Customate July Blog - 10/07/2025

🚀 July Blog: First Feathers – Learning the Ropes at Customate
By Alice (Work Experience Student)

This July is an exciting one at Customate – not just for the team, but for me too! I’m Alice, and I’ve joined the company for work experience. From day one, I’ve been made to feel welcome and involved, and I’ve quickly learned that there’s never a dull moment in the world of engineering.

Before my week at Customate, I’d grown up and worked on a family farm – a place where you’re constantly moving, solving problems on the spot, and dealing with real-world challenges every day. In many ways, engineering at Customate shares that same spirit – it’s practical, fast-paced, and grounded. But it’s also a whole new world in terms of how problems are approached and solved.

This week I’ve had the chance to work alongside Capricorn, completing loads of tasks in the office. I started by handling customer invoices in Customate’s accounting software, Sage, and then moved on to organising and cross-referencing quotations between spreadsheets and hard copies – anything that didn’t match, I flagged and corrected. I even helped fill out engineers’ timesheets ready for pay day!

One of my favourite jobs was planning the rota for the next four weeks – I got to learn where each engineer is heading, whether it’s for a service visit or installing new machinery. I was also trusted with booking accommodation and travel for the team, including arranging a flight and car hire for Tim, who’s off to Belfast to meet customers face-to-face.

It’s been eye-opening to see the side of engineering that isn’t just nuts and bolts – but planning, coordinating, and supporting complex projects through admin and logistics. I’ve really enjoyed getting stuck in, and I hope I get the chance to do it all again sometime (hopefully for longer!).

Meanwhile, out on the shop floor, the team is gearing up for the installation of one of Customate’s automatic feather systems – an impressive bit of kit designed to streamline feather removal in poultry processing. I’ve had a sneak peek at the design and prep, and it’s amazing to see how every detail comes together.

And it’s not just feathers flying this month – our engineers are also hard at work building bespoke guarding for a client in the South. It’s been brilliant to see how every solution is tailored, from drawings to delivery.

Thanks to everyone at Customate for making this such a fun and inspiring week. I’ve learned so much – and I’m leaving even more curious about where engineering can take me.