As we approach the end of 2022, we are proud to celebrate our collective effort and success for another year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank our people, customers, partners, and suppliers for their continued support during these challenging times.
Whilst we look forward to what 2023 will bring, it is important that we reflect on the highlights and challenges of the year, Sales Director, Andrew Brown begins this period of reflection with his look back on page 4.
We also take a deeper look back to where it all began with an article written from the perspective of James Gray, Joint Managing Director (pages 10-11).
Ian Smith, Group Engineering Manager, looks to the future of engineering and we discuss what is coming next for the industry (pages 14-15).
It is, of course, the support of our customers that has allowed Gray & Adams to grow to the business it is today.
In this issue we feature some of our customers from around the UK, we speak with AAD Transport Ltd (pages 12-13), GA Petfood Partners (page 7) and also feature the latest news from James Hall Spar on the purchase of their newest electric trailer, built by Gray & Adams (pages 16-17).
As we approach Christmas, a time for celebration and giving, Gray & Adams believe it is important to give back to the communities we work in. We share some CSR updates from our business including a story on the sponsorship of a local team in the World Kickboxing Championships (page 5) and we support a colleagues’ son as he battles a rare condition that requires treatment with regular blood transfusions. Read Rhys’ story on pages 8-9.
Gray & Adams also value our people; they are what keeps the business moving forward and have been an important part our story for 65 Years. In this edition, we celebrate the long service and retirals of loyal colleagues who have spent decades of service with our business (page 18). We also share two staff spotlights in this issue, Kieran, an apprentice based in Dunfermline (page20) and Bruce who works in our drawing office in the Fraserburgh HQ (page 19)
As it has been since our inception in 1957, we are a family business, first and foremost. Despite materials shortages impacting the global supply chain, our people remain of utmost importance.
All business decisions continue to be driven with this at the forefront of our thinking. With Christmas and 2023 on the horizon, we would like to thank each and every one of our team for their unwavering commitment and we hope you enjoy the festive period and have a great holiday with your loved ones.
JAMES AND PETER GRAY JOINT MANAGING DIRECTORS
2022 started on a more positive note. The pandemic that had affected all our lives since 2020 was on the retreat, or at least we had learned to live with COVID-19. The manufacturing inflation that had been caused by the world closing down appeared to be easing, there was light at the end of the tunnel. Then in February, Putin invaded Ukraine sparking the worst economic crisis since the 1970’s. The rising price of energy and raw materials has forced inflation to a new 30 year high.
Gray & Adams has not been immune from the crisis, but we have continued to have very high demand for all our products and services, and thank all our customers for their support and understanding.
In April, the business was recognised by Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce winning two awards, ‘Family Business’ and ‘Business of the Year’. This was a significant honour and acknowledgment for a business that has successfully supported many families and young people in the region for over 65 years. May brought a successful return to pre Covid face to face business relationships in the form of the TCS&D and CV show. By the summer, the UK was experiencing record temperatures. With governments tumbling and a worsening supply chain crisis the only option was to keep calm and carry on.
In September the business once again enjoyed industry success and recognition winning the coveted ‘Trailer of the Year’, and ‘Rigid of the Year’ at the TCS&D awards. Our Dunfermline factory also received high praise by being voted ‘Supplier of the Year’ by Bidfoods.
But September also brought great sadness with the passing of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Her service of 70 years meant few of us have known any other monarch and the nation gave thanks for her 70 years of duty.
Autumn saw the run in to Christmas and all factories are operating at 120% ensuring most vehicles reach customers ready for Christmas season. If I had to choose a hero for 2022, it would be the hundreds of men and women that make up our manufacturing operations. They have worked long hours in the most adverse of conditions recently, overcoming the constant supply chain interruptions and rescheduling around the incessant delays. If anyone has earned our thanks and a toast this Christmas day, it is these hard working individuals.
On that thought, it only remains for me to wish our staff and customers a very happy Christmas and a safe and prosperous New Year.
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As part of our CSR strategy, Gray & Adams offer support to the local communities that we work within as part of our commitment to our heritage as a family business and our colleagues who live and work in the areas. It is important to us that we support causes and events that are close to our employees’ hearts and that we do what we can to make a difference to the community.
Jonny Wallace has worked with Gray & Adams Doncaster for six years, primarily working in the yard and completing a range of duties for the business such as forklift operating.
Jonny’s 14-year-old son, Joe, has a passion for Kickboxing and is a member of the ACMAC Martial Arts School which has various gym locations near our Doncaster depot.
Joe, along with his team members, had the opportunity to compete at the World Championships in Ireland this year and Gray & Adams was delighted to support the young athletes by sponsoring the team.
The team brought home a total of 27 medals with Joe contributing to two silvers and one bronze medal in his first competition at World Championship level.
