Gray & Adams Spring Newsletter 2023

Gray & Adams News

SPRING 2023

ISSUE 20 | SPRING 2023

In this issue

> Gray & Adams Joint Managing Directors, James and Peter Gray awarded OBEs

> The Gray & Adams Story Part Two

> Gray & Adams looks ahead to ITT 2023

Our people have contributed to the success of Gray & Adams over the years. Our team are highly skilled, professional and care, not only about our customers but also their communities as evidenced at the end of last year when our Doncaster depot took part in a Christmas fundraising initiative. Read more about the success of the Christmas toy appeal on page 17.

As we focus on what lies in 2023, we make plans for upcoming events such as ITT Hub in Farnborough. Read Andrew Brown’s expectation of the show this year on page 19. We also say goodbye to a key member of our management team, Calvin Morrice as he leaves the business to peruse pastures new. Read Calvin’s letter of thanks to our customers and suppliers for their support over the years on page 16. We are also delighted to celebrate the success of one of our many valued young people within our business. Curtis McCowan who works with us in our Northern Ireland depot, has won Apprentice of the Year from the training provider who supports hundreds of young people through their apprenticeships each year. Read more on page 8.

In this edition we also have a number of articles and case studies from our valued customers where they discuss the relationship with Gray & Adams and the benefits our solutions have brought to their operations. Read more from Booths on pages 4 & 5 and BAKO on pages 14 & 15. We also have a fantastic story from James Hall Spar on the livery design of their new Gray & Adams trailer, in support of Marie Curie. You can read more on this on pages 6 & 7.

We also bring the focus back to our people, who are integral to the operations of our company. We celebrate the retirement of Alex Haddow, as he shares his experience of working with Gray & Adams as a long serving employee on page 18 and shine a spotlight on Repair Shop Manager, Northern Ireland, James Murphy as we learn more about his role and responsibilities on page 20.

Lastly, we share our honour and privilege to be awarded OBEs in His Majesty, King Charles’ first New Year Honours List. We would like to sincerely thank whoever nominated us and it has been a great privilege to service our industry over the years. Read more about this on page 9.

Gray & Adams are entering 2023 as a strong business despite pressures from supply chains across the globe and we would like to extend our gratitude to our staff, customers and suppliers who have made this possible. Thank you for your unwavering commitment to Gray & Adams and would like to wish you all the best for 2023.

JAMES AND PETER GRAY JOINT MANAGING DIRECTORS

As we move into the warmer weather and brighter nights of Spring, we leave 2022 behind us and look forward to the year ahead. 2022 was a fantastic year which marked the 65th anniversary of Gray & Adams, a milestone that we are incredibly proud of.

Pages 6 & 7

Page 9

Page 18

Pages 12 & 13

Page 19

Customer Case Study –

Gray & Adams and Booths Supermarkets

Booths Supermarkets has been in business since 1847, serving the North of England through 27 stores and various online channels, including Amazon. With a relationship that spans back several years, Gray & Adams work with Booths to provide solutions that service a number of stores and suppliers in both densely populated areas and countryside.

The relationship between the two businesses has gone from strength to strength, a particular highlight was in November 2021, when Booths took delivery of two Urban trailers. Recently, Booths has approached us to assist them in updating their fleet with the purchase of two rigid bodies.

CUSTOMER REQUIREMENT

Due to the location and set up of some of the smaller Booths stores and farm suppliers, larger trailers such as Urbans, were not servicing these stores efficiently. Gray & Adams was approached to discuss supplying a solution for this need and Booths decided to settle on purchasing a further two rigid bodies from Gray & Adams.

IMPACT

Booths has now been operating the rigids since November and as expected, the fleet additions have increased operation efficiency which is strategically important to the business. Feedback from the drivers has also proven that the Gray & Adams rigid bodies allow them to do their job in a more efficient and more comfortable manner compared to solutions provided by competitors.

