Val Jones is the Team Leader for our Water Mechanical Design Department. Val has been with us more than 40 years and is based at Citywest.
I am Team Leader for our Water Mechanical Design Department.
My role at Murphy involves design of mechanical equipment and machinery for our water division. We are involved from Tender stage right through Project delivery and Commissioning, with continued support to our Plant Operations Teams. The work is varied and very interesting and involves a lot of challenges. Our design process involves 3D conceptual design/modelling using Autodesk Inventor Professional software, Structural analysis and Finite Element analysis and on to detailed General Arrangement and Manufacturing Drawings and Specifications. We are also involved in the procurement, manufacture and testing stages of the designed elements. We work closely with our Project Teams to help them meet the required programme delivery deadlines.
What I like most about my role is it is always challenging and varied, you learn something new every day. The most interesting part of my role is the satisfaction you get when you start with a new idea, work through all the necessary stages and see the final product in operation on our sites. Teamwork is the key and all of our Murphy Ireland colleagues play a big part in what we do.
My biggest challenge at Murphy was our involvement on the Deephams Project for Thames Water. We (Aecom Design Build Ireland) had only been acquired by Murphy in February 2017 and we were asked to support our colleagues in the UK with the delivery of 4 Off Full Rotating Bridge Suction Lift Scrapers with each tank diameter 45m. The challenge was the extremely tight deadline. The machines were manufactured in Ireland and with the help of our colleagues in Newbridge we delivered on time, it was an early example of a successful “One Murphy” approach.
I guess it was in my blood from a very young age, as a child I was always building with Lego/Mecano/Airfix Models etc. I have always been interested in construction and thankfully I got the opportunity to work in this great industry.
The satisfaction that in a small way we are helping to improve the quality of people’s lives by helping to provide vital infrastructure projects. We should all take pride in our contribution.
This question is really hard to answer, I have been involved on all of our major water and wastewater projects in Ireland, Northern Ireland and recently the UK. I think I will sit on the fence and say I am proud of them all.
My career aspirations are to give something back by helping to develop our young Murphy Ireland graduates into the next generation of expert Team Leaders.
Up until recently I would have been found on a soccer field coaching U18’s at Malahide United, after 16 years (and dodgy knees) it was time to let the younger coaches take over. Now I have a keen interest in Flight Simulation and am learning to Fly the Airbus A320 on the Simulator.
I have been known to belt out a few tunes (badly) on Karaoke, I am still waiting for the call from Simon Cowell.
