It serves the commercial printing sector by providing digital inkjet printers and control systems, which deliver solutions for a complete range of labelling and variable data printing applications.
The Domino Group, which employs more than 3,000 people and operates in over 120 countries, has an unrivalled commitment to product development. , based in Cambridgeshire, gained RSC accreditation in 2013 - a scheme which is important to the business as it helps the company to demonstrate and uphold its commitment to delivering exceptional standards.
Meet the team
Why become accredited?
Steve Lancaster, Analytical Sciences Team Leader at Domino Printing Sciences, who heads up the scheme said: “There’s an enormous amount of value in working with the RSC to develop a framework for professional accreditation. It’s so important here at Domino, as it gives us the opportunity to benchmark ourselves - particularly our staff who work in research and development (R&D) - against international standards.
It also gives candidates who are going through the process of gaining an award the opportunity to grow and reflect on their own professional development. The result is that as a company, we develop a workforce of well-rounded and highly trained scientists. Staff are aware that they are working to international standards and customers are aware of that as well. It’s also a huge plus when it comes to interviewing new candidates, attracting, and retaining talent.
On the journey so far, Steve said: “We first gained accreditation with the RSC in 2013. We had fantastic support from the RSC, who was extremely helpful in helping us map out the process. Domino has grown a lot in the years that have passed, and the scheme has grown and evolved with it.
“We now have a steady stream of high-quality candidates coming through and gaining a chartered chemist (CChem) award. We have a wide range of CChem candidates from those who are relatively new to the very experienced. The scheme covers a whole host of different kinds of skills including formulation chemists, analytical chemists, automation specialists, managers, and research and development (R&D) general scientists as well.”
Maintaining exceptional standards
Food safety and sustainability are key areas for Domino and it’s vital that they stay ahead of the curve when it comes to changing legislation. That’s why accreditation and staff training is so important.
Steve said: “Food safety is a top priority for us, and legislation is only becoming more stringent. When food is put on supermarket shelves with a Domino label on it, it’s essential that there’s no ink migration onto the food. We must ensure we meet legislative requirements, and we of course have our reputation to uphold. It’s vital our staff can demonstrate competency and the professional awards help us to do that. One of our analytical science teams is devoted solely to food safety and many of those scientists are going through the scheme - only in the last few weeks has one of them achieved CChem status.
Sustainability is another of the focus areas for us. We’re acutely aware of the importance of protecting the environment and are constantly looking to improve our processes and use ink that’s less harmful. For example, using ink with less volatile organic carbon emissions, and decreasing energy usage in its manufacture. We recently started manufacturing UV-curable inks which are essentially solvent free. Environmental and sustainability focus is constantly driving us, particularly in the R&D department. The RSC attributes are very mindful of the need for sustainability, and they align very closely with Domino's values and goals in this area.
The 91AV is dedicated to the advancement of the chemical sciences. Our accreditation scheme gives chemists a fully supported route to industry recognition.
Evolving as a chemist
CChem is awarded to those who are actively supporting the chemical sciences. For those in the early stages of their career, the award is achieved by completing a two-year professional development plan. Christina Bird, Senior Analytical Chemist at Domino, achieved CChem (via the direct route) in 2015. She recognises that it is valuable not only for the business and its practices but also for the growth and development of its staff.
Becoming chartered has brought a number of opportunities for me; in going through the process I’ve evolved as a chemist. Despite having worked in the analytical chemistry field for more than fifteen years, I initially doubted my ability to achieve chartered status. Some of my colleagues who were going through the process at the same time were very academic, while I’ve always been more practical and hands-on. But as soon as I enrolled I realised I could meet the attributes, I just hadn’t believed in myself. It was a bit of a eureka moment and a real confidence booster. You find that a lot of candidates tend to go through similar experiences. As a mentor, it’s wonderful to witness other people have their own eureka moment and grow in confidence as they go through to scheme too.
Mentor and mentee relationships
Christina and Steve work on the team who co-ordinate the scheme at Domino, along with Fiona Calver, Senior Ink Verification Specialist. Fiona says the mentorship aspect of the scheme is something which has brought about a culture of collaboration across different departments in the business. As an international company, Domino employs people from all over the world with different backgrounds and qualifications, and CChem brings them together, celebrating diverse expressions of professional standards.
Each and every candidate’s journey is different, their background in chemistry and their positions in the department are different. As a mentor, I get to know these people so much better than I would if we were just simply colleagues. So, from that point of view, it’s hugely rewarding to be able to have that journey, walking side by side with your candidate and gently guiding them in the right direction. Being a mentor is about sparking ideas and encouraging them to ask questions, such as, whether they have everything they need to support an attribute, or if they need to talk to their line manager or other colleagues about creating opportunities to be able to support those skills.
Fiona is currently mentoring Solomon Kimani, a Senior Ink Development chemist at Domino. He is going through the process of gaining a CChem award. He started one year ago following a conversation with his manager about professional development.