Jonny shares his pride in his son’s achievement, “Joe has been training in martial arts for ten years and he has shown a real passion and talent for it, as a father I want to do all I can to support him to achieve his goals. Gray & Adams as an employer are a fantastic support as they have not only contributed financially, which allowed the ACMAC team to compete, but they have shown a real interest in what is important to me and my family. The whole ACMAC team is grateful for the support of Gray & Adams”
Gray
With this in mind, we are delighted to announce that John MacKinnon has recently been coached to attain Incorporated Engineer Registration with the Engineering Council through the Society of Operations Engineers (SOE), and the Institute of Road Transport Engineers (IRTE). It is with congratulations that we share that he has now achieved his goal and can now use the post nominals of IEng.
Registration with a professional body is a great achievement for both John and Gray & Adams and we would like to wish him all the best in his future career with the business.
Congratulations from James and Peter.
New Gray & Adams customer GA Pet Food Partners has recently invested in its first fleet of brand-new refrigerated trailers, and we caught up with Jim Whittingham, Operations Director at GA Pet Food Partners, to find out more about the business and its budding relationship with Gray & Adams.
GA Pet Food Partners are Europe’s leading manufacturer of own label premium dry pet foods providing a total solution, from new product development, through to manufacturing, packaging, storage and dispatch.
Since 2015, the GA Pet Food Partners team had been investing in second hand trailers to allow them to collect human grade food from abattoirs and fish factories across the UK and abroad and bring them back to their manufacturing facilities. When the time was right to invest in brand new trailers, Gray & Adams was a first point of contact due to Jim’s industry contacts, who had shared their delight on the quality and service they received from our team.
Jim tells us,
“When we were ready to invest in our first brand-new trailers, I had heard through close friends, acquaintances and through secondhand trailer dealers that Gray & Adams was the first choice for the quality of their builds.”
The Gray & Adams sales team worked closely with Jim to ensure that the new trailers would be an ideal fit for GA Pet Food Partners. Due to the nature of the products that GA Pet Food Partners is picking up, it was decided to install a grit floor with a bespoke tank under the trailer which would collect any liquid residue through channels fitted into the body of the trailer. This is an example of the tailored approach that Gray & Adams can offer, which allows our customers to grow their business by ensuring what we build is fit for unique purposes.
Jim said,
“The Gray & Adams sales team were hugely helpful from the first point of contact right, throughout the design process and into delivery. The installation of the tank under the trailer has been a great innovation for us. It is very easily removed and cleaned out which has been a real time saver.
“The new Gray & Adams trailers are the pride of our fleet, they are more thermal efficient than other trailers we’ve had and are exactly the high quality product we were expecting.”
& Adams is passionate about supporting our team members achieve their career ambitions and as a business, we do what we can to support our colleagues to develop their skills and be the best they can be.
Gray & Adams Northern Ireland wishes to share with you a message on why blood donation is so important and how giving blood can save lives.
We have included a story from Rhys Boyd, son of Gray & Adams colleague Alaistair Boyd, who works at our Northern Ireland location, where he shares his experience of living with a rare condition called DBA. At Gray & Adams we believe it is important to support our colleagues and their families, which is why we are sharing Rhys’ story with our readers. From all at Gray & Adams, we wish Rhys and his family all the best and a wonderful Christmas.
Blood donation and why it’s so important to me?
One donation saves three lives! I am one of these lives!
I need blood to keep me alive just like everyone else BUT I have to depend on the generosity of donors who give blood.
I was born with a rare blood condition called Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA). This means that my bone marrow doesn’t make its own red blood cells.
I am 15 years of age and attend Ballyclare Secondary School in Northern Ireland where I am now studying for my GCSE’s and I have been attending the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children’s Haematology Department every three weeks for a blood transfusions since I was born.
Diamond Blackfan Anaemia (DBA) is a rare blood condition where the bone marrow fails to produce red blood cells. These red blood cells are necessary for life since they carry oxygen around the body. Patients are usually diagnosed before the age of two and require treatment to compensate for their lack of red cell production. DBA causes fatigue, poor growth, lack of appetite and a pale complexion.
In about a half of cases patients also suffer associated congenital abnormalities. Some affected children are short for their age and may have delayed puberty. DBA patients also have a slightly elevated risk of certain types of cancer.
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I was born three weeks early as my body was in distress with a dipping heart rate. I weighed just 5 pounds 6 ounces. I had respiratory distress syndrome and had my first blood transfusion the day after I was born as my haemoglobin was low. Since then, I have been having regular blood transfusions on a three weekly basis to sustain my red blood cell count. As I am growing the amount of blood I need can vary, but mostly I require two units/bags of blood each time I have a transfusion. Having DBA has a negative impact on my day-to-day life. I tire easily, I don’t have the same strength as a healthy person, I lack appetite and it affects my ability to concentrate which has made school very challenging.
