Notice: Norbord is now part of West Fraser. Click here to visit westfraser.com
Our future success depends upon
the quality and talent of our employees.
At West Fraser we recognise that we need to attract great people to help us achieve our vision. We’ve come to be one of the world’s leading manufacturers of engineered wood-based panel products by recruiting the best. We aim to create workplaces that are reflective of the communities we are a part of and where diversity in culture, experience and background are valued.
Our approach underpins our strategic objectives to attract, employ and retain engaged, talented and high-performing people, support better decision making, reach a broader pool of potential employees and maintain a more inclusive work environment.
Our staff are our greatest asset and we know we’re only as good as the people who work for us, so if you’ve got ambition and talent and are looking to work for an industry-leading manufacturer then you need look no further.
Employee Assistance Programme
We offer access to counselling, bereavement support, legal guidance on debt-management, advice on medical or health-related issues. For details ask your HR team.
Cycle to work scheme
West Fraser takes part in this government initiative to encourage people to commute to work by bike, speak to HR for details.
Holiday
31 days holidays, ask your line manager about how these are managed.
Profit share
All employees are eligible to a proportion of profit share for the mill they work for, subject to qualifying criteria and business.
Life insurance
All employees are eligible for life insurance in the event of death while in service.
Pension
You will automatically be enrolled in the company pension scheme.
As a wood panel company, we know how precious the planet’s resources are, and we are committed to playing our part in reducing our emissions. We’re proud that all our timber panels have been certified as being net carbon negative. This means we lock up more CO2e in our products than we emit making them. Click here to see how we’re doing our bit for the environment.
We’re passionate about the next generation and are dedicated to developing our undergraduate trainees and graduates, both technically and professionally.
We offer both Undergraduate Trainee Programmes, to be undertaken during your university studies, as well as Graduate Development Programmes to develop your career post-university.
We aim to strengthen our manufacturing operations by annually recruiting our trainees and graduates, therefore attracting, developing and retaining these resources is a key priority for us.
We are looking for people who enjoy working on a diverse range of technology and thrive in an environment where you can work independently, with the right balance of coaching and support.
What first attracted you to the company?
When I was in university I spent my summer time off doing manual labouring. During this time I saw the progression from the old lines at Inverness to the new line, and this development and level of investment to the area I am from attracted me to the company. The scale of the company and the fact they are a multi-national company was also a very attractive proposition as I would like to progress into a high-level management role within my career.
What’s been your career path and how did it happen?
At the end of my fourth year at Strathclyde University I was offered an internship at the Inverness mill under the Technical Manager, Lisa Munro, which gave me a very good understanding of the process as a whole, with special focus on the beginning of the process. Upon completing my degree in the summer of 2020 I was offered a full-time role working as part of the Projects Engineering Team at Inverness, under Lenny Thumath, and I have played a key role in many large projects already including the double cut project at the finishing end.
What’s the best thing about your current role?
I have gained so much knowledge and experience from my role and I am enjoying being heavily involved in the day to day running of the finishing end by establishing new best practice throughout the mill in terms of lean manufacturing and methods of downtime analysis.
How do you live by the company values?
The most important West Fraser value to me is that health and safety is key. I live a very healthy lifestyle including participating in many physical activities and even led the Wellbeing Campaign in January for the Inverness mill. I also strive for excellence in everything I do, in every aspect of my life, and am not pleased until I am achieving the high levels I set for myself. This is done by continuously working to improve at every possible opportunity and learning whenever possible.
What first attracted you to the company?
I wanted to train with West Fraser because the scope of work involves a range of engineering aspects. They also had an appealing strong commitment to their customers, employees and being a sustainable business overall.
What’s been your career path and how did it happen?
This is my first full time job so I still am early in my career. I came into this role after completing my degree in Product Design Engineering and hope to continue this path in engineering.
What’s the best thing about your current role?
So far, I have greatly enjoyed my time at West Fraser. I have been welcomed in my team as well as across the company and have been encouraged and supported from the beginning.
How do you live by the company values?
Firstly, by ensuring that I am working safely at all times for myself and others. Taking responsibility for my work to ensure I bring success to the business and developing myself to the fullest through seeking continuous improvement. Lastly, by making sure that I am being a good team member by ensuring I am honest, committed and treat everyone with respect.
What first attracted you to the company?
The first thing that stood out to me about West Fraser was the variety of engineering opportunities presented thanks to the range of products they produce. The opportunity to work on anything from component level up to full systems was a big draw for me.
What’s been your career path and how did it happen?
So far, I have been working with teams at a site and group level. Coming in as a graduate, the focus was to gain as wide a view of the business as possible, something that has been invaluable as I have moved into larger-scale projects. I have also been able to get involved in a range of projects by engaging with colleagues throughout the business and by identifying where I can add value, even where it’s meant expanding my knowledge base.
What’s the best thing about your current role?
For me, the variety of work has been the biggest plus so far. I have had the chance to visit two of the European sites so far and being able to see firsthand the similarities and differences has been a great learning experience. Personally, I have always enjoyed travelling so that has been a bonus as well.
How do you live by the company values?
For me, excellence in my work is a big driver. I strive to deliver the highest quality result in anything I do and working with West Fraser that has been actively encouraged and supported. In my opinion, that would not be possible without working with customers (internal and external) to define and achieve success effectively. The impact on the customer has certainly been the focus of any project I have worked on, and rightly so. Lastly, being trustworthy an open with anyone I work with is something I pride myself on. To my mind, without trust, no one gets the result they want.
What first attracted you to the company?
The variety of process engineering involved in the mill. During the summer holidays at uni I was looking to gain some industry experience. West Fraser, or Norbord as it was then known, was an industry where I could utilise my degree and give me exposure to a wider range of engineering. A mixture of older and new technology gives lots of different opportunities and the variety of processes within the mill gives well-rounded exposure to many different areas of engineering.
What’s been your career path and how did it happen?
I started as a summer intern in the Engineering Department at the Cowie mill in my fourth year of uni. I then completed my Masters project with the MDF production team for my fifth year and then started full time in July 2016 as a Process Engineer at MDF for three years. Life then took me to Shetland for 6 months where I worked in the marine industry as HSQE manager for 6 months, but my heart lay in process and I returned to West Fraser at Cowie working at PB as a Process Engineer for 1 year. My final move came when there was opportunity at the Inverness mill. This offered me the exciting prospect of working in the new OSB mill with plenty of process engineering opportunities. I am now Lead Process Engineer at the Inverness site and loving every minute of it.
What’s the best thing about your current role?
The best thing about my current role is diving into the detail and understanding things to the next level and being able to act on this to make a difference to current running conditions.
How do you live by the company values?
By striving for excellence and treating everyone with trust and respect.
Business exposure & contractor relations
Financial skills development
Situational leadership
Safety leadership training
Project management
Training
Hands on experience
For more information on our Undergraduate and Graduate schemes, download our brochure here.
