Tom Woodward - Bio

QUESTION:
What does the board game, Dominion, the sport of bouldering, trail running and a systems support technician have in common?

ANSWER:
You’re always looking for a solution to an issue. You might never find the perfect solution, but you will find one that meets the immediate need. Then, you’ll re-examine the issue to find an even better solution.

Tom Woodward is the Systems Support Engineer at Container Deposit Systems.

A lot of his working day is spent helping resolve questions that customers have about CDS technology.

He’s a part of an amazing support network that Container Deposit Systems has implemented for its customers.

Customers can scan the QR code that is fixed to each component of the Container Deposit Systems technology. This provides a link to a video that describes the solutions to any service requirements.

Customers can ring a national hotline, managed by SAGE Automation that operates 24/7. Sage Automation is a partner of Container Deposit Systems.

Customers can ring Tom Woodward. If they ring Tom, they’re talking to a solutions expert.

Games World (where else: was where Tom got his first job. He was still at university. This interest in games now sees him participating in regular board games evenings with his like-minded friends.

And what was he studying at uni? A double degree. Bachelor of Engineering (computer systems) and a Bachelor of Mathematics and Computer Science.

He’s a pure mathematics major. Picture a large white board - lines of symbols, letters, numbers, equations.

He studied full-time and part-time for about 7 years, working at Games World to support himself.

He started indoor bouldering with university friends.

Outdoor bouldering he’s tried twice. He describes it as a “different type of terrifying”. Where do you do outdoor bouldering in South Australia? Where else but Car Crash Quarry.

Interestingly, sport climbing-a close relative of bouldering is now an Olympic sport.

Bouldering and trail running - both in the outdoors - both require constant decision making, which eventually leads to a goal. It’s not unlike being a systems engineer.

They all have that element of the puzzle to be solved, a solution to be found.

A recent convert to both Yoga and Pilates, Tom finds the same element of puzzle and solution in these activities. You have to attempt the position. You might fail. You have to try again. You have to fine tune it until you perfect it.

“The reward is the perseverance.”

Not surprisingly he’s taken a similar attitude to membership of two book clubs.

Members of one of his clubs work at a library. They provide sets of books bought especially for book clubs. This means he reads books he might normally not have chosen.

But he reads them. For Tom, the reward is the perseverance.

If he was choosing the books they would probably be science fiction.

What else does a mathematics major read?

For Tom, science and science fiction overlap. They both have an element of “find out and understand.”

Back to his working life. Did we ever leave it? His work and pastimes are intertwined.

Having completed his university courses and finishing with Games World as the Store Supervisor he commences working for WEG.

WEG manufactures electric motors. A customer explains the dimensions, the attributes of a required motor and WEG manufactures it. It’s a job that requires the business to listen to the customer, understand the customer’s needs and then provide the solution.

Leaving WEG he starts working for SCANTECH. SCANTECH manufactures process control equipment, especially in the mining and cement sectors.

And now Container Deposit Systems, where again, he’s listening to customers, deciding a course of action and implementing a solution.

It's as though he does this all day, at work and at play.

Container Deposit System’s customers can be sure that when they Ring Tom, they’ll be listened to and he’ll find a solution for them.

It’s what he does.

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