In November 2023, The Manufacturer hosted the annual The Manufacturer MX (TMMX) Awards at a gala ceremony in Liverpool with LISI Aerospace‘s Process Development Manager, Taahir Patel, winning Young Manufacturer of the Year. Molly Cooper sat down with him to find out about his career so far, his passion for mentoring and what’s next?
Taahir began his career in the manufacturing industry around ten years ago via an apprenticeship. However, before that, he worked at his family business in the evenings helping his father manufacture garments; this sewed a seed and got Taahir thinking about the possibility of a career in industry. “I began my apprenticeship in aerospace, which felt like a bit of a risk. At the time it wasn’t as common as it is now and all my peers were choosing the university route. However, reflecting on those five years as an apprentice, they were invaluable; it gave me the hands-on experience of being on the shop floor and working on machines and with operators,” said Taahir.
After completing his apprenticeship, Taahir landed his first role with LISI Aerospace and moved away from the shop floor and into a more office-based role within manufacturing, engineering and design work. However, he continued to take that hands-on experience with him. “I believe that having the experience of an apprenticeship has helped my career progress this far,” he added.
The best bits
“A big part of my role revolves around working with university students. They work with us for about seven or eight months while working on their final-year projects for their dissertation. During this time, I’m able to mentor them and provide the experience to come onto the shop floor and see how manufacturing works,” explained Taahir. “Being able to mentor and help them to grow is very rewarding and is something I presented in my judges’ interview for the award.” There have been many instances where a student has worked with Taahir and then returned to work at LISI once they had finished their degree. “This proves this opportunity has helped them get their foot in the industry door.” Another highlight of Taahir’s role at LISI Aerospace is a project he took part in that saved the company £1m in manufacturing cost as well as additionally gaining them £2m in new business, which is helping them grow and making them even more competitive in the market.
Application, judging, winning!
Taahir admits he only became aware of TMMX Awards in 2022 because LISI Aerospace won the People and Skills category that year. From then he began reading some of The Manufacturer’s content and attending some events. “I was inspired to apply by looking at some of the previous winners and seeing how the award had provided them with the recognition they deserved in their careers. I began my application with the help of my general manager, Mark Capell, and only submitted it three days before the final deadline. Looking back now, it is very lucky that I did,” Taahir said. The application process is in two main stages before the awards ceremony. First is the online application, answering a series of questions as to why candidates believe they meet the criteria for the award. Secondly, if those entries get shortlisted, applicants are invited to an in-person judging day to allow them to talk more about themselves, their role and why they deserve this accolade.
“There’s a time limit for the presentation, so it was quite challenging to condense all my ten years of experience into 15 minutes,” Taahir added, “you want to make sure that you cover all your career highlights and achievements. One of the judges had also been a winner the previous year, so it is nice to think that one day I’ll be in the judging seat too.”
To make the most of his time with the judges, Taahir also gave each of them a small booklet he made as an extension of his presentation that they could take away with them. This covered all the things he didn’t have time to present on the day. “One of the judges came to me at the award ceremony and said how well I had done, which was great to hear. Not only that, but the whole process was fantastic; the team who greeted me made me feel so comfortable, and I got to share my journey with the judges. It was such a worthwhile experience,” Taahir added. Even though his experience on the judging day went well, Taahir didn’t believe it would be enough to see him scoop the award. “I was not expecting it because I looked at the shortlist that I was up against and saw so many amazing people that had done some great stuff in the industry.”
For Taahir, winning boosted his motivation and encouraged him to keep working that extra bit harder. “As an engineer, it’s part of the job that you make improvements in the factory and help the people around you grow, so getting an award for all the amazing things that you do is special.” Taahir admitted that taking an apprenticeship route wasn’t something he was sure of at the time, but ten years later, he is very thankful that he did. “I feel quite proud that I’ve not even got a degree and I still received this award. That’s why, when I attend any industry events, I promote the apprenticeship route. If you’re going into engineering or manufacturing, it’s the best way to progress.”
An ongoing challenge
The Young Manufacturer of the Year award helps to highlight the industry as an attractive workplace for young people, something that is sorely needed in the current climate. “Getting the younger generation to choose manufacturing as a career is always going to be a challenge so making roles attractive is vital.” As such, over the past few years, LISI Aerospace has been providing young people with an experience day; an opportunity to come on-site and have a look at the environment they could be working in.
“Without opportunities like this, people imagine manufacturing as a dirty environment. However, the reality when you come onto the shop floor is very different. We have all these robots working away, and it is incredibly clean. Our experience day provides a better understanding of the industry.” However, this is only one way to help tackle the challenge; other apprenticeship opportunities and ambassador programmes are available and will continue to evolve as the industry does.
