Project Management for the design, development, manufacture, and installation of bespoke materials handling and special purpose equipment solutions, primarily for high volume and prestige automotive manufacturing environments.

Contract work, including:- R&D Tax Consultancy.- Management consultancy.- Project management & Business Operations Support (including QA, Operations, Procurement, Logistics, and Installations). - Engineering / Design.- AutoCAD support, and creation of automated templates and toolsets.

Assessment and processing of R&D Tax claims, working within a large (top 15) accountancy firm. This included:- Auditing company and technical activities directly with executives, senior management, and technical teams (including accountants, scientists, mechanical, electrical and software engineers) to advise, collate information, and present technical reports.- Scope assessment against legislation.- Project and engagement management.- Delivering training and technical interviews.- Preparing the financial aspects of R&D Tax claims.- Generating sales from leads provided by Partners.Projects spanned Aerospace, Automotive, Military, FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, software development industries, and more.

Reporting direct to the Company Board, created and managed a new centralised R&D team as well as direct and indirect people management across company subsidiaries for a wide range of product and manufacturing related projects.Products included static and mobile shelving and racking, lockers, and small parts containers, with:- manufacturing based in the UK and Spain;- brands included Link51, Storage Direct, Apex, LinBin, Probe, Hi-Store and Polypal. I received a top performer recognition within the Group Senior Management Team.

My role was split between UK operations and supporting the manufacturing head-office in Portugal. Achievements included:• Sales engineering & technical support – supporting internal staff and external distributors with the design and delivery of installation projects. Including order processing. Values ranged from £10 spares orders to supporting a key distributor to win a £1million tender for a major logistics warehouse.• Technical Management – created a technical forum, improving communications and sharing of knowledge and expertise across the Group. Created a centrally managed technical library, including product manuals for the Group, detailing static and dynamic materials storage and handling products.• Industry Representation - represented the industry and contributed to the development of industry-wide standards on the Storage Equipment Manufacturers Association (SEMA) UK distributors and technical committees.• AutoCAD – created advanced automated toolsets that significantly sped up and de-skilled drawing work.• IT - implemented a new IT infrastructure plan for the UK business - linking offices, delivering process improvements, and achieving significant ongoing cost savings.• Procurement – introduced supplier selection, auditing and monitoring processes.• Quality assurance – design and implementation of a new quality control system. The new processes enabled significant business growth without increasing overheads.Also identified, investigated, reported, and addressed product quality defects and incidents.The UK team won the prestigious ‘SEMA Distributor Group Supplier of the Year’ award every year during my time there.

Design and management of AV installations for various companies and educational institutes. Typically covering digital signage, video conferencing, training, and lecturing facilities.Initially a short contract as cover for annual leave, which was then extended. This included managing installation teams, on-site problem-solving, and coordinating with sales to define technical, commercial and schedule items.

Design and installation of Solar PV, with projects spanning domestic, commercial and community projects.This included mechanical and electrical design and installation project management, structural design, documentation (including O&M manuals, method statements, hazard & risk assessments, etc.), and hands-on involvement in installations.

LINPAC was a UK based industrial and commercial storage solutions manufacturer, renamed APEX, and now part of the Whittan Group (above).Working alongside the Senior Structural Engineer, I managed a CAD Technician and Data Controller, as well as outsourced structural testing (including budget and programme).I was promoted to the senior operations management team - working together with sales, office, factory and administration staff, and was involved in various initiatives focused on improving communication, business efficiency, customer service, and product quality.For a 15 month period, I took on additional (interim) responsibility managing the Purchasing Department - managing quotation to payment, purchasing co-ordination, raw materials co-ordination, and stock control. Also, leading improvement projects including work with IT to refine MRP processes, and working with accounts and operations to conduct various ‘make or buy’ initiatives to attain the most effective and efficient production.

Polaron was a niche market engineering business that designed and developed a variety of electro/mechanical products that were often at the cutting edge of their respective technologies.Reporting directly to the Company Board and managing the CAD staff, I coordinated a team of specialist electrical engineers and scientists to operate as a central resource, delivering complete product design solutions from concept to launch, including my design input for the mechanical/packaging aspects, for a variety of products across the group subsidiaries. Products included architectural and entertainment automated lighting controls, drive-controls, advanced scientific equipment, and specialist switches and sensors used in demanding applications such as aerospace, oil, rail, medical and security. Responsibilities included:• Engineering management – associated with product and manufacturing R&D. This included liaising with suppliers, and work to organise manufacturing in the UK, Europe, and China.• Technical documentation – preparing technical documentation for production and sales, including manufacturing and assembly drawings, BoMs, instructions, and schematics.Achievements included:• Significantly revising procedures for the Engineering / R&D department to align with modern standards.• Significantly increasing department output and improving traceability of jobs.• Improving communication and workflow management across the technical and production teams.• Initiating and rolling out standardised CAD and documentation processes.

Dexion was a recognised pioneer in storage equipment design, including pallet-racking, shelving (including mobile-shelving), and conveyors. The company had state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in the UK as well as across Europe.Took over from a retiring Senior Design Engineer who I had shadowed during my university sandwich placement.Placement work included CAD, R&D support, structural calcs, testing, product benchmarking, and report writing.Became a design authority for the company’s flagship industrial warehouse racking and commercial shelving products. Then, transitioned to take on technical responsibilities for the company’s inhouse manufactured ‘Apton’ (relocatable and modular designed office partition walling) product range.Responsibilities and achievements included:• European project management - for product design/feasibility studies and analysis involving British, German, and Swedish subsidiaries.• Design/Engineering management – achieving successful small and large-scale product / manufacturing developments and launches for the UK and European markets, under tight time and resource constraints. Including a major role in the further development and relaunch of the Apton system. This enabled the creation of Apton Partitioning Ltd. - a separate entity which is still trading today.• Technical support - for sales and installations, including customer liaison and on-site problem solving, and responsibility for ‘specials’ designs.Regularly attended construction CPD seminars, and gained significant experience of building regulations, SEMA/FEM (industry) codes of practice, fire and sound testing and requirements, and health and safety.