Oksana Mandryka: about the dynamics of work and the importance of quality control

Person: Oksana Mandryka

Position: Chief technologist

Structural subdivision: Service of the chief technologist of the elevator industry

Work experience in the company: 18 years

The trait I value most in people: Honesty

Favorite time of year: Love autumn when it barely touches nature – golden leaves, ripe gardens, warm tea in the evening in the family circle

Superpower: Responsibility

The biggest myth about the profession: That laboratory assistants – are people who walk in white coats, work cleanly and sterilely. In fact, working in a – lab is a difficult job and often it's about dust and discomfort.

A song or film associated with daily work: «There is a tree in the forest, There is still a tree near it, And behind it is another tree – So the forest ended. Oh, no, no, there is still a tree...» – about the infinity of our work

How would you explain to your child exactly what you do? I work in such a job where there are many seeds, we sort them and divide them into different piles.

If you could switch roles for one day with anyone in VILIA, who would it be? Truck driver

Life philosophy is formed at work – «Work has taught me endurance, patience, responsibility. Helped me form as a manager».

1. What does working at VILIA mean to you?

For me, this is, first of all, dynamic work. I really appreciate the opportunity to solve complex tasks or controversial issues, I like to work with clients. There is always something to learn here: every year brings something new –, whether it's a new grain or new analyses. This dynamic does not allow you to slow down, there is always room to grow, someone to learn from, where to go for experience. I want to note the team separately: I like both the general atmosphere in the company and my direct team.

And, of course, the realization that we are doing important work is of great importance. We work to make people have bread. It is very gratifying and valuable to realize that we are part of this vital process.

2. What qualities should «Specialist of the year» have in your field?

Speed, accuracy of analysis, ability to quickly make decisions in non-standard situations. It is important for me that a person is honest. Even if the analysis turned out to be inaccurate or something went wrong, it is necessary for a person to admit it.

Even in our case, there must definitely be responsibility and endurance. After all, the work schedule is often irregular, especially when the harvest, the capacities are very large, so it will be difficult to work without these qualities.

3. What was the most memorable moment or project of your career for you?

I always remember my first days at «Volyn-Grain-Product». When I first came, we worked exclusively with rye, barley and wheat. Later, corn was added to the list of crops. I remember how at the initial stage, grain was brought mainly by lawns, and then wagons began to arrive. Then we needed a whole day to load only 2 cars, while now we can pass 50 cars in a day and a half! This clearly demonstrates how significantly we have increased momentum and accelerated the pace of work.

Later, we started working with oil crops, which required the development of new types of analyzes. At first, we limited ourselves to determining contamination and grain admixture, and today we conduct a wide range of studies, including assays for acidity, sugar content, mycotoxins and GMOs. We acquired all this knowledge and skills on our own – studied materials, adopted experience. Even the inspectorate asked me for advice on dealing with new crops. This path of becoming and developing will always remain the most memorable for me.

I remember how I came to work as a laboratory assistant, it was my second job after my experience as a technologist at a brewery. At the beginning, I was quite slow, but even then I showed leadership qualities. In an internship at “Bonity”, I was openly told: I will make a laboratory assistant so-so, but the head of — may be good. And they were not mistaken! Two months later, I became the head of the laboratory, and a year and a half later, a – technologist.

I remember how, being pregnant at the sixth month, I climbed on the silo, fearing to say that I was going on maternity leave. Maybe that's why my child now climbs trees so bravely and is not afraid of anything! And four months after the birth of the child, I returned from maternity leave. The work gave me a lot, allowing me to successfully realize myself as a woman and as a specialist, and I appreciate it very much. Of course, sometimes there are moments of overwork or difficulty, sometimes it is difficult for me. However, I can no longer imagine myself without “VILI”.

4. What advice would you give to newcomers just joining the company?

The first and most important thing – is to have a desire to work and love your job. If you have a real interest, you can master any tasks and learn everything you need. In addition, it is important to have patience and be sociable, especially when working in a women's team. These qualities are important in order to maintain a healthy atmosphere.

5. What key changes have taken place in your work during this year, and how have they affected your professional development?

The most important innovation this year for me was the introduction of sugar beet sugar analysis. Last year, I was accidentally instructed to monitor sugar factories and their sugar content. I went to Radekhiv, Ternopil, to the Hnidava sugar factory to study this analysis in practice. Later, we found a supplier of the necessary equipment, tested it and now we are waiting for a new harvest of sugar beets to determine their sugar content.

This innovation allows us to control the quality of our sugar beet crops. There used to be controversial questions about sugar content, but now we can independently check these indicators and understand what the yield of sugar will be. This is very important to avoid losses and significantly increases our overall efficiency.

6. What were the challenges facing you this year, and how did you deal with them? What did you learn from this experience?

War creates many challenges. One of the most difficult aspects is the personnel issue: many employees have left or changed jobs for certain reasons. Because of this, it has become much more difficult to find quality personnel, and we have to work twice as fast. In parallel, we are actively seeking and implementing new process automation equipment to make up for the shortage of workers.

In addition, contract requirements are becoming more difficult every year, especially on the part of the EU. Previously, it was enough for us to provide the results of tests for protein and moisture, now indicators for mycotoxins and corrosion have become mandatory. European standards are very high and requirements are constantly increasing.

7. What are you most proud of this year in the context of your professional activity at VILIA? It can be a completed project, a solved problem, a new skill mastered, etc.

This year has brought many reasons for pride. First of all, I am proud that we have implemented a sugar analysis. This is a significant step forward for our company. In addition, we have constantly improved our knowledge and can now accept grain according to ISO standards, which guarantees high quality and compliance of products with international requirements.

As a manager, I am extremely proud of the success of my team. This year, my wards went up the career ladder: two girls became elevator managers and one became a – technologist. Of course, this created certain inconveniences for me, because I had to look for a replacement for them, but I am sincerely happy for their success and at the same time for myself –, which was able to train such highly qualified specialists.

8. Which of VILIA's values (professionalism, decency, systematicity, initiative, team approach, responsibility) was key for you in achieving this year's successes? Give an example of how you demonstrated it in your work.

Responsibility. I myself am very responsible, if I promised something, I will do it 100%. I strive to instill this approach in my team, so I select people with the same traits. I am responsible for sharing knowledge: if I attend any training, I am sure to share the information I have received with my colleagues. It helps the team grow and improve.

Professionalism is also no less important. After all, being simply responsible is not enough if you lack professionalism. Only the combination of these two qualities allows you to achieve real success in work.

9. What goals do you set for yourself for the coming year?

Now the renewal of the team is very relevant for me. Many valuable employees have gone to better positions, and now my task – is to find new colleagues who will be close in spirit and share our values. I strive to pick up people who can be developed and trusted in any position.

I am very pleased that we already have specialists who have grown up professionally and can now teach new, young colleagues. This shows that we have been able to grow real professionals, and it gives hope for the successful formation of a strong and cohesive team in the future.

10. How do you see the future of your profession or industry as a whole?

As for the future of our industry, I see us among the most important industries in the domestic and foreign market, as we confidently move towards greater automation of processes and improve our work every day. This is an inevitable step that will allow us to remain leaders in our field.

In addition, I am convinced that the range of laboratory research will be constantly expanding. This is due to the growing demands on food quality, especially against the backdrop of a deteriorating environmental situation. Over time, we will increasingly control toxins and mycotoxins, and there will be a growing need for chemical analyses and careful food control. After all, it is about food safety for both people and animals, and this issue will become more and more relevant.