Local forklift truck driver Peter Janisewski has retired from Caerphilly-based building products manufacturer Catnic after 45 years of service.
Peter joined Catnic in Caerphilly in 1969 at the age of 18, where he worked in the factory, lifting steel lintels by hand from the production line and loading them onto trucks for distribution.
He recalled: “In 1969, we were producing just 20 steel lintels a day but when the orders started to come in and production started to rocket, I was asked if I could drive a forklift truck. There was no such thing as a forklift truck license back then so I hopped in, picked up a few lintels and put them on the back of a truck. The rest is history.”
By 1971 Catnic was one of the fastest growing companies in the UK and annual lintel production reached two million units.
Peter added: “Even though there has been a lot of changes, Catnic has always remained a good company to work for. I have some fond memories of many fantastic people that I have worked with over the years – especially my colleagues in the stock yard. I even remember that Alf Gooding, who founded the company in 1969, used to meet a group of us from the stock yard in the Pontygwindy pub opposite the factory every Friday after work.”
Kevin Ward, Manufacturing Manager at Catnic, said: “We are sad to see Peter retire but he has worked extremely hard over the years and deserves to enjoy his retirement. As one of the first people to drive a forklift truck back when lintels were far heavier than the precision engineered products we use today, the support and advice he offered to all of the staff who have worked at Catnic has been invaluable. He will be sorely missed.”