What is your current role, and what are your main responsibilities?
As the Head of Operations and Production I am responsible for managing all factories and production lines, overseeing Prolectric’s rental fleet operation, developing the onsite servicing and maintenance programme, as well being responsible for the company’s satellite sites and, health and safety governance.
What inspired you to pursue this field, and how did you get started?
After starting my career in engineering (for which I still have a passion), I wanted to become involved in more business management lead roles, which Operations facilitates perfectly, given how many key stakeholders the department collaborates with on a day-to-day basis, from R&D to sales to finance.
What do you consider to be the biggest challenge facing your industry today?
Keeping pace with change. The Prolectric Operations team has gone through a great deal of change since I have been with the business in order to keep track (and appropriately serve) the changing needs of the company. This includes moving into new warehouses, building new products, onboarding new staff, opening new premises and servicing new customers.
Can you share an example of a successful project you worked on, and what made it successful?
In August of 2023, Prolectric engaged with a lean manufacturing consultant with a view of assessing if production efficiency/output within the ProPower build factory could be increased without investing in further build resource. The assessment involved a 2-day workshop with the factory management team and a consultant representative to review build processes in detail and evaluate if the time spent on these procedures could be reduced in any way. Once this exercise was complete and all recommendations were implemented into the factory, ProPower output increased by around 50% thanks to the efforts and engagement of the management group and technicians on the factory floor.
How do you see the industry evolving in the next 5-10 years, and what trends do you think will drive this evolution?
Technology will clearly be playing a huge role in the world of Operations over the next 5-10 years, as it will be across most sectors/industries/fields. Within the world of operations, technology will be used to improve the efficiency of processes across fields such as production, service, maintenance and transport, and with the amount of dedicated software’s available across a range of applications, it is key that the system chosen fully addresses the needs of that particular business/operation.
How do you balance competing priorities and demands within the industry, such as innovation versus risk management?
The number 1 priority, particularly within Operations is always health, safety and the mitigation of potential risks to staff. Thereafter, Operations have a detailed improvement plan in place for 2024 to ensure we take the steps our team need (and want to see actioned) over the course of the year, which of course is prioritised appropriately. This includes digitising processes still completed by paper forms, creating/updating build guides, automation of data gathering, developing individuals skills sets and competencies, and improving build/installation methodologies and procedures.
