Listen to the Forming Operator

👂Listen to the Forming Operator – Everything Comes Together Here

In glass manufacturing, everything from the supporting departments, moulds, mechanics, forehearth operations, machine repair, electronics, comes together and is handed to the forming operator.
At the end of the day, we’re the ones who bring it all to life.
🛑Before you go running to the comment section, I’m not saying forming operators are more important than the rest. I’m saying we’re the ones who make it all work in real time. So if we say something’s wrong, please, don’t fight us. Listen. 👂
Out of all the titles I’ve held over the years, at my core, I’m still a Forming Operator. And here’s something I’ve come to accept:
👉 We’re often misunderstood.
👉 Sometimes even disliked.
Why? Because we’re the coolest people in the operation and everyone’s jealous? 😎 (Okay, maybe...)
But really, it’s because we’re the ones calling out problems. Kinda how I feel about QC sometimes.
And trust me, it’s not easy when QC tells me my ware is out of spec. I get how it feels when I have to question someone’s work, whether its mold quality or machine alignment or something else.
We’re not experts in every department, but we know enough to spot when something’s off, and where to start looking. We might not say it perfectly (I know I don’t 🙃...Again be nice in the comment section) but it’s not about being difficult, it’s about solving the problem.
We have to understand tolerances, processes, and quirks from:
🛠️ Mould Shop
🔩 Machine Repair
🔥 Forehearth Operations
💨 Cooling Systems
⚡ Electronics
🧰 Valve Mechanics
☀️ ...even the weather.
Hey, I get it, things go wrong. Equipment wears out. Bolts get missed. Stuff slips through. Not because people don’t care, it's just the nature of the process.
So if I/we tell you something’s off, please don’t take it personally.
🤐 Honestly, I’d rather fix it myself. But sometimes… it’s not mine to fix alone.
At the end of the day, I feel like the efficiency, quality, and success of the line rest on the operator’s shoulders.
When I speak up, it’s not because I want to... I have to.

So now I’m asking you:
👉 How do you communicate with your supporting departments when something isn’t quite right?
👉 What tips do you have when the words don’t come out quite the way you want?
Let’s help each other out. 👇