At Kaleidex, every product, process, and idea is made possible by people: the experts whose care, skill, and curiosity drive everything we do.
Our new Made by People series celebrates the individuals across our sites who bring our values to life: guided by care, forged by boldness, connected by trust, driven by precision, and sparked by ideas.
This month, we meet Lucyna Kubik, one of the talented Quality Inspectors at Kirkstall Precision, whose story is one of global experience, lifelong learning, and quiet pride in the impact her work makes on patients every single day.
At Kirkstall Precision Engineering, the people behind the parts matter just as much as the components themselves. Among them is Lucyna Kubik, one of the team’s dedicated Quality Inspectors, whose story is one of global experience, lifelong learning, and quiet pride in the impact her work makes on patients every single day.
“I’m a quality inspector at Kirkstall Precision,” Lucyna begins, “and I’ve been here since June last year. For me, this is more than just a job, it’s a chance to learn, to challenge myself, and to contribute to something that really matters.”
Lucyna’s journey to Leeds has been anything but ordinary. Originally from Poland, she built her career in Canada before joining Kirkstall, carrying with her a wealth of experience in manufacturing and inspection across several high-precision industries.
“My diploma in Poland was in mechanical engineering,” she explains. “When I moved to Canada, I worked for 25 years as an inspector, first in fibre optics, then aeronautical. My last role there was inspecting and repairing returned products for Honeywell Aerospace. So yes, a very different world.”
That difference is what drew her to medical device manufacturing. “The medical field for me is a challenge, but it’s also fascinating. I like challenges. And I’ve learned a lot already. Every day here feels like progress.”
From aircraft to implants
At Honeywell, Lucyna’s work helped ensure safety thousands of feet in the air. At Kirkstall, her focus has shifted to the operating theatre. “In aeronautical I was taking care of products installed on aircraft,” she says. “Here, it’s implants and surgical instruments, both are about saving somebody’s life. That’s what makes me proud.”
When she holds a finished implant, that pride becomes personal. “What goes through my mind? Saving somebody’s life. Maybe it’s someone like my children, or a member of my family. It’s fantastic.”
That sense of purpose is what fuels so many at Kirkstall Precision, a company built on collaboration, care, and an uncompromising standard of quality. For Lucyna, every day is about ensuring that those standards are met. “I’m an internal auditor, and I performed 1 audit last year. I know the standards we have to meet, not just in paperwork, but in the product itself. Both must be perfect before anything leaves the factory.”
The art of precision and the power of teamwork
Lucyna’s pride isn’t just in the finished components, it’s in the process. “People outside the industry don’t realise how complex it is to make something that will be used inside the human body,” she says. “My friends are always surprised when I tell them how we check every little part, measure every dimension, and report every detail to the customer.”
But precision alone doesn’t build medical devices, people do. And Lucyna is quick to highlight the teamwork that underpins everything at Kirkstall. “Quality is here to support production,” she explains. “If we have an issue, we go to the operator, team leader, or quality engineer. We help them understand drawings and processes. We make sure everything is followed properly from start to finish.”
That sense of shared responsibility is key to how Kirkstall maintains its reputation for quality without compromise. “We really work as a team here,” she says. “If I don’t have the answer, I’ll find someone who does. We all want the same thing, to make sure every product and every document meets the standards before it goes to the customer.”
Learning, mentoring, and growing together
Even after decades in engineering, Lucyna still sees herself as a student. “I’ve learned a lot in just over a year,” she says. “The products here are more detailed, the tolerances tighter. I like to educate myself, so I’ll often go online to learn how the products are used. I’m really curious about what we make.”
She also credits her colleagues for supporting that learning. “My colleague Eva has had a big influence on me. We work very well together, quickly, confidently, and with trust. We share experience and support each other perfectly. That’s what teamwork means.”
That mutual respect is reflected in the company’s culture. “Here, I feel like family,” Lucyna smiles. “We care about each other, not just as colleagues, but as friends. We spend so much time together, it matters that we support each other, even in life outside work.”
Guided by the Kaleidex values
At Kirkstall Precision, being part of the Kaleidex Group means living by five shared values: Guided by Care, Forged by Boldness, Sparked by Ideas, Connected by Trust, and Defined by Precision. For Lucyna, one value stands out above all the rest… trust.
“Of course, trust is number one,” she says. “There’s no teamwork without trust. We have to trust the operators, the engineers, everyone. It starts from contract review and flows through the entire process until the finished product is shipped. Trust and precision go hand in hand.”
Precision, she adds, is the company’s heartbeat. “It’s the perfect word for Kirkstall. The tolerances we achieve are amazing, sometimes it’s extremely difficult, but we do it. That’s what makes it special.”
And then there’s care. “We care for each other here. If someone’s not feeling well, we talk, we help. That support makes all the difference. When you feel good at work, you do your best work.”
Looking ahead
Even with all her experience, Lucyna’s eyes are firmly on the future. “I never give up,” she says. “I always try to learn more. I’d like to develop more in CMM operation, learning new ways to measure and screen parts faster. With larger implant orders coming, it’s important to have the right equipment and skills.”
That forward-thinking mindset sums up what makes Kirkstall Precision and its people exceptional, not just their skill with machines, but their constant desire to learn, adapt, and improve.
“Every day I learn something new,” Lucyna says. “Every day I see the difference we make. And that makes me proud.”