Employee spotlight: Meet Stephen Haynes

In this month's employee spotlight we’re talking to Operations Manager – Assembly, Logistics & Warehouse, Stephen Haynes to find out what led to his career at Alcon.

When did you join Alcon?

Whilst on my engineering apprenticeship, I completed a work placement with Alcon in October 1994. Alcon continued my apprenticeship for a further 2 years and I was later offered a job.

What qualifications do you have?

From my apprenticeship - NVQ level 2 in mechanical engineering, Programming, bench fitting welding ETC.

From leadership - Tier 1 NEBS Management training, NVQ level 2,3,4 management.

General Training - MAS productivity improvement, Geometric tolerancing, TS16949 Auditor trained. There are more but it’s all become a blur!

What inspired you to pursue the career you have today?

I have always been passionate about motorsport from a young age. When I had the opportunity to join Alcon, I jumped at the chance and have never looked back. I started off as an apprentice, working across various departments in the business. During this time, I gained a wealth of knowledge and understanding—from how parts are designed to customer requirements, all the way through to the manufacturing process. Upon completing my apprenticeship, the assembly supervisor fell ill. As a result, I was asked to assist the assembly department in process engineering and building components. This experience eventually led me to become the team leader of the assembly department.

As Alcon grew, so did my department. We expanded into 'Bay 3', and I was tasked with overseeing the stores packing department. This move aimed to enhance processes, foster development, and improve our team. Subsequently, assembly and dispatch operations were relocated to the 'Armstrong' building, where I took on the role of Assembly Manager.

Fast-forward to the present day: last year, we achieved further expansion by creating 'Borman' Assembly, effectively separating motorsport assembly from POEM (Performance OEM) assembly. As a result, I was promoted to Operations Manager for Assembly and Logistics.

I have always loved to be challenged and have a high bar of perfection; I don’t see any job too big, just a different challenge to tackle.

What does a typical day involve and what does your job entail?

My typical day begins at 6:30 am. I start by checking my emails for specific updates relevant to the day. I then engage with managers, supervisors, and team leaders, ensuring they are informed and addressing any issues they might have. From there, my focus shifts to ensuring we stay on target for the planned work in the upcoming week and month. I also update progress on NPI (New Product Introduction) projects. Throughout the day, I attend project meetings and planning sessions, as well as host team meetings. These interactions help keep everyone aligned and informed.

Additionally, I analyse future orders, ensuring that our staffing levels and equipment are capable of meeting the anticipated demand. Ultimately, my goal is to ensure we remain on track. Given the business’s growth, I am currently in the process of building teams that can effectively handle the increasing demand.

What do you like most about your job?

There are multiple aspects I enjoy, the products that we produce are world class and the prestige of the vehicles that they are fitted to are breath-taking. Additionally, working alongside fantastic individuals each day is a joy, we have unstoppable teams throughout the business.

Having been at Alcon a long time, I have seen many changes and been a part of a lot of the history. I have a lot of fantastic memory’s and look forward to making many more and contributing to Alcon’s continued success.

What do you like to do in your spare time?

Motorsport is a passion of mine and our family; I have been a karting dad for 5 years. Through this time, I’ve been mechanic, coach, mentor, for my son through the five years of MSUK racing. We have had highs and lows in our motorsport career, this year we have decided it’s the right time to move on from karting and concentrate on transitioning to Cars. We will be doing this as a family with both myself and son driving in motorsport events, more updates to come in the future!

What's the best advice you can give to someone who just started their career?

As a young apprentice at the beginning of your career, it’s natural not to know exactly which path to take. Instead of fixating on a single goal, I'd recommend exploring various aspects of the business. Learn as much as you can and gain experience across different roles. By doing so, you’ll develop a broader understanding, and when an opportunity arises, you’ll be well-prepared to embrace it. Maintain a can-do attitude, and you’ll find that opportunities will present themselves.

For more information on careers at Alcon, please visit: https://www.alcon.co.uk/alcon-careers/