Behind every well-run production line is someone who knows the machine inside out. At Polyoak, our setters are the pilots who keep our machines flying. To invest in our pilots, our Polyoak Business School has launched an innovative training programme, ‘Setter Flight School’ to make sure they have the skills, knowledge and training to keep flying high for our customers.
The four-year programme is a national training drive focused on keeping our setters’ licences current, strengthening their existing knowledge and giving new setters the technical training they need. This year, over 200 setters are taking part, with that number expected to grow as our teams grow.
The goal is simple: by the end of the four years, all Polyoak setters will have their “wings” and be officially recognised as pilots of the machines they operate.
Building skills for today’s technology
Setters play an important role in maintaining the quality of Polyoak’s rigid plastic packaging. They need to understand how their machines work, what to look for when something goes wrong and how to work confidently with new technology.
Setter Flight School brings this learning together through a structured programme covering everything from routine maintenance, tooling and robotics. Training focuses on Polyoak’s own machinery and covers three key processes: injection moulding, extrusion blow moulding and stretch blow moulding.
From learning on the job to mastering the craft
Many setters have built their skills through years of hands-on experience. That practical knowledge is invaluable, but some of the theory and wider context can get lost along the way.
Setter Flight School brings those pieces together.
Newer setters are gaining exposure to the complete production process; from the moment raw material enters the plant through to the finished product leaving the line. More experienced setters are revisiting knowledge they learnt years ago, while picking up new information.
The response has been encouraging. Setters are walking out of training feeling that their skills are being recognised and that their craft is being invested in.
Building towards better outcomes
Getting our setters their wings is a four-year commitment, but it does not stop there. As Polyoak grows and new setters join the business, the training will continue.
Because keeping our machines flying starts with investing in the pilots who know how to keep them running.