Pete Southern, Refrigeration Engineer
"Pete is a field-based engineer at Star Refrigeration, specialising in servicing systems from small DX chillers to large cold store warehouses. Transitioning from commercial supermarket refrigeration, he was drawn to Star for its comprehensive approach to maintenance and prevention, moving away from the quick-fix culture of his previous job. In his seven years at Star, Pete has enjoyed structured career progression, mastering complex ammonia systems and benefiting from extensive training and support. Star's emphasis on health, safety, and thorough service resonates with him, enhancing his professional development."
Can you tell us a bit about your role at Star?
My role at Star is a field-based engineer, servicing and maintaining a large array of different types of systems ranging from small DX type systems such as small chill stores all the way up to massive cold store warehouses.
You came to Star from a commercial background – what was that like, and when and why did you decide it was time for the career move?
I came from a commercial background in supermarket refrigeration, servicing and maintaining supermarket DX plant such as chilled and frozen food cabinets and cold stores, with multi compressor packs and small split systems. I decided to move after a chance meeting in a coffee shop with Carl Baxter of Derby branch and discussing the pro’s and con’s of our different areas of refrigeration. For me, commercial was getting too fast paced and all about a quick fix with no time to maintain or service plant properly, so nothing was being resolved, just patched up. I liked the idea of Star’s way of doing things, which was not just retro-active fault fixing but preventing future problems with a thorough approach to service and maintenance.
What does Star offer you in terms of developing your unique career path?
Star offers a lot of training and courses that enable me to learn what I need to get to grips with the different and much larger plant. There’s a guidance and structure here that means even if you do feel intimidated at first by the size of plant you’re dealing with, there’s always someone to ask and there’s a clear progression pathway so you’re never out of your depth.
What were the biggest changes you noticed when you moved from your previous company to Star Refrigeration?
The biggest changes I noticed were the focus on health and safety, and the fact that there is no cutting corners. Whether it’s the technical aspects of actually repairing and maintaining plant, or the health and safety surrounding that, there are built-in procedures that make sure every possible care is taken. We also have regular meetings with management and other engineers which makes for a better, happier work environment.
What has your career progression been and how long did it take you to move onwards and upwards at Star?
My progression has been steady but always moving in the right direction, from systems I was familiar with in my previous role onto bigger and more complicated plant. I’m also now able to work with ammonia systems, which aren’t used at all in commercial. I’ve been at Star for over seven years now and still find I am able to learn new things to increase my knowledge and skill set.
What advice would you give to anyone who is looking to advance their career in industrial refrigeration?
The advice I would give is if anyone was interested in advancing their career in industrial refrigeration is give Star a try. There is great training offered all the way from apprentice to seasoned engineer, with a company that looks after its staff and is a standard bearer for high quality work.
How do you feel challenged at work?
I feel challenged to learn new plant and system controls that I haven’t encountered before and the sheer scale and size of the systems keeps me on my toes.
Why do you feel inspired to do better?
I feel inspired by the other engineer’s skills and abilities to learn and like to be able to match them and have the back up of management to achieve this.