Interview with José Antonio García, DEPISA site manager at the A Coruña REPSOL refinery

José Antonio García is 62, from Narón, and has been working at DEPISA for 29 years. He is currently Works Production Manager at the A Coruña Repsol Refinery and in charge of the spraying and painting workshop. His duties include planning works, organising the operational staff (over 50 people working at the refinery), and the machinery and materials required. He also serves as technical interlocutor with clients and ensures deadlines and quality targets are met.

You have worked for almost 30 years in the sector – how has it evolved over this time?

Over the last three decades, the sector has evolved a great deal, with higher levels of specialisation, state-of-the-art machinery and the planning of daily works. Progress in terms of technology and security has changed everything. Consequently, productivity and efficiency have improved.

This whole evolution means I’ve had to train and adapt to changes that weren’t easy at the beginning. In this respect, I’m extremely proud of how Depisa has moved forward along with all of its employees.

What do you recall about your early career?

I started as an operator, learning the trade from the bottom up. Since then, I’ve been able to develop professionally through hard work, humility and in particularly my hunger to always be learning new things. My biggest memory, which I’m the most thankful for, is the affection I’ve always received from my colleagues. This has been a big help during my many years in the sector. I’m certainly very proud of having learned this trade, which has given me the chance to develop professionally at Depisa.

With almost 3 decades of experience in the field, I imagine you’ve got some amusing anecdotes up your sleeve. Anything in particular you wish to share with us?

Something I’ll never forget is when, a few years ago, we were working on some electric towers quite some height above the ground. When we were particularly high up, some of the workers started to panic and had to go down. We’re used to work like that, so you have to be really brave to be so far from the ground without it affecting you much.

What do you think is the nicest thing about your job?

For sure, my favourite thing about my job is dealing with people every day and the way I’ve developed professionally over all these years. I started from the bottom in this sector, and I’ve been able to meet many incredible people, who I’ve learned a lot from. Being able to help my colleagues with my experience is very satisfying, passing on all the knowledge I’ve accumulated over the years, and being able to improve daily.

Describe your personal process of adapting to this sector.

Since I joined the company, almost 30 years ago, I’ve witnessed several changes and had to adapt and continually train, because the sector has been constantly evolving. I’m only 3 years away from retirement, and to be honest I’m at a great age and very happy with all my colleagues. I know that when it’s time for me to hang up my boots, I’m going to be very sad, but I’ll always have all the things I’ve learned over all these years.