CUSTOMER TESTIMONIAL

Craig Stopforth, Transport Manager tells us,

“We are a smaller customer for Gray & Adams in terms of order value but we appreciate the level of customer service and the bespoke elements of all the products. We feel valued as a customer and it is never an issue to request changes to spec and communicate our needs to the sales team.”

SOLUTION

As well as being smaller in size, there were a number of bespoke elements that needed to be incorporated into the build. The rigid bodies are multi temperature, working across three temperature bands and have a full pallet size tail lift for efficient and safe loading and unloading. Another convenient addition was the moveable walls which are installed on rails. Traditionally, moveable walls within box bodies and trailers are heavy and cumbersome to operate, causing inefficiencies in the supply chain and frustration with drivers.

The rail installation is easier to operate, and the addition of the walls have allowed the extra benefit of the deliveries becoming more efficient by allowing the driver to deliver multiple drops across different categories, without returning to the depot.

Kirkbymoorside girl wins Marie Curie trailer design competition

A 10-year-old girl from Kirkbymoorside in North Yorkshire has won the competition to design a Gray & Adams built trailer celebrating the charity partnership between SPAR and Marie Curie.

Holly Brocklebank-Watts was selected as the winner from more than 200 entries submitted through SPAR stores in the North of England.

Her dad Nick saw the competition in the SPAR store in Sleights near Whitby during his round as a postman and took an entry template home for Holly to enter.

It was the first competition of its type launched by James Hall & Co. Ltd, SPAR’s primary wholesaler and distributor in the North of England, and entrants were encouraged to get creative to celebrate the charity partnership that has been established since 2017.

Holly, who enjoys drawing and photography, demonstrated her artistic flair with a design featuring Marie Curie’s iconic yellow daffodils depicted along the hills of North Yorkshire.

The competition attracted entrants with ages ranging from three to 80, and as well as having her winning design on the side of a SPAR articulated truck, Holly won a BMX scooter and a stationery hamper.

The grand reveal of the trailer took place in Kirkbymoorside’s Market Place outside the SPAR store where Holly was joined by parents Nick and Joanne, James Hall & Co Ltd’s Company Stores Director Fiona Drummond, Store Manager Roland Puckering, and Cllr Nick Holroyd, from Kirkbymoorside Town Council.

Marie Curie is the UK’s leading end of life charity, and the trailer Holly has designed will travel to SPAR stores across the North of England six days a week from James Hall & Co. Ltd’s SPAR Distribution Centre in Preston.

The trailer unveiling comes during Marie Curie’s flagship annual fundraiser, the Great Daffodil Appeal, which raises funds to help support people across the UK, either at home or at one of the nine Marie Curie hospices.

Holly said: “It’s a brilliant feeling to win the competition. My design is inspired by the countryside where I live. I take lots of photos of the area, and in the spring the flowers come out. Marie Curie’s logo is a daffodil, so I decided to put those on the hillside by the road.”

Nick Watts, Holly’s proud dad, added: “Holly has been eager to see the real thing and we are all thrilled to see her design on the side of a SPAR lorry. The digital redraw is truly faithful to the original and we are very impressed with it.

“When I first saw the competition promoted, I just knew Holly had to enter it, and an hour and half after I brought the template home the design was done. Then when we were contacted about it, we could not believe Holly had been chosen as the winner, least of all Holly, who I had to show the email as proof.

“The BMX scooter prize has been a real hit and the icing on the cake, already providing hours of fun for her. As a family we would just like to thank SPAR and James Hall & Co. Ltd for organising the presentation in Kirkbymoorside and for creating a memorable day.”

Fiona Drummond said: “It was an absolute pleasure to meet Holly and her family in Kirkbymoorside for the grand reveal. We had some incredible entries and Holly’s entry was chosen as the winner for her inclusion of Marie Curie yellow through the daffodils and her consideration of both SPAR and Marie Curie branding.

