Tatura Milk Our Values

Career Profiles

At Tatura Milk Industries we employ people with a variety of skills and backgrounds in the areas of:

Manufacturing operations and food technology
Logistics
Warehousing
Engineering
Maintenance
Planning
Quality Assurance
Business Development and sales
Field Services
IT
Finance
Human Resources
Finance and Accounting
Data Processing

Career Profile: Tom Dickins

Position:
Unit Manager MPC (Milk Protein Concentrate) and Bio-actives

Education:
Dual Recognition - Cert. IV in Food Technology and VCE.
Bachelor of Applied Science Food Science & Technology - University of Ballarat.

How did you come to work at Tatura Milk Industries (TMI)?
I first became involved with Tatura Milk during the dual recognition program I undertook during years 11 and 12. This program involved 100 days work placement which I spent both at TMI and at Snowbrand (TMI’s infant canning partner).

When I went on to study my Degree at the University of Ballarat, I did some holiday work at TMI and during my final year was also given the opportunity to complete my research project here.

After graduating I joined TMI as a cheese maker and had the chance to apply the knowledge I had gained in my study first hand. From this position I went on to work in the technical department which involved conducting trials on new products, trouble shooting on current products and processes as well as many other functions. This role was extremely rewarding especially when a new product was introduced that I had been involved in.

And your current role..?
In June 2006 I took on the position of Unit Manager – MPC / Bio-actives. This was a part of the business that I had relatively little experience in which, inturn made it a very challenging yet rewarding role. As part of this role I manage 14 permanent staff in 3 different production areas these being:

MPC liquids – Filtration of skim milk into a concentrated protein liquid
Bio-actives – Processing of Lactoferrin and Colostrum
City milk – Preparation of standardised milks for internal and external customers.

So what’s it like working for TMI?
There is never a dull moment at TMI and I really enjoy the challenges that my roles over the past 6 years have presented to me. The people are really what make TMI the place that it is as we have such a diverse range of people from different cultures and countries all working together as a team.

Career Profile: Jacinta Villani

Position:
Laboratory Supervisor and TMI First Aider

Education:
Advanced Certificate (Cert IV) Food Technology and partially completed Diploma of Food Technology at TAFE

How did you come to work at TMI?
I undertook work placement at TMI for my Certificate. That was in September 1994 and in the December of that year an opportunity arose for a Microbiology Technician and I was successful in my interview for this role. This position really gave me grounding for consolidating and expanding the skills I had acquired in my study.

The focus of my first role with TMI as Microbiology Technician was Final Product, Line Survey Testing and Media Making. I then began working on the Dairy Farm Payment testing area, this involved the quality testing of milk for Antibiotic Residues, Fat and Protein content and Extraneous Matter. This was an excellent entry to the business of TMI and after two years in this role I accepted another role in Calibrations. This was a very exciting time, as I was just the second person at TMI to be involved in adapting the new technology of NIR (near-infrared) and IR (infra-red) Instrumentation to our particular product mix. This technology measures the amount of light absorbed or reflected by the product samples and uses this information to create calibrations to compute the fat, moisture and protein content of the product.

And your current role..?
From this role I went to a role as Chemistry Technician which gave me an excellent understanding of the total workings of the Laboratory and the impact this service had on the product quality and consistency. After two years in this role I continued on with more work in calibrations and in September 2006 I was promoted to my current role of Laboratory Supervisor.

So what’s it like working for TMI?
My job is challenging, I don’t think any one day is the same as the next. I manage 11 staff – Microbiology and Chemistry Technicians. I really enjoy working with the team to develop process change and quality improvement.

I like the fact that when it fits our business requirements we are able to retain skilled staff by the use of part time work that fits in with their family commitments.