Technical Director
Roger Bellfield is the technical director for the Lancashire based company, Carrington Career and Workwear Ltd.
“I’d always had an interest in science, so it seemed natural when I chose to study a BSc in chemistry at Leicester University. From there I got a job as a polymer chemist at Courtaulds Group. At the time it was the largest textiles group in the UK, manufacturing everything from fibres to finished fabric and garments.”
After 20 years with Courtaulds and a variety of different roles, Roger went to work for Carrington Career and Workwear Ltd. He soon progressed within this role from technical manager to his current position of technical director.
The company specialises in supplying woven fabrics for the career and workwear markets including the armed forces and emergency services.
“The fabric is mainly bought in from overseas in an untreated and unfinished state. We then dye, print and finish the fabric before it is quality checked and dispatched. We can produce 600,000 metres of fabric a week when we are running to full capacity. Up to 60% of our goods are exported to Europe, Russia and North America.”
Roger’s role involves the development of new fabrics, each taking up to four years to complete. These materials are often known as ‘performance textiles’ and can be flame retardant, anti-static, high visibility or offer chemical protection and so on.
“A recent major success was the development of a fabric suitable to be made into chemical warfare suits for the Ministry of Defence. In contrast, the worst thing about my job is when a huge amount of time has been spent developing a fabric that then cannot be produced on time and to the right specification.”
Roger suggests that a good understanding of textiles, including the properties of fibres, is essential for this role.
“A BSc in textile technology would be an ideal degree to study, before starting out in a quality-related role and then developing the additional skills needed to be a technical manager."
Roger Bellfield's career path
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Job profilesTechnical Director
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