“While celebrating a charity in Marie Curie that is close to our hearts, we also felt Holly really portrayed our SPAR North of England patch well where we are lucky to have four National Parks and seven Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty on our doorstep.”

Tom Heron, Head of Partnership Management at Marie Curie, said: “There were so many SPAR customers of all ages submitted designs to the competition, and we have been amazed by the creativity of the entries and how the charity partnership with Marie Curie is interpreted by people.

“The competition really has celebrated the spirit of this partnership and the communities both SPAR and Marie Curie support. The daffodil design is perfect for spring and our annual Great Daffodil Appeal. I would like to congratulate Holly on an outstanding design, and hope that she is able to see it out on the road when it is delivering to SPAR stores.”

Cllr Nick Holroyd, representing Kirkbymoorside Town Council, said: “I think this has been a wonderful initiative between James Hall & Co. Ltd, SPAR and Marie Curie and I’m very pleased that Holly’s design has been chosen as the winner.

“The SPAR store in Kirkbymoorside is at the centre of the community, and the grand reveal has created a real buzz in the town. I’ll certainly be keeping an eye out for the trailer when I’m out and about.”

James Hall & Co. Ltd serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

You can find out more about James Hall & Co. Ltd at www.jameshall.co.uk.

Curtis McCowan wins Rutledge Group Apprentice of the Year Award

We are delighted to announce that Engineering Apprentice, Curtis McCowan has been awarded Apprentice of the Year by Rutledge Group. Rutledge Group have been working with Gray & Adams (Northern Ireland) to develop opportunities for young people in the region.

Curtis was named the successful candidate out of 15 apprentices from the Engineering Training Workshop due to his results gained on his Technical Certificate, attitude, and willingness to learn.

Through his practical workplace portfolio with Gray & Adams he has progressed from completing small jobs, to larger, complex projects and his supervisor provided a glowing reference which allowed him to be considered for the award.

Mark Ridley from Rutledge Group shares with us “Throughout his training Curtis has shown great ability and willingness to learn. Curtis was a pleasure to teach, and the future is bright for this young man.”

Press release - Gray & Adams Joint Managing

Directors, James and Peter Gray awarded OBEs

Curtis tells us how he felt when receiving the award “When I got the phonecall to say I had won engineering apprentice of the year I was taken aback as I was not expecting it at all. When I completed my course, I was just so relieved to have finally finished after putting in a lot of time and effort. The course seemed like it had gone on forever due to the impact of Covid which put things on hold for me. I’m extremely proud of myself to have won this award and it feels good that others have recognised the effort and attention to detail I have put into my work over the last few years.”

From all at Gray & Adams, we would like to extend our congratulations to Curtis for this achievement and we look forward to supporting him as his career progresses with the business.

Well done Curtis!

Joint Managing Directors of the UK’s leading manufacturer of refrigerated trailers, Gray & Adams, James and Peter Gray have been awarded OBEs in the New Year Honours list. Both brothers received an OBE for service to the industry and the community of Fraserburgh after recently celebrating the 65th anniversary of the business.

James and Peter’s father, the late Jim Gray, established Gray & Adams in 1957 which originated as a body repair shop in Fraserburgh, carrying out repairs to early cars and commercial vehicles. It has since developed into a leading manufacturing business, employing 700 people across the UK and servicing customers such as Morrisons, Marks and Spencer and Gist. James and Peter lead the company from the Fraserburgh headquarters.

In a statement to local press, Peter Gray said,

“It was a complete surprise and shock but I was absolutely delighted and speechless when I was informed that I was to receive an OBE in the New Year honours list.

“I am thrilled to receive such an honour which is so closely linked to the success of our family business, Gray and Adams.

“In accepting such an award as joint managing director, I must also pay tribute to my late father, Jim Gray, who founded Gray and Adam in 1957, and all the amazing loyal workforce who work tirelessly to make G&A one of the best refrigerated transport engineering companies in the United Kingdom.

“We will certainly make sure everyone is included in the celebration.

