maintenance engineer

engineering team leader

engineer

Ds-Smith-Packaging-Limited

I worked for the Recycling Division for 10 years in a managerial role. It was a great place to work for the first 7 years, fun, challenging and rewarding. However, due to wholesale changes in the senior management team, unfortunately the culture changed for the worse and it became an awful place to work.

The senior management team make decisions without consulting middle management or the shop floor and without any real understanding of the industry. When it goes wrong, they blame it on the incompetence of others or just try to sweep it under the carpet. There is a lack of clear leadership, with projects never being completed before they decide to move onto the next hot topic - the logic seems to be it is harder to hit a moving target!

They have become obsessed with systems, whilst ignoring the fundamentals of the business they are in, with supervisors and team leaders unable to do their jobs because they are bogged down by endless and unnecessary admin. It has got to the point where they actually have to complete a tracker to keep track all the trackers they have to complete. Madness.

Employees receive little support, with the majority of employees faced with a totally unmanageable workload, which has led to complete apathy among many and is reflected by the high staff turnover rate, both at head office and around the depots. When I joined the company it prided itself on the low turnover rate, with loyalty and experience in abundance among its' employees but they have since allowed a huge amount of talent and experience to slip through their fingers. They simply place no value on their employees, adopting an attitude that anyone can be replaced, although increasingly they don't even replace people.  Some have even been forced out for daring to speak up and challenge the MD or suggesting an alternative method of operating. Bizarrely, at one point there was no HR department, as they had all quit or been fired. 

Pay rates are inconsistent, with some roles at head office in particular substantially overpaid, when they add little value to the business. Meanwhile operational roles tend to be paid well below the market rate and offer little opportunity for career development, unless you are willing to relocate, due to company structure and business model. The sites also continue to suffer badly from a lack of investment and poor infrastructure and are well below the standard you might expect from a company with FTSE 100 aspirations.

The reality of life working in the Recycling Division is the polar opposite to the company's stated core values. Very much a case of style over substance and it is a real tragedy to see what was once such a great place to work slowly being destroyed.
By all accounts, DS Smith overall is a decent employer but avoid the Recycling Division at all costs, it is a part of the business in serious decline.

I worked as a temp on the Blunham site as a line truck driver and promoted to production line trainee.

The hours are long but as with any job you get used to them, the staff on my shift were really friendly and fun, the job it self was a challenge at first but once I had gotten used to it I found it to be very fun and would look forward to go into work. Company has a brilliant safety conscious culture and provides all the required clothing and safety equipment on day 1.

Line truck wise the job was straight forward, pre-shift truck checks, log into system and head to production line, scan bar codes and either take to storage location or to a waiting trailer for dispatch and then back to the line. I'd be tired at the end of each shift due to driving for 12 hours but I enjoyed it.

Production wise was simple, set up the machine and configure for the next job on the computer, do a test run, make sure all measurements are correct and once satisfied just set the machine speed and let the machine run. Shift wise it was a lot less tiring than line trucking, mostly watching the machine run and attaching necessary documents to finished stacks coming out before clearing them for entry into the rest of the production line. There were the occasional mess ups either in stacks falling over or machinery screwing up the job but other wise it was just as fun.

Over all I was treated well, my line managers and staff were very friendly and knew what they were doing, always up for a chat and a laugh when the work permitted , I had very little contact with upper management but got on well with them when I did and was invited for the company Christmas dinner by them also.

Pay was very good, the best compared to all of the places I had been in before, didn't have to worry about money at all.

I left due to the site doing budget cuts but would gladly go back if offered.

Working as a driver at DS Smith Recycling Depot in Cambridge has been an immensely rewarding experience. As a driver, I've had the opportunity to play a vital role in the company's operations, contributing to the efficient collection and transportation of recyclable materials. The management at DS Smith fosters a supportive and inclusive work environment, where teamwork and communication are highly valued.

One of the most fulfilling aspects of this role is the sense of purpose derived from contributing to environmental sustainability. Being part of a company dedicated to recycling and waste management has instilled in me a profound sense of responsibility towards the community and the planet.

The job comes with its challenges, including navigating through traffic and adhering to tight schedules, but the support and training provided by DS Smith have equipped me to handle these challenges effectively.

Furthermore, the compensation and benefits package offered by DS Smith are competitive, reflecting the company's commitment to valuing its employees' contributions.

Overall, working as a driver at DS Smith Recycling Depot in Cambridge has been a fulfilling and rewarding experience, providing ample opportunities for personal and professional growth within a supportive and environmentally conscious organization.







Day to day responsibility for credit control looking after a large customer base - originally £12 million aged debt, then reduced to £7 million following transfer of accounts to a Shared Service Centre

I did receipt allocations from 2 bank accounts and cheques received.
I was pro-active - prepared excel statements and sent to customers to have reconciliations and agreement of payment details for end of month expected.  Telephoned customers to discuss problems, used email and fax.
I liaised with sales team, QA and managers to ensure full payment of debts on time.

I learned about how a large company operates at high level with blue chip companies - setting up rebates and sales agreements.
I also learned more about credit insurance - how, why and when.