A typical blood transfusion week for me
Firstly, as this week begins, I am already extremely tired. I attend the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children’s Haematology Department on the Tuesday morning for blood checks. First, I have a thumb prick done which provides the lab with a small amount of blood for testing to see what my haemoglobin level is. If my haemoglobin is in the low 10’s then I will require a blood transfusion but before that can happen more blood needs to be taken, except this time it’s from a vein.
This blood is used for cross-matching which is where it goes through a series of tests at the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service to make sure that the donor’s blood is compatible with my blood. If I require a transfusion, I go back to the hospital on the Thursday for my much-needed top up of the red stuff.
How a blood transfusion affects me?
Blood transfusions keep me alive and the positives DEFINITELY outweigh the negatives, but transfusions can also lead to complications. Red blood cell transfusions contain iron which the body normally recycles from old red blood cells when producing new ones but this doesn’t happen in DBA patients. Frequent transfusions cause a build-up of iron in the body. Iron overload can cause damage to the major organs (especially the heart and liver). If this isn’t properly managed it can be fatal, so I must take medication daily in the form of a tablet called (Exjade). Along with the medication I also have to have regular MRI scans on my heart and liver to make sure that no significant damage is being done and also bone marrow biopsies. I also have to have annual eyesight and hearing checks done as the medication I take to manage the excess iron can cause problems to these organs.
What exactly happens on my transfusion day?
The nurse puts a tourniquet around the top of my arm which makes my veins more visible. The nurse then inserts a cannula into a vein via a small needle. The needle is then
removed leaving the small narrow tube in my vein which the blood will flow through. The nurse then flushes the tube (line) in my vein with a syringe of saline. If the blood flows back into the syringe it means all is good to go ahead with the transfusion. The nurse then secures the cannula with tape so that it doesn’t come out.
Following that she then connects an intravenous bag of Sodium Chloride to my line which is run for a short while. This keeps my vein open whilst waiting for my blood. When the nurse is happy that everything is running right, she puts a bandage around the area of the cannula. When the blood arrives, the nurse does various checks to make sure that she is giving the right blood to the right person. She will ask me my name, date of birth and hospital number.
The bag of blood is then connected up to a pump which is programmed to run over two hours (it takes two hours per unit/bag of blood). At the beginning, 15 mins later and at the end of the transfusion the nurse will do a set of observations eg, Temperature, Blood Pressure and Pulse.
At the end of the transfusion, the intravenous Sodium Chloride is run down the line again to flush all the remaining blood in the line into my vein.
The nurse then prepares to remove the cannula from my vein. In some ways this part is almost as sore as getting the cannula in because the plaster that is used to keep the cannula in is really sticky. Once the cannula is removed, the nurse holds a swab over the wound to make sure the bleeding stops and then puts a plaster on it. That’s now me good to go for another three weeks. TO DATE I’VE HAD APPROXIMATELY 266 BLOOD TRANSFUSIONS AND I AM SO THANKFUL TO ALL WHO DONATE BLOOD!
I’m often asked about the history of Gray and Adams, how it all started and became what it is today. Jim Gray and his partner Jim Adams commenced business as Gray and Adams, in 1957 in premises at the rear of Jim Gray’s home in School Street, in Fraserburgh.
Both men had recently completed their National Service – Jim Gray in the REME and Jim Adams in the RAF. Their premises had originally been a dairy and therefore had to be completely renovated and adapted for the purpose of carrying out car repairs by family and friends. (The site today is used as storage facilities for Fraserburgh Kitchen and Bathroom Centre, though the original buildings have been demolished.)
The car repair business flourished in those early days, and it was not long before the two Jim’s extended their operations to commercial bodywork repairs, furniture vans, mobile shops etc. By this time the company had purchased additional premises further up School Street, which were converted to carry out both the building of insulated bodies, and also accident repairs to cars and commercial vehicles. (This site is now occupied by Dingbro Motor Factors.)
Of course, in the mid 50’s, nearly all transport was in the form of flat-bed platforms and Fraserburgh, being a major fishing port, was shipping tons of fresh fish south on these flats. The only concession to temperature control, was the crushed ice, which was packed around the boxes before they were roped and secured to the platform.
With no motorway network then existing, the time taken to deliver these products meant that their freshness was spelt with a very small “f” indeed, and in 1959, a local fish merchant asked Jim Gray if he could build him an insulated box to clamp on to one of his platform rigids to carry fresh fish and meat products. Jim accepted the challenge, and the very first Gray and Adams insulated body was built.
As soon as these insulated bodies went on the road, enquiries started to come in from other operators, and orders soon followed. At this time, both Jim Gray and Jim Adams were working in the workshop along with the coachbuilders and a few joiners and apprentices. As the business increased, they had to increase the small workforce and Jim Gray took to the road, to sell the container concept to other road hauliers, further south.