“It is also a tremendous honour to receive this award in the first honours list from our new king.”

James also said,

“When I first got the notification of the OBE I was overwhelmed that individuals took the time to fill in the paperwork to nominate us.

“I may never know who they were, but I will always be grateful. Not just for myself but for my wife Catherine and my immediate family.

“It is quite incredible that two brothers have been given this award the at the same time. I am sure that is very unusual.”

As with any business, it is the team of loyal employees that ensure the success of the business and James and Peter wish to thank them for all their input and professionalism over the years with the remark,

“Our staff are extremely loyal, and I cannot thank them enough for all they do.”

The Gray & Adams Story Part Two

James Gray continues with part two of the Gray & Adams story

Another major decision regarding a change of direction for the company, was being reached by the two Jim’s and Lewis Gray (Jim Gray’s brother) which was to introduce a new one-piece sandwich construction refrigerated body to the U.K. This type of construction already existed in Europe and after consulting with various manufacturers on construction techniques, a relationship soon developed with a Dutch company and shortly thereafter a small group from Fraserburgh spent two weeks with them learning more about the technology and manufacturing techniques used. The group included, W.M. Sinclair, W. Cardno, K Burnett, W. Maitland, J.J. Gray (Jim’s son) and Lewis Gray Snr and upon their return discussed what they had observed and shared the knowledge gained with other employees in order to plan the construction of the first of the new concept refrigerated chassis less Trailer. In response to the changes, it became clear that we would need the services of a draughtsman and employed Ruary Campbell, followed shortly afterwards with Charlie Buchan, the first employees of the new drawing office. G&A then sourced, from around Europe and Scandinavia the new materials required for the manufacturing techniques, which Gray & Adams had adopted, to ensure that the trailers being built would comply with these rigorous new standards. In 1978, all the hard work and planning came to fruition with the development of a new chassisless refrigerated trailer using one piece insulated panels manufactured by themselves in a new purpose built workshop.

Modern engineering materials, such as expanding PVC foam, structural adhesives, and continuously rolled, prepainted alloy sheeting and GRP allowed them to do away with the heavy two-member chassis and steel framed / aluminium clad panels of the earlier designs, and to build a monocoque body where the side walls, roof and floor became structural members carrying the loads along with the chassis-less chassis. (I.e. self-supporting construction).

Rumours had been circulating since 1976 that the government were considering changes in transport legislation and in January 1979, A.T.P. was finally introduced to the U.K. To obtain A.T.P., a trailer had to be sent to Warrington, where it was tested for thermal efficiency, in a special heat chamber. If it passed the test the Department of Transport would issue 30 certificates which will allow 30 trailers to be built to the same specification, then another trailer would have to be sent for the same test to get a further 30 certificates. This system was grossly unfair, because the Europeans were already getting 100 certificates per test, which meant that Gray and Adams were required to submit 3 tests for every one test of the Europeans. The two Jim’s could not take this lying down, so they challenged the DoT over this and after several fruitless meetings they contacted representatives from the European commission. Eventually the Ministry relented and brought the UK into line with the rest of Europe.

As business increased, the company found that, due to their geographical location it was difficult to expand into other areas of the country, so in 1976 a factory was acquired in Dunfermline and converted to suit their manufacturing requirements. Bob Smith was appointed as Managing Director and oversaw operations which included a service backup to customers in the Central Belt and the south of Scotland. The Directors were also aware that there was a thriving market in Ireland, which at that time was being covered, in a small way, by Montracon Trailers ( a G&A selling agent). However, they were looking to provide a better service, as well as manufacturing facilities of their own. Subsequently a green field site was purchased about ten miles outside Belfast for the construction of a purpose built factory, to produce rigid/ sliding side bodies and the servicing and repairs to rigids and trailers. The new facility began production with Harry McEwan appointed MD in Ireland.