Our finance team was strong - we operated best practice for the rest of DS Smith to aspire to and follow.

Hardest part of the job - handing over to the SSC once I had built an excellent rapport with all the customers and seeing that trust broken and dismantled within 2 months

Most enjoyable part - achieving goals for reducing debtor days and aged debt and working alongside people I came to look on as friends as well as colleagues

Easy job for a driver. You won’t work anymore than 60 hours a week and you will get time off to ensure your contracted hours are maintained (48 per week).  

You will be expected to do the occasional sixth shift (generally 6 per year).  And you will be expected to work Bank holidays. 

Extra pay for weekends and bank holidays. 

Expect to start anytime from 0400 on the day shift.  There is no pattern to your start times though so be prepared to have the worst work/life balance.  (Like every driving job)  

The fleet is modern and generally well kept. It can take a while for faults to be rectified but you won’t be pressured into pulling anything out of the yard that is dodgy like some haulage companies do. 

Health and safety standards are high and use of hands free and smoking etc are strict. 

Drivers currently employed are friendly and helpful, always happy to give directions and advise on drops. There are a few moaners but you get that everywhere. 

Planners are friendly and try their best to keep drivers in a routine. 

New management for transport are approachable and willing to listen to suggestions.

It used to be a great place to work when it was Abbey Corrugated, not so much anymore.

The hours are long and tiresome, especially on the machine itself. Parts and maintenance aren't carried out or replaced enough, meaning half your time is spent battling uphill to achieve anything. 
Constantly have to pester management for anything holiday, overtime or pay related as their is no longer designated HR.

The pay is good for the job, one of the best around, unfortunately this means most employees feel committed and stuck to what they are doing and fear leaving or change. There's only a 45 min break allowance on a 12 hour shift and for how strenuous and hot and bothered you can get, this isn't enough downtime to feel relaxed at work. Expect to feel pressure and stress as part of your daily work life. 

If you're after decent money for straight forward work, come here, but don't expect decent treatment. Progression seems to only come for friends of friends and not based on skills or ideas.

A typical week for D S Smith will see me visiting clients all over the UK, working on delivering new business Accounts, meeting my team for strategic development of their accounts and working from our head office in South Wales to improve business processes.

I have developed my time management skills (a necessity given my current level of responsibilities and the speed at which our company is developing). I have also progressed in people management, having managed a team of over 15 people at times while being responsible for their personal development and performance.

The hardest part of my job is making sure the business can keep up with customer service levels with our growing portfolio and constantly changing internal business structures. 

The most enjoyable part of my job is bringing in new business, extending contracts with current customers and delivering projects which have positively affected customer budgets/CSR while increasing DS Smith profit margin.

A very productive and busy working enviroment, consisting of varied roles, which include loading and unloading of veichles, setting up and  operation of the bailing press and hand sorting of material to be recycled. Because of the different tasks involved the ability to work as a team or individually is very important as is attention to detail.All training is in house this includes- fork trucks,clamp trucks,bulk loading shovels and machine operation as well as manual handling techniques and harness training. this a noisy and dusty working enviroment so PPE is essential. Their health and safety regulations and procedures are second to none.The working day is split into two shifts 6am til 3pm-12.45pm-10.15pm, this alternates weekly which can take a little getting used to, but you do get used to it.As it is a recycling plant and therefore good for the enviroment the job gives you a sense of purpose and pride, and is a freindly atmosphere in which to work.

Great bunch of people (operatives) to work with who always help eachother out.  Great hours, pay could be better but definitely isn't the worst paying job out there.

Clear difference in Office Staff and Shop Floor staff which I personally have never liked.  For example.. if you are a sales rep your job title says so but you're an operative no matter what you do 
 or how complex your role is on the shopfloor

Production is lucky to get a thank you while the office staff are regularly rewarded which has lead to a decline in morale and motivation to do better as doing rubbish is treated the same as pulling off miracles.

There are just as many managers as operatives.

Suffers from the usual crowd of can't do wrong and the rest who can't do right culture.

New operatives are thrown in at the deep end and expected to become experts over night whilst no formal training ever takes place.

this is a company that doesn't do as it preaches its all health and safety then they push drivers to the limit. drivers are constantly running out of driving time as very poor planning the management in Avonmouth doesn't know driving laws or turn a blind eye. you will get deliveries planned into your day 11 hours after you started but are only payed for 9 hours 36 mins no overtime paid sometimes doing 14/15 hour days if you complain you just get victimised, management have never done job so are clueless and over the top  about everything accept when it suites them, you get time of in lieu for hours owed but your not given any warning you may finish 7pm Tuesday and then told your off Wednesday so you cant plan anything because your told at last minute if they tell you at all or they will give you time off then say you owe them so they keep agency happy, some parts of company are good just not Avonmouth  management in logistics to much law breaking on drivers hours.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Maintenance engineer 4 salaries reported	£50,867 per year
Engineering team leader 2 salaries reported	£49,592 per year
Engineer 1 salary reported	£53,418 per year

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