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I left JRGS in the summer
1965, with unclear plans for the future. I felt some prejudice at JRGS
towards "us poorer and less refined boys". I had no one to guide me about
University, did not understand the financing of being a student and
assumed I could not afford it. Luckily, I got three Grade As at A-Level,
and was accepted on a sandwich course quite late in the summer. I did my
degree at Brunel (Acton, then Uxbridge) with my work periods in the
scientific civil service. I managed a First, having got very interested in
Statistics.
I could not bear the Civil Service - not enough action – so in 1969
I took a job at ICI Fibres, Pontypool. I was a member of a small team
providing advice to production and R&D. I got married during this time to
Clio from Ireland (more later). In 1972, this led to a three-year stint at
ICI Fibres, Germany, where I was responsible for statistical advice for
three factories, and in particular a new factory that was having quality
problems. I then moved onto ICI Central Toxicology Laboratory (of
smoking-dog fame), where I was the first full-time statistician. I set up
and ran methods and systems to analyse and report on all aspects of major
toxicology studies. I was directly involved in the final overall reports
and handling issues with regulatory bodies.
In 1980 I moved to ICI/Zeneca Agrochemicals, starting as manager of
the statistics department. We helped design, analyse and interpret
worldwide trials in the glasshouse, laboratory and field. Such trials
measured efficacy and environmental impact. I developed the team from
rather a narrow analysis focus to a broad product influence. I did this
through leadership of change and personal example of what our role could
be.
Eventually, I became manager for Statistics, Information Services
and all IT services for R&D worldwide. I introduced major new IT systems
in R&D and the first "office system" for the company as a whole. I
introduced more direct access for scientists to the electronic information
systems. In this role, I introduced "TQM" (Quality Improvement) to my own
department. As a result, I was asked to become TQM Manager for R&D as a
whole.
From 1992 until 2001 I was a director (later chairman) of a small
consulting company, Process Management International, in Coventry. We
specialised in helping organisations and individuals introduce and apply
the "hard" and "soft" aspects of continual improvement. I trained and
consulted with directors and senior managers to enable the change, with
internal experts who act as change and improvement consultants, and with
more junior employees who make improvement happen in their natural work
teams. In this role, I have worked at all levels; most recently in Rolls
Royce (Aeroengines) plc, Rover Cars, Centura Foods, and Dunlop Equipment.
I have also worked in the supply chain of these companies and with their
suppliers. In addition, I worked in non-manufacturing areas of such
companies and in organisations such as an actuaries and a hospital.
Recently, I have designed, jointly with Leicester University and Rolls
Royce, a special development process for variation reduction in design and
manufacturing engineering.
As a director and manager of this consulting company, I helped
develop the business from very small origins in the UK to a company with
blue-chip clients and a strong reputation for excellence in training and
specialist knowledge in continual improvement. I act as client manager for
specific clients. I have had responsibility for development of the core
and majority of our training materials, and the development of consultants
to use it well.
I spent three months in Minneapolis, USA, in 1992 studying the
methods of PMI's mother company and developing my consulting and training
skills.
In terms of professional roles and achievements, I am highly
respected in the community of people who see W E Deming as a major source
of relevant knowledge on continual improvement methods and the changes
necessary to implement them. I was vice-chair and then chair of the
Alliance of Deming Consultants between 1995 and 1999. I presented several
papers (on Business Process Re-engineering, SPC, and the role of
Standardisation) to the annual UK conference, and was a member of the
organising committee for three years. (Dr. W Edwards Deming was an
American Quality "Guru", credited with considerable influence in the
improvement and now high quality of Japanese industry. He became
well known in USA in the 1980s.)
I am currently working as a team leader of a Stats team in
manufacturing for AstraZeneca (a merger between Zeneca – the old ICI
Pharms - and Astra). This was after a bust up of directors led me to leave
the small consultancy I had part owned. We had been very successful but...
My other interests and involvements include keeping fit through
regular visits to the gym. I play hockey and golf, and have a passionate
love of skiing. I walk regularly in the peak district. I go to the theatre
regularly.
On a personal front, I got married in 1970 to Clio. We have three
daughters: Katherine, now 27, Sheila, now 25, Andrea, now 15. Katherine is
due to return from a year in Australia where she has had a great time. She
is a qualified accountant and will return to KPMG in London. Sheila lives
at home in Camberley, whilst working at Dell. Andrea is still at school. I
left Clio in December 1999 to live with Jacqui, who I knew from years back
in my previous time up here. She also works for AstraZeneca, but at their
R&D site nearby. We now live in Macclesfield.
JRGS Memories
I remember Mr.
"Fred" Field with some pleasure. I enjoyed English and did well in the
subject with "Fred," only when I had to put up with the "always angry"
Deputy Head [Mr. Cracknell] did my English go down hill, leading to a first
failure at GCE (more below). Do people remember how much "Fred" was visible
in student comments? Was there not a "Fred" symbol? Did we not often
substitute "Fred" in one of the school songs or hymns? Were we not all very
sad when he left? "Fred" really enjoyed his teaching and it was fun to be in
his classes.
"Fred" used myself and Michael Young to help him during and before
his lessons. (Michael Young went to South Africa around the about end of
year 2C or 3M - 1961/2; I think John Brigden may have been friends with
Michael.) "Fred" said that in our year #1 he struggled to differentiate
between me and Michael but I wore long trousers in that year and Michael
short ones. "Fred" therefore called us "T" and "Non-T".
I also recall the debacle of our move into a "U" form. Until year
#3 we had been treated as a five-year form. At the end of our 3M year,
somebody decided in their wisdom that some of us could be a "U" form after
all or at least in some subjects. This slightly duller than normal top
class then had to cope with trying to cover the curriculum in a year on
some subjects, forced choices in other subjects and being told they had to
take other subjects over the full five years. This in itself created a
form of chaos for us and must have contributed to some poor results and
some confusion amongst us about our real strengths and interests.
I remember particularly the Deputy Head trying to decide who took
English early. Somehow he went through some criteria and we stood up as we
met them. He then saw me standing and tried to see if he had got something
wrong. I think I got put in the lower group, but was still allowed to fail
in 1963. I was also put in the lower group by our extremely rational
physics teacher (he of the broken metre rules). [Sounds like Mr. Cook -
ML.] This was inspired, because Mr. Davey was far better, recognised that
several others and me could do Physics. He then gave us extra lessons in
his own time so we could take GCE Physics early. I managed a "'C" at
O-Level before getting an "AA" at 'A-Level. (I mention all this not to
show how great I am but to show what a mess the whole process was.)
Whilst most reminiscences about JRGS have and are for me very
positive, the above process was a fiasco. I also remember what felt like a
degree of class-consciousness about some of the selection procedures.
Terry Weight,
Macclesfield, April 2002
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