# Who Works in the Pre-forming Plant

The pre-forming plant is a very busy place. In addition to producing the pre-assembled components for Antz, the plant also takes on outside contracts when they have time. This means that they are usually working to capacity while awaiting a decision on whether or not a new machine will be purchased.

Clayton is the manager for this plant. At 38 years old, Clayton is one of the younger members of the team at the plant. Born in Canada, he started working in the timber industry at 15, and has been involved in almost every aspect of timber processing. When he was in his late twenties, Clayton took time out from working to attend university, and gained two degrees. He is well liked in the plant, and respected by his staff and others in the industry. To help him manage the plant and deal with the paperwork, Clayton has two office assistants, Sandy and Vanessa.

For reporting purposes, the plant is divided into the three main areas of production. These are pre assembly, assembly, and distribution.

The pre-assembly team provides the resources for the assembly team to do their jobs. They make sure that the timber and other hardware is in the right place at the right time. The team leader for this group is Andy. He is an older worker, who came to the timber industry after doing a number of jobs. Andy enjoys his current job, and is also studying part time to become a marriage celebrant. His team members enjoy his company, and he does the job well. The other people in the team are Petra, who drives the loader, Edwin, who assists with getting the delivery hoppers filled, Maru, an apprentice who is getting experience at this end of the trade, and Unwin, who keeps the place tidy. Unwin is a special employee who sometimes has difficulty socialising with the team, but Antz is committed to helping all employees and Unwin generally does a good job.

The assembly team puts the timber together into the required shapes for despatch to the various construction sites. The team leader for this group is Maz, who has just been promoted. Until a month ago, Maz was just another team member, and he is finding it difficult to adjust to his new responsibilities. The team has been slipping a bit, and Maz is not sure how to fix some of the problems. Working with Maz are George, who runs the computer cutting machine, and Artoro, Dan, and Tuala, who assemble the timber.

Ana leads the despatch team. She makes sure that the assembled timber products are sent to the right places, and is assisted by Adele and Whiri. They have good relationships with their drivers and loaders, and generally the despatch team is a happy place to work.

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