Solomon said: “Being a member of a professional body such as the RSC brings credibility and recognition to chemists. In a work environment, it’s so beneficial as people know that you’re working to a certain standard and that you are competent in your work. In addition, it does demonstrate a level of personal commitment and dedication, as you apply yourself to the process and to fulfilling the attributes. It’s hugely beneficial for your own personal and professional growth”.
“Working closely with Fiona as a mentor has given me the opportunity to turn to someone in the business for assistance and guidance, in addition to my line manager. Fiona has encouraged me along the way and guided me through the trickier times. It’s nice to build a relationship like that in work where you feel you can turn to someone for their advice.”
The supportive infrastructure within Domino is something the scheme has helped to flourish, Christina agrees.
She said: “The feedback we always receive from those who have gone through the scheme is how friendly and supportive everyone is across the entire department. Mentees and their mentors learn from each other equally, so it’s a two-way thing. It motivates you as you’re not just working with colleagues to get work done, you’re building relationships and guiding them through the process of becoming accredited. It brings a whole new depth to work relationships and builds trust within the team too.”
STEM community outreach
An important part of the accredited scheme is community outreach. Being enrolled on the scheme enables Domino employees to undertake corporate social responsibility activities. This is something which Christina says she is passionate about, particularly when it comes to engaging younger children with the chemical sciences.
She said: “When I did my CChem I had said I wanted to become involved with introducing chemistry to primary school children. I started working with local schools and it led to me becoming a STEM ambassador. Now, seven years later, I’ve reached over 1,500 children, introducing them to the world of science and chemistry with fun activities, which they can relate to their everyday lives.
For me that has been a real joy, to see the childrens’ faces light up and find it engaging. I’ve found there’s a common misconception among young people that chemistry can be boring or difficult, and it’s great to challenge that perception and change their mind. Hearing children say afterwards they now want to be a chemist when they grow up is incredibly rewarding. Domino encourages and supports outreach activities and we do a lot with local primary and secondary schools. This enables us to interact with young people throughout their learning journey, which is so important.
On outreach activities, Steve added: “As chemists we know that chemistry is a critically important scientific field for every aspect of society. I think all of us on the RSC scheme believe very strongly that you can’t act as a chemist in isolation, you must interact with other chemists and you must interact with the wider society.
“I would say to anyone who is working towards CChem have a think about what they can do to support the chemical sciences, as there’s always something you can get involved with. It may start off being a small thing, but it can evolve and one of the great things about the RSC is that they have the network to help you grow it.”
Steve’s outreach work led to him becoming involved with the Pan Africa 91AV Network (PACN), a training programme which aims to up-skill and empower scientists in Africa and develop practical analytical techniques to solve local challenges and contribute to global scientific knowledge. It’s part of the outreach activity he has to do to maintain his CChem award.
He said: “My outreach work in Africa started in 2006, working with a Ph.D. colleague of mine who is an academic there now. Sixteen years later, we have reached over a thousand chemists in four different countries across Sub-Saharan Africa and it’s a significant part of what the Pan Africa 91AV Network does, funded by RSC and GSK and various other organisations. Something which is small can grow into something that will help thousands of people so just get involved and do it.”
In addition to sharing their experience of being a chemist with young people, Steven, Christina and Fiona volunteer as chartered scientist assessors, sharing their experience with other scientists. It’s one of the ways CChem has allowed them to give back, by ensuring others have the opportunity to develop themselves.
Fiona is continuing to live the high professional standards that the RSC promote through the work of assessing approved training courses, she said: “We get to share our experience of the chartership programme with a more diverse range of scientists. I have also had the chance to assess some of the approved training courses in the RSC, which again has been absolutely fascinating, and I really enjoy doing it.
“Solomon, my mentee has also been undertaking fantastic outreach work as part of his CChem application, working with a Kenyan University. As a Kenyan link, he was invited to contribute to the development of a polymer chemistry course that the university has just started. Solomon has contributed to the course in conjunction with Domino. Steve, Solomon, and the analytical team, are in the process of donating instruments to facilitate the practical aspect of the course as well. At Domino, all sorts of different outreach activities go on and I think it’s all enjoyable for each of us.”
Reflections and looking forward
As he continues on his path towards accreditation, Solomon says he would encourage others considering chartership to go for it. He said:
I would definitely recommend CChem; it has been a great journey so far. It’s helped me identify my weaknesses, work on improving myself and fortify my strengths. I have also identified areas that will help me in my career progression and sparked my interest in other areas I had never considered. The outreach aspect has also been a fantastic opportunity and something I’m proud of.
On advice for someone thinking of becoming accredited through the RSC, Steve said: “It’s an enormous amount of fun and it’s very worthwhile doing. The benefits for the organisation are strong as well. We have found the payback in recruiting in an increasingly tight job market and retaining people is very significant. The other aspect - and Solomon is a great example of this - is how motivating and how engaged all the CChem candidates are and that enthusiasm spills over into their work and careers, and their impact on the community as well. It’s an amazing thing to do.”