When Dave Saich was called to the office, he thought it was just another routine job, but the 47-year-old forklift driving trainer at British American Tobacco's (BAT) factory in Southampton, UK, was soon proved wrong.

Saich, who has been with the company for 26 years, is now hundreds of miles away on a top assignment in the Balkans, according to a Newsquest Media Group report.

The trainer has been sent to a BAT sister plant in Serbia for three weeks to train workers there in forklift truck driving.

Saich passed an instructor's course last year and is already responsible for the specialist training in Southampton, in addition to overseeing all the materials handling equipment on-site.

"When I was called to the office last week, I thought it was for just another routine job. How wrong I could be?" he said. "(Despite) having recently received medical attention for my jaw, I still managed a 'yes'."

A BAT spokesman said: "Dave is one of many Southampton-based employees who visit BAT factories all over the world to support high standards of training upheld by the company."