I started working here in 2016 so about 4 and a half years, I started as a maintenance technician in the Hipex VS and moved into a role as a maintenance Coordinator for B2 in May 2019.
How did you feel about Winning Quality Person of the Year 2020?
Delighted to have won quality person of the year on a personal level. We have made great strides in the maintenance department and we are very quality focussed all of the time. This is the first time someone from the maintenance department has won it. This is really a credit to the maintenance techs and all the hard work they do. I wouldn’t have gotten the award if it wasn’t for all the technician’s hard work.
How did you start your career?
I served my time as an electrician with Seán Aherns, I started my apprenticeship with them in 2010. Most of this was based in DePuy so I got to know the site fairly well. I finished my apprenticeship in 2015 and returned to Depuy as maintenance tech in 2016.
What was your first job?
I started working in Bridgie’s bar in Ballygarvan when I was 16 . At the same time I started making Hurleys. I started a business out of making the Hurley’s and when the electrical apprenticeship came up I had to decide between the two and went with the apprenticeship.
How do you take your mind off work?
I am big into sport, Hurling would be my number 1 followed by golf. I play hurling for Ballygarvan and I am a member of Kinsale Golf Club. Sport is a good distraction and has always been important to me. It was good to get back training a few weeks ago after the lockdown but it was a short season for us unfortunately. I am really looking forward to getting back training for next year. Also looking forward to seeing the back of COVID-19 and getting to go to see live games again.
What do you consider your greatest achievement outside of work?
I was lucky enough to play hurling for Cork at intermediate level and won an All-Ireland Medal in 2014 with the team.
What is the greatest challenge you face day to day and during COVID-19?
The greatest challenge in my role is dealing with the uncertainties and unplanned events which are quite regular with maintenance. Our aim is to get machines back into production as quick as possible to ensure attainment is met. COVID-19 was very challenging for everyone. We found it particularly difficult trying to get spare parts in on time. A lot of our vendors are overseas, so they were unable to come on site to support critical breakdowns. The maintenance team had to adapt
to these circumstances and the technicians across all value streams pulled together to effectively use the knowledge within our team.
Interview with Julie O’Mahony Engineering Excellence and Innovation Director
Julie O’Mahony has recently joined EST in the role of Director for Engineering Excellence and Innovation and is responsible for driving manufacturing engineering excellence and innovation performance.
Before working at DePuy, what was the most unusual or interesting job you’ve ever had?
One of my first jobs as a Process Engineering Graduate was to
walk down 300 P&IDs for Pfizer Loughbeg and to mark them up to ensure they were reflective of the current process. I spent months walking through the API manufacturing plant following dead end and redundant pipework but the work was invaluable as I knew every type of pump, valve, instrument , piping material etc by the end which set me up well for future process design work.
What is your proudest career moment?
My proudest career moment was leading the team in Gilead to bring the first product to site for EU commercial launch in record time. Gilead bought the Nycomed plant in Carrigtohill in 2007
and my team were responsible for retrofitting and validating the manufacturing suites to enable manufacture of the new product, in addition to completing the process transfer of the new product from a CMO. The success of this transfer and subsequent launch, led to the Gilead Cork site attracting the next two products and reducing manufacturing capacity at the alternate CMO facility
What enticed you to work for DePuy?
The reputation that DePuy and the larger Johnson & Johnson organisation has as a good employer. People who join Depuy tend to stay a very long time which shows its dedication to developing and supporting personnel. In addition, being part of a strong Engineering, Science & Technology group that is focusing heavily on excellence and innovation appealed to me, as it enables me to brings together all the facets of my experience to date to help support the teams.
What are you looking forward to most about your new role in DePuy?
Working with my teams to strengthen, deliver and embed Engineering Excellence and Innovation in the EST organisation and helping drive the EST organisation forward in supporting the larger Depuy Supply Chain.
If given a chance, who would you like to be for a day and why?
I am naturally an introvert, therefore, there is no one famous I would like to be for a day as that would terrify me! I would like to be one of my kids for the day to see how they see the world now as opposed to when we were kids and how things have changed.
What books are at your bedside?
I am an avid reader and my nightly routine consists of reading a few chapters before I go to sleep. I just finished ‘Where the Crawdads sing’ by Delia Owens and have started ‘After the Silence’ by Louise O’Neill. I enjoy all types of books but I am drawn to fiction and non- fiction books written by or about people in their later years in life. I think we can learn invaluable lessons from people who have lived through it all and are approaching the last few years of their lives. I particularly enjoyed ‘When all is said’ by Anne Griffin..
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