The chief of the production laboratory
Myroslava Mykovayivna

— Myroslava Mykovayivna, will You, please, tell us about Your career?

— After graduating from the Lomonosov technological university in Odessa, of the faculty of “Technology of milk and milk products”, I, for almost 30 years, had been working in milk branch of industry. I started my career as a senior microbiologist of production control laboratory of Milk Industry Administration in Sumy, for 18 years — in the regional production control laboratory of the Zhytomir milk industry association, holding various positions — from the mechanical engineer, chief of the production control department, leading specialist to the Director of the project-technological laboratory. Afterwards, I had been working on the food enterprises, where I have mastered production technologies of mayonnaise and canned vegetables. For the fourth year, I am working at public corporation “Zhytomir Dairy Factory”.

— The chief of the production laboratory — is very responsible position, problems are inevitable. How do You manage with the hardships that happen during the process?

— Without doubt, my life and production experience helps me to solve problems that appear. Yet, so many problems could not be avoided if we would not work in close cooperation with all company’s services, if we could not find overall support from the corporation’s leadership. All these components, in a whole, give the possibility to solve problems with the smallest loses.

— The production quality — is the pledge of success, as to the “Rud” company — it is the core business philosophy. How do You manage to control quality at a constant high level?

— This very issue, the production quality as the core business philosophy of the “Rud” company helps us not only to control the quality, but also to make own contributions to its continuous development.

Such philosophy exists due to the huge work, completed by my predecessors, whom I am sincerely grateful. Using the chance, I would like to say especial gratitude to Soloniy G.P., with whom we are working now in friendly cooperation. Such ideology induces to the fact that the quality at our enterprise is the issue of not only the laboratory or the quality department, but of every worker. All our undertakings meet with support from the President of the company Rud P.V., who, in fact, is the initiator of this philosophy’s implementation, and the Director General, Vyvsik S.A., as its loyal and consecutive apologist. We also work in close cooperation with all other services: quality department in the first place, commercial and sales department, technical services. We meet with the needed support from the financial director, Isakovoyi S.Yu. There is no need to state that the quality is supposed to be one of the primary tasks to the director of operations Sukhovetskiy O.L., shop foremen Konchakivska N.O., Khomenko V.O., Sitnik Yu.O.  Due to such overall support, we were able to arrange clear control system of production quality in the context of the ISO 9000 system, implemented in the factory, equip the laboratory with new contemporary devices, and create the proper work conditions for the laboratory workers.

All of the mentioned above give us the chance to complete our work at the appropriate level.

— Myroslava Mykovayivna, will You tell us about you key approaches that You use in Your work?

— My experience has taught me that from the leader, his experience, knowledge, determined qualities, depend a lot, yet, at the same time, one person will not “pull” everything. Only coordinated team work gives a possibility to reach stable success. That is why I am trying that every worker of my department would have his/her clearly defined part of work, but, along with it, would not keep away from the one, who is working nearby, and in the case of need, to give him a chance to substitute him.

In no circumstances, there should be any antagonism between the technical and engineering employees and other workers, between the senior or experienced workers and younger staff. Besides, every employee must understand that his welfare, his success at work and successful activity of the enterprise are closely related to each other.

I think that I have managed this issue with my subordinated. And it greatly helps me and them in work. I am proud that I can work with such people as Solona G.P., Lavrynenko N.G., Memelska O.E., Padun N.A., Aphonichkyna Z.V., Leychenko M.G., Kucheruk I.M., Kuchkivska A., Netsinska Zh., Levchuk T. Unfortunately, the newspaper does not allow me to name them all.

— How can You characterize the acting system of the quality control and production safety of the laboratory and the way it is developing?

— I have a slogan that is hanged on the foreground of my cabinet: “The first thing that is forming the image of the enterprise, disregarding its philosophy, corporate identity, advertisement, public work, appearance and personnel behavior — is the quality of the production, produced on the enterprise”. And these words are quite appropriate here, because the production quality — is the visit card of the enterprise. The production quality depends on the work of different subdivisions of the enterprise. As for the laboratory workers — it is a clear control on every stage of the products production — starting with the primary raw materials’ control, additional materials, and ending with the final product and its storage conditions. The most important role in high quality products’ production of TM “Rud” plays the personnel’s collective of the production laboratory - competent, hard-working, self-sacrificing. The control system is in constant perfection by new control methods and modern devices, which give a possibility to obtain the results clearly and quickly; these very results define the production quality.

— In 2007 the number of internal auditors has increased on the enterprise; they were trained and have passed the exams on ISO and HAASP systems. You are an internal auditor also. Will You, please, tell us how do these internal audits help the enterprise, and what, from Your point of view, is their primary role?

— All of us have gained certain experience in our life, learned some working methods, which cannot always be applied to the acting quality control systems on the enterprise; as for us, on account of our conservatism, from time to time we switch to these methods. Besides, we all are people and mistakes are a part of our nature. I mean that our actions, from time to time, deviate from the margins of the acting systems. And in order to hold these processes in the frame of the ISO 9000 and HAASP systems internal audit is essential.

— Myroslava Mykovayivna, how can You characterize the situation on the main raw material’s market. What is the tendency of milk rates? How is it going to develop? What factors have influence on it?

— Speaking about the situation at the raw material’s market, as you can understand, I can and will speak, in the first place, about its quality. And I cannot say anything consoling at this point. The milk quality still desires for the better. Disregarding the fact that the price has increased, the quality has remained on the same low level, and prerequisites to its improvement has not been mentioned. There are two outcomes from this situation: the first one — the development of large-commodity economies (and at this point we can only be jealous to our neighbors — Byelorussians), — this question can be solved by the government only; the other one — is the introduction of new technologies of milk provision, being guided by the experience of our next neighbors — Poles. Indeed, in Poland the milk provision in small economies is carried out by the special motor cars, which are equipped with movable laboratories and with the equipment of milk cleaning and cooling (by the way, all of the mentioned above was elaborated in Ukraine). We can only dream about it at present.

— Myroslava Mykovayivna, what is the core thing in Your life? What gives You energy and inspiration? And what in principle You reject?

— I, first of all, am a woman, and the core thing for me is, certainly, family and my greatest love — is my granddaughter, my Olechka. Surely, I get and renew energy in the family. But, at the same time, the most part of our lives we spend at work and, believe me, it is not the worst part of my life. I misconceive untruthfulness and unfairness most of all.

— And, finally, what would You like to wish to everyone?

— Certainly, first of all, it is a strong health. And, what is more, — it is everything, from my point of view, that is the component of human happiness: harmony in family and in the work collective, welfare, ability to satisfy ones’ vitally important needs, and luck, luck, luck…