First of all, I like working with iron.
I have always been fond of it…

It was not a fashionable profession when I first enrolled in tractor driver training in 1989. My parents tried to make me an agronomist and a cook, but it just was not me. Therefore, on the sly from them, I handed over the documents to an educational institution where they taught me to be a tractor driver and gave me a driver's license. I was the only one of the graduates who received an excellent degree in the specialty of car mechanics. I was appreciated at the school, because we had our state farm there, and I was already working on a Cat K700 tractor at that time. This large machine was my first one.

My professional path in Borusan Cat Kazakhstan began in 2005 in Karaganda. I was interviewed for the position of Maintenance Mechanic, but Kahraman Bey, who at the time was the head of the Karaganda branch of Borusan Makina Kazakhstan, reviewed my work record, and experience and offered me the instructor’s position. That is how I began my professional path as an instructor. In the beginning, I focused on the development of presentation programs for customers’ operators in our library, but, at the time, information was very scarce, computers had rather small memory capacity, and it appeared impossible to store much information there, so we had much information on paper back then.

How my Professional Career Started

Then I took my first training from Caterpillar® colleagues in the field of operating the Cat® 777D truck in Satpayev. In my further activities, I developed my own programs, presentations, and training guides for Kazakhstan operators for the complete range of machines, where I gave detailed information on the correct and effective operation of machines.

I enjoyed a lot the fact that I could teach and train our Kazakh operators and tractor drivers to operate high-quality Cat machines. I aimed for specialists to realize and feel through their experience the advantages of those machines and to have an opportunity to appreciate low fatigue when working on them. I enjoyed my job. 

Then the construction of the Component Rebuild Center (CRC) began in Karaganda, and our management reached me for my help since, at the time, the market was somewhat in crisis, and the company did not have any spare funds. I got an opportunity to take part in the preparation of sites for further work of construction companies. When not on business trips to train other operators, I dug trenches, so-called pits, and sewage network on Cat 330C for buildings of repair and service (CRS) and office, machine shop, and boiler house, that way helping in the very beginning of construction of those buildings. 

In 2008 the Company sent me for the first time to take training in Malaga, and, afterward, I went there again to get my certificates in 2011. I passed and got 2 certificates for off-highway trucks and the complete line of excavators. This certification confirms my competence as an instructor as well as my knowledge of these machines and is recognized in any part of the world. Then in 2017, I visited the Tucson training center in the US where I took training in Cat 994 К wheel loader. I gained certain skills there as well and was able to use them at Altyntau mine in Kokshetau, where I trained its operators and our instructors while we put a wheel loader into operation. 

What Do I Do Now?

Since 2018 and to this day I’ve been working as a Configuration Engineer which is also directly related to machines. To order machines for construction segment stock we make configuration of machines, which means we assemble them for Customers considering the peculiar features and needs of each and every one of them. When I assemble or put up a machine, I always put myself in a customer’s shoes to understand which machine is suitable for its region, otherwise, there will be a risk of assembling an ill-matching machine. There are a lot of peculiar features every customer of the company requires, and I can tell from my experience: when you have good knowledge of particular equipment, its functions, features, and advantages, it becomes possible to match an ideal machine for each Customer.  

A Customer may order a piece of non-standard equipment, or we may receive some challenging orders which require using attachments and are quickly removable. Our Company offers a variety of variants of all kinds for the complete and fully featured operation of machines, so as Customer remains loyal and trusts our equipment. 

The Biggest Problem I Solved

Well, extreme cases always stand out. I would like to reminisce about a memory of mine that rewarded my efforts as a trainer. While I was working as an instructor, I arrived at Shubarkol Komir mine where we sold two items of Cat 980H loader for coal mining. When I arrived there to train operators, I faced several negative feedbacks on the operation of machines. Customer specialists, operators who had been working in this field for many years on, did not believe I could teach them anything new.

Then I decided to show them the high performance of our machines and the benefits of our informational and technical support. First, I went to the mine and made a video of operators at work. The second video was made after operators' training, where they received complete information on the advantages of that machine, its functions and features, all possible adjustments, types of materials to work with, and everything else. Thanks to that video, the customer had an opportunity to trace the growing speed of wagon loading by our wheel loaders. While the customer first assumed that the other brand’s excavator loads material a lot faster than the Cat 980Н wheel loader, afterward, that excavator was removed from the operation line, since the wheel loader showed high performance. This worked out well due to the correct operation of machines and the complete use of their capacity. The customer was fully satisfied with the work done, and, later, we continued selling those machine models to the mine. I can tell you several similar stories. It certainly is important to understand that working as an instructor requires being mentally resilient. 

Learning is a Lifelong Process 

Sometimes people may be resistant to learning. Such attitude of customers and operators relates to the fact that sometimes they are wrong to assume that knowledge they have based on their personal experience would be sufficient to operate the heavy machinery of Cat. But once they learn more from instructors, their operational performance and efficiency grow causing the commensurable growth of business profit, and they become convinced that new knowledge would be useful. In short, for correct operation and high performance of these machines, their operators need to be trained more, as there are many peculiarities and details which have an impact on general operational processes and certainly are taken into account in training. That’s why I cherish feedback a lot! While working for the Company, I received many thanking letters from customers to senior management thanking me for assistance and service quality, which always felt nice. While working for the company I visited many countries and cities, such as Malaga, Dubai, Sochi, Irkutsk, Kirovsk, Moscow, Buryatia, the city of Tucson in the USA, etc.   

I Define Myself As…

A hard-working, over-achieving family man.
I prefer to express myself by inventing something or updating what’s on hand without any significant financial costs. For example, I picked several stickers and covered my car with them so that it would express me and my character. Also, I built a quick blade for my car to remove snow in winter. I built a transformer coal car at my father’s house, which discharges coal directly inside so that he doesn’t have to work manually using a shovel anymore. There are always plenty of interesting ideas in my head.

Family and Work Balance Is the Key for Me 

I have seven children, so the time I spend with my family is my biggest hobby. I can tell for sure that I manage to keep a balance between my job and my family. During the pandemic and especially at the beginning of it, it was rather hard to do that, as kindergartens and schools were closed, so I had to do all the work on my balcony. Fortunately, the pandemic situation got better, and we started visiting the office, while the children were at school and in kindergartens, so it became much easier to work. Over the years, I learned to manage my work time and tune it out completely while with my family. 

Me and my family love our time together! Spending free time with my family outdoors horse riding, traveling, cycling, skiing, skating, fishing, or learning foreign languages, strategic games (chess, checkers, backgammon), computer programs and technical innovations, car repairs… We do it all and we do it with fun!

My Advice for Newcomers 

Borusan Cat always takes care of its employees, provides all that’s needed for their safe work, conducts training, and takes care of their health. I like that here there's a certain discipline, people respect each other, and no negative attitude exists. The atmosphere in the Company is friendly all in all. But everyone has the responsibility to improve themselves!

Firstly, love your job and gain experience, learn from elders and more experienced colleagues, and become a professional in your field.

Secondly, work in a team, do not hesitate to ask questions, and don’t be afraid of change.

And of course, avoid conflicts. It’s important to be stress resilient. You need to be self-restraint inside, because while at work you may face so different people, and customers tend to have different moods. Here you need to show patience to people, be able to hear someone out and make them understand that you’re up to solve any situation at hand.

Zhanat Shayakhmetov

Author

Zhanat Shayakhmetov is a Configuration and Pricing Engineer, has been working at Borusan Cat for 17 years. He devotes his free time to his family, has 7 children and a granddaughter. Zhanat loves wild horses and is also fond of horse riding.