Gray and Adams now turned their attention to the English market but, as a new factory had just been built in Ireland, it was felt the timing wasn’t right to do the same in England. It was therefore decided to appoint Atlas Refrigerated Vehicles of Nottingham, as agents and Norman Parrish heading the up the sales.

The expansion of the company and ever increasing workload led to the appointment of Jim Watt in 1979 who became the first company accountant.

In the early 1980’s, computerised systems were introduced to the sales and purchasing ledgers. Over the years the system has been continually upgraded to accommodate material purchasing and stock control, sales administration, sales ledger and salary. The design and drawing office also changed from the traditional drawing board to a computerised system with twelve full time draughtsmen and a drawing office manager. The labour recording system of manually filled out time sheets, has been replaced by a computer recording system, specifically designed to suit all companies’ requirements. Due to the number of computerised systems in operation, a full time computer technician was employed.

During 1982 the Armitage report on vehicle weights came out which resulted in an increase to the gross vehicle weight from 32.5 to 38 ton. This brought with it tri-axle steel spring suspension, side guards and latterly, spray suppression, all of which was new, not only to Gray and Adams, but to the trailer industry at large. With the Armitage report, came also much more stringent braking regulations and the introduction of an anti-lock braking system on trailers. Gray and Adams took all this in their stride and their market share continued to increase.

With the introduction of larger trailers and an increase in orders, the company again outgrew its manufacturing facilities, and in 1988, a decision was taken yet again, to extend the existing site to allow for an increase, both in

production and the number of employees.

Towards the end of the 1980’s and early 1990’s, the owners of the company’s agent, Atlas Refrigerated Vehicles, indicated their intention to retire and dispose of their factory, which was on a desirable residential site. Thus in 1990, the company purchased a 5 acre site in Doncaster, which included a dilapidated building. Steve Rose was appointed MD and works began on a complete refurbished to suit the company’s requirements, being the assembly of rigid bodies and trailer and rigid repairs. This was in line with operations at the company’s other locations in Dunfermline and Ireland. Over the years, Gray and Adams have continually extended and improved facilities at the 3 locations to accommodate an increase in the manufacture of new rigid vehicles and on the repair and refurbishment of existing vehicles.

In 1991, after two years hard work reorganising, the company applied for and achieved BS 5750 part 2 and are already seeing the benefits in improved performance and manufacturing efficiency.

In 1993 when the C&U regulations changed yet again to allow 13.6mtr trailers, Gray and Adams had to take a serious look at their panel manufacturing facility as they were rapidly outgrowing it. So the Directors (still the two Jims, with Lewis and Jim Gray’s two sons, James and Peter) took the bold decision, with the country in recession, to invest in a new 46,000sq.ft. Panel manufacturing facility.

1998 saw the expansion of the trailer chassis manufacturing facilities and with no further available ground on the existing site, vacant buildings at Power Jacks, were purchased (originally CPT buildings). The existing frontage was retained but the original building was demolished to allow for a new building to be constructed to suit the chassis manufacturing requirements.

This included the purchase of new equipment, which allowed for the manufacture of the complete chassis. A CNC Plasma cutter, press brake, a full-length chassis beam welder and a fully automated shot blasting plant were purchased. Specialised chassis jigs and rotating equipment were also introduced to improve the manufacturing capability. The other buildings, which were purchased at this same time, were renovated and adapted to suit the two chassis spray booths where the chassis are painted according to the customer’s specifications. Once completed, the chassis is then moved into the brake department where it has the brakes/air suspension and electrics installed.

The first order placed for the new concept, Chassis number 1, came from a new company in Aberdeen called BonAccord transport which had recently been formed by a group of drivers and a mechanic. This was followed by one of our existing customers Moray Seafoods and was used to transport prime seafood to Spain and Portugal. Within the same year we secured and completed our largest order of 90 trailers for Christian Salvesen. Another local contractor, V.G Mathers, placed an order and we were even able to build a demonstrator which visited a number of transport companies throughout the UK in order to promote the new concept.