“My advice for young people starting out on their career is to go to manufacturers and take part in work experience for a few days or a week, to give you that eye-opener to the industry. For manufacturers it is important to keep the doors open for the younger generation,” Taahir said. At LISI Aerospace, students are regularly involved within different departments in the business, from maintenance to engineering and the shop floor. “I was lucky enough to gain the hands on experience from my apprenticeship, but for those that do not take that route, initiatives like this are extremely important.”
Passing on knowledge
Having a mentor is paramount as it is a person who you can rely on for help and support. “Manufacturing is a busy environment, and sometimes you can get lost in the business and all the work that is happening. So, having a mentor helps to guide you. When I started my apprenticeship, there wasn’t an apprenticeship programme set out by the company, so a mentor enabled me to speak to older, more experienced engineers and ask questions.”
Since starting at LISI Aerospace, Taahir has had a few mentors, including his current manager, Mark Capell. “Mark employed me when I first started many years ago and even today, he’s still always helping me. It makes such a difference because he’s got those years of experience and knowledge and just allows me to have that person to always go back to and ask for help. Having a good mentor makes a huge difference.”
Taahir achieved a promotion three months ago to a more managerial role and currently runs a team of nine, including three apprentices and one intern. “With this recent promotion, it’s too early for me to be thinking about my next step, but I know over the next three to four years, my goal is to see my team progress.
“The apprentices are on a four-year programme with me and the business to support them through that.” Mentoring and people development is where Taahir’s passion lies. “Getting to see them develop and progress will be very rewarding for me, and after that, we will see what happens. Right now, it’s about getting management experience and seeing other people grow.”
Don’t forget to submit your entry for the 2024 The Manufactuer MX Awards now, deadlines is Monday 8 July.
Kate Willsher, Chief Operations Officer at IfM Engage, was a TMMX Awards judge last year and was part of the team that selected Taahir as the winner of the Young Manufacturer of the Year 2023.
What is it like being a judge for TMMX Awards?
KW: I’ve been involved with The Manufacturer and the awards since 2019. However, being part of the judging for the Young Manufacturer of the Year award is slightly different from any of the other awards. It’s a shorter, more intense process. In this industry, we don’t have many opportunities to hear from young people and this provides a great opportunity to showcase them. That being said, the judging process can be grueling as they are required to provide a lot of evidence. For me, being a judge can be quite intense; it involves a lot of online application marking, reading through entries and making sure I can find enough evidence to support the applications. It’s an extremely rigorous process. However, I find it really inspiring because the young people who are entering the awards are the best of the best.
Why is the in-person judging day so important for the Young Manufacturer of the Year award?
The in-person judging day makes a huge difference to the process because it is completely different to reading an application on paper. It tests the candidates’ ability to stand up, present and project themselves, as well as express why they’re the right person to win. They also need to be structured about the evidence that they present. As judges on the day, we get a feel for what they would likely go on to achieve should they win. The award serves to inspire future generations as it is all about representation and visibility.
What made Taahir Patel stand out?
Taahir was part of a strong field last year, but he really stood out. The first thing I remember was his demeanour. He’s an extremely positive person and self-assured; a person who is very aware of his own strengths and that is a powerful thing. I also remember that his manager, Mark Capell, accompanied him. Mark spoke so passionately about the difference that Taahir had made at LISI Aerospace; he was a walking testimonial. For us judges, to hear a manager speak so passionately is great and when I spoke with Mark after the judging, you could tell he was really honoured to work with him.
Can you give any advice to those who want to enter this year?
Don’t be afraid to tell the judges everything that you’ve achieved during your time in the industry. As a judge, we do not want to extract evidence out of the candidate in the interview, we want them to tell us. Any additional information is key to providing a presentation that reflects them as a fully rounded individual. Taahir gave great examples of this. At the beginning of his presentation, he talked a lot about his family, and that personal touch enabled us to get a good sense of who he is. Don’t be afraid to share those stories because your personal brand is important. Taahir spoke about his own values, and how he likes to live them; he articulated that very well. Presenting your authentic self is a good way to go.
What do the judges look for in each application?
Making an impact in your business will make an impact on the judges. This is always going to be powerful because we are constantly looking for evidence. If you can say ‘I have saved the company £750,000 in the past year because of process improvements’, that’s measurable data. If you can present clear evidence and give examples, it’s going to help boost your application. That doesn’t have to be numerical – it could be that you have mentored a young graduate in your team and they have gone on to be promoted. This evidence is the only way we can be fair as judges and protect our integrity. The judging process of TMMX Awards has always been rigorous, so anyone who wins an award deserves it.
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