Delivering value to our customers – Gray & Adams and BAKO

BAKO is a leading supplier of bakery products and ingredients, servicing customers throughout the United Kingdom. The Group takes pride in being owned by bakers for bakers and delivers a national service and extensive product range that are highly valued by its customers.

Gray & Adams has worked with BAKO since 1995 to deliver solutions within their multi temperature vehicle fleet to provide a one-stop shop for bakery and food service products. The business relationship began after a BAKO received a recommendation from an industry colleague to explore the solutions that Gray & Adams could offer.

To discuss the long-standing relationship, we caught up with Gemma Webster, Group Marketing Manager and Tony Cookson, Transport Manager.

As the primary relationship holder with G&A Tony tells us more about the BAKO fleet and it’s requirements,

“We have built up a very good relationship with G&A, they play an important part when it comes to keeping our fleet up to date and also keep us informed with industry developments. They have a reputation for innovation so the team are always very supportive when we have looked to place an order by making suggestions of what new developments could work for our business.”

“At the moment, we run multi temperature, 3 compartment vehicles in our fleet that Gray & Adams have built for us. The majority tend to be 26T or 18T and they fully meet our operational requirements of delivering bakery ingredients and finished goods across the UK. We don’t require any bespoke enhancements as such, but due to the service we have received from Gray & Adams in the past, if this was a request, we know they would be accommodating.”

“As we have a wide variety of finished goods and ingredients that we supply to our customers, the multi temperature vehicles are a key part of our operations. We must ensure that all our deliveries are efficient in order to meet our customer needs which means that different types of product from ambient, chilled and frozen will be within the same vehicle. The different compartments allow the delivery driver ease of access to each product type, without disturbing the delicate temperatures of the other compartments. We believed that this was the best route to market strategy, as having separate vehicles across the categories would drive inefficiencies within our business which would negatively affect our customer base.”

Gemma also shares the growth the company has experienced since 1995,

“BAKO has grown significantly over the years, so naturally our fleet has grown with it as well. What that means for us is that we must foster a good relationship with our suppliers than can accommodate our increasing needs. We find that the team at Gray & Adams is highly responsive to our requirements and that is why we have developed the long-standing relationship in keeping our fleet up to date.”

When discussing what is next for the company, the ambitions are to continue the trend of growth, through increasing customers throughout the UK and adding to the wide variety of products they have available. Gray & Adams looks forward to continuously supporting BAKO in their operational success.

A message from Calvin Morrice

It is hard to believe that I started my journey with Gray & Adams nearly twenty years ago, and I often ask myself where did that time go? Looking back to when I first started, my goal was to build a team around me who were better in every aspect of the business than I could ever be and to allow each individual the freedom to perform their role with minimum interference from myself. My dear old Dad used to describe this as “being the conductor does not mean you must be proficient in playing all the instruments”. It has been a privilege for me to have worked alongside the Team at Gray & Adams Dunfermline during both good and difficult times, and there have been no fewer challenging times than the previous 2 years! I count myself very fortunate to have shared a significant part of my life with you all and hope that the friendships I have with many of you will continue as I take on new challenges for myself.

To my colleagues and friends in Doncaster, Fraserburgh and Newtownabbey, I wish to thank you for sharing with me your knowledge and advice over my years with Gray & Adams. We have sometimes shared different points of view, resulting in the odd disagreement and argument, but these moments seldom lasted longer that the next conversation. There is considerable talent within each of the depots and when used effectively, there is no question in my mind that Gray & Adams have an industry leading team that can overcome challenges that will inevitably come along.

For

the Customers, Suppliers and Contractors

I have worked with over my career with Gray & Adams, I offer you my genuine gratitude in allowing me to be a small part of your business life and in many cases your personal lives too. I have numerous memories, to many to mention, that will keep me smiling in the coming years.

Starting a new chapter unfortunately means that the previous one has to end but I sincerely hope that my many friendships will continue.

Gray & Adams Doncaster raise cash for kids

As part of our wider CSR strategy, Gray & Adams seek to support local causes and initiatives that bring benefit to the communities we work in. At Christmas, the staff in our Doncaster depot did their part by collecting toys, gifts, and donations for Hallam’s Mission Christmas and Sheffield Children’s Hospital.

As the cost of living continues to rise, many families over the Christmas 2022 period had to make the difficult decision between paying the bills and buying Christmas presents, meaning that many children had to go without something to open on the big day. The Mission Christmas initiative seeks to help families in crisis over the Christmas period.

The total raised through the efforts of the Gray & Adams Doncaster staff and suppliers was a fantastic £2,280.00!

On behalf of the business. We would like to thank everyone who took part in the festive charity initiative.

To my employers, thank you for the faith you had in my abilities and for the opportunities you have provided me with over my employment with Gray & Adams. I leave knowing that I have done my best for the business, and I wish Gray & Adams prosperity for the future.

Last and by no means least, thank you to my family for being my anchor over this incredible journey. Without your relentless support and understanding, my work life would have been much harder and I hope that the many hours and days I have missed over the years by not being with you can now start to be settled up.

As I prepare to depart from Gray & Adams, I am sad to say goodbye. Many of you have been a huge part of my daily life and I will miss you.

At the same time, I am eager to begin my new chapter and trust that our friendships will remain and that we will keep in touch.

Alex Haddow retires after 34 Years’ service

Gray & Adams is proud of its people and we recognise that their commitment and expertise is the key to the long success of the business to date. We have been fortunate enough to have had many long serving employees over the years and we believe it is important to have their dedication and hard work recognised.

In April 2023, Gray & Adams celebrated the retirement of long serving welder fabricator, Alex Haddow. Alex was based at Dunfermline and worked for the business for 34 years. We caught up with him on his first day of retirement to find out more about what he will miss about working for us and what he is looking forward to as he enters this new chapter.

Tell me about your time with Gray & Adams

I worked at the Dunfermline depot for 34 years as a welder fabricator, My main responsibility was fabricating the back frames for new rigid vehicles and I’ve seen some significant changes during my time here. For example, how the company has grown and the different technology that has come in which has allowed us all to do our jobs more efficiently. This has also meant that we are capable of doing more builds per week than when I first started. Back then we used to do one build per day, or five per week and now that has increased to thirteen. The team was kept busy, but we all had a great laugh and got on well.

What did you do before you came to Gray & Adams and why did you want to work here?

I’m local to the area and worked with the National Coal Board to serve my time as a welder fabricator initially, I then worked as a labourer after that but wanted to get back into welding. I then came across an advert for Gray & Adams in the local job centre and set up a meeting with Bob Smith who was the Managing Director at Dunfermline at the time, we had a discussion then I did a weld test and he told me that I could start the following Monday. I’ve been here ever since! One of the reasons I was initially attracted to the company is that it was local to me and I am involved with a lot of community groups in my spare time so it was important to me to work locally as well.

Gray & Adams looks ahead to ITT 2023

The team at Gray & Adams is looking forward to exhibiting at ITT Hub on 10th – 11th May this year. The stand will feature customer trailers and will be located in the Cold Chain Hub, hosted by TCS&D. The Cold Chain Hub is the UK’s only event which is solely dedicated to the cold chain sector.

What did you enjoy most about working for Gray & Adams?

I really apricate the Gray family making you feel like you are part of the family and being very supportive over the years. I also will really miss the guys on the shop floor that I worked with, we all got on really well and had a great laugh. Getting on with the people you work with really matters, especially during busy periods. I also really enjoyed the opportunity to show some of the younger lads how to carry out certain tasks and give them a bit of support. It’s more effective to show someone how to do the job rather than just tell them as you will get the most out of people that way. It’s important that people who are really experienced in a job, pass that information down to the younger generation so the skills aren’t lost.

What are your plans for retirement?

I’ll be kept quite busy as I am involved with a lot of community initiatives in Cowdenbeath. I currently run a youth club which can sometimes see over 200 kids turning up. I’m also now on the board of Cowdenbeath Football Club and I’m also involved with the local Gala Day. Apart from that, I also have 12 grandchildren who will keep me busy!

Comments from the team

Bryan Easton says “Alex is one our people who have helped shape the company we see today, team players like Alex are the real wealth in any business.

They say there is “nothing more constant that change” and certainly things in Dunfermline will never be quite the same again, although Alex’s legacy of mentoring and guiding our new recruits has ensured we have the skill set synonymous with the renowned quality of the Gray & Adams product.”

James and Peter Gray would like to thank Alex Haddow for his commitment to the company and wish him all the best in his retirement going forward.

Andrew Brown shares his anticipation for the 2023 show,

“ITT Hub has developed a reputation for being the most important show for transportation technology. We exhibited in 2022 and had the opportunity to meet with customers both past and present to showcase the new technology that we have incorporated into our solutions. As Gray & Adams has a reputation for innovation and being an industry leader, it is important for us to align ourselves with events and partners that have the same values and drive for excellence.

“Gray & Adams has developed a relationship with TCS&D for many years now, and we are excited to have them once again host the Cold Chain Hub, which is a sector of ITT dedicated solely to the discussion of innovation within the cold chain sector and the presentation of industry leading equipment.

“Since our inception in 1957, Gray & Adams has put innovation at the forefront of everything we do, however, we want to ensure that adopting new technology is a viable and commercially sound exercise for our customers. Therefore, we want to use the platform of ITT Hub to explore some of the blockers around adopting technology and lobby for change on our customer’s behalf.”

Gray & Adams look forward to welcoming visitors to ITT Hub at stand 1541 in May this year.

Staff Spotlight - James Murphy

At Gray & Adams, we are proud of our people, and we work hard to attract and retain talented individuals. As a result we have a number of valued team members who have worked for the business for many years.

In this edition, we speak to James Murphy, Repair Shop Manager in Northern Ireland.

What is your role at Gray & Adams and tell me about your day-to-day responsibilities

I’m the Repair Workshop Manager at Gray & Adams Northern Ireland. I manage a team of 13 in the workshop and an additional two staff members in the office. We are an incredibly busy department and there is always lots going on. Up to 100 trailers come through our workshop for either servicing or repairs.

We have regular customers who have signed up to service agreements at purchase or we have long term customers who pay as they go.

One of the biggest considerations in my role is finding the balance of keeping the customers happy with our ability to deliver to tight timescales, combined with not overloading the team who already work incredibly hard.

Why did you want to work for Gray & Adams?

I was working with another company when someone told me that Gray & Adams were looking for welders, I applied and that was 26 years ago. Since then, I have had experience in working with other areas of the business such as coach building and painting which has really broadened my skillset. Because I had worked in these different departments, I was in a good place for eventually progressing up to supervisor, chargehand and eventually workshop manager as I was able to understand all the different considerations for the team working in these departments.

What has been your biggest achievement while working for Gray & Adams?

The biggest achievement for me has been building a great team who work well together under pressure. Everyone respects each other and gets on well. Any time there is a problem, the whole team comes together to help resolve it and we all trust and rely on each other. I think that’s something that we can all be proud of.

If you could do someone else’s job (at Gray & Adams) for the day, whose would it be and why?

I would stick with what I’ve got! I worked in a number of different departments over the 26 years I’ve been here, but I really enjoy the role I’m in now.

What is the best thing about working for Gray & Adams?

If you are family orientated then Gray & Adams is a great place to work. When I started with the business, my second child was born with various health problems which meant that a lot of my time and focus was on family at that point. The business could not have been more supportive during that time, and it is something I will always appreciate. I’m happy to say that my daughter is in great health now but I really value the way everything was dealt with as a fairly new employee at that time.