It was not unusual for him to leave Fraserburgh at 3 o’clock in the morning in order to be in Carlisle for an appointment at 9 o’clock. Then return to Fraserburgh the same day and go back into the workshop to help finish off a body which was due for completion the next day. This type of commitment was the key to the strength of the company.
Jim Adams was also actively involved in the day to day running of the workshops, including the car repairs and even helped out with Argon/arc welding the aluminium tread plate floors when other operators were unavailable.
In the early years, insulated bodies did little more than delay the warming process but, using dry ice and two strategically placed vents on the front panel, the cooling effect could be extended further with air from outside being passed through these vents and over the dry ice. The design of the front panel, rather than being flat and square was radiused in order to gain maximum efficiency.
In 1962, Gray & Adams were appointed the sole Petters agent for Scotland. Petter, at that time, were building fridge units under licence from Thermo King America. As interest in the concept of refrigeration grew, Jim Adams became more involved with this part of the enterprise, both with the installation of the new units and the servicing & repairs, which often involved him putting his tool box and the spare parts into the back of his Mini Cooper S and travelling across the country day or night.
In 1963, the demand for refrigerated bodies had increased to such an extent, that the company had to add an extension to their premises, to relocate the car repair and paint shop. They had also added mobile travelling shops to the list of manufacture, the moving of the car repairs allowed for more room to accommodate commercial trucks and bodies.
In 1965, when the regulations were changed to increase the maximum permitted length of trailer to 33ft, it became clear that the existing premises in School Street were too small for the size of the operation. Then in 1966 the company moved to purpose built premises located in South Road, Fraserburgh, where we remain to this day. We still provide accident repairs to cars and light vans and this remains an important part of the business to this day.
In 1967, shortly after moving to the new premises, the Construction & Use Regulations changed yet again, increasing maximum weights to 32 tons Gross Vehicle Weight (GVW) and also allowing a maximum body length of 40ft, which lead to the introduction of large front mounted diesel/electric fridge units.
In 1968, Jim Gray became involved with the whisky distillers the result of which, was the design and construction of a special dual-purpose trailer, which had a crown lock body for carriage of whisky kegs from distillery to bonded warehouse. This body also had roof hatches and hopers in the floor, so that it could first arrive at the distillery with barley for malting, then when the body was empty and all
hatches secured and custom sealed, could be loaded with whisky kegs. Part of the portfolio at that time also included building tipper bodies, rigids and trailers.
In 1970, a decision was taken to offer a one-stop deal. Instead of building boxes to clamp to customer’s own platforms, they were offered a complete vehicle with Gray & Adams reefer body constructed on to a skeletal two member chassis which was purchased from various chassis manufacturers. It was with this design that the company took its first major order for 50 trailers of this new concept –big stuff indeed for a small manufacturer.
More to follow
James J Gray
www.gray-adams.com
Exploring the options between ice and the new technology of the refrigeration unit
AAD Transport Ltd is a family run haulage business that was established by Alan Davie in 2012. Over the last decade, the business has enjoyed significant organic growth and has grown from Alan and one lorry to a fleet of 40 and 65 members of staff.
We recently caught up with Alan to discuss the business and the ongoing relationship with Gray & Adams.
“AAD Transport Ltd has a wide variety of customers that we service in the UK and internationally. They range from fish & seafood merchants, vegetable producers, egg farms, local soft fruit growers and some of our largest customers for the UK market is the major supermarkets and wholesalers. We have been fortunate enough over the year to grow organically and we have grown our business from referrals and recommendations, commenting on our reputation for being flexible and adaptable.”
Alan then shares with us how the relationship with Gray & Adams initially developed and has grown over the years,
“I originally got in touch with Gray & Adams as I needed something quite specific.
Gray & Adams have a reputation for being accommodating to customer requirements and they are also known for the build quality.
I approached the team at G&A for a specific requirement for a trailer with twin evaporators and a meat rail for hanging beef that would allow me to service my wide variety of customers in an efficient way. We carry lots of types of good within the one load, so we need a solution that is almost “one size fits all” so to speak.
The quality of that trailer was great, so we went back and purchased another, then we took five the next time and six with the following order, so our relationship has grown from there. Gray & Adams understand our need for flexibility as we have such a wide customer base. They also are happy to accommodate our bespoke requirement for extra wide trailers as some of the products that we carry can be quite bulky so the extra 20mm does make all the difference!
As well as the product quality, the service from the team is fantastic, the sales team are honest and reliable, and the aftercare is second to none. They go the extra mile to make your life easier, which as a business owner who still takes a very hands-on role operationally, I do really appreciate.”
When discussing what is next for AAD Transport Ltd, Alan tells us,
“We have been very fortunate to grow organically and service regions of the world such as Spain and Bulgaria, which brings a bit of variety to the business. In terms of developing our fleet, we have a traditional diesel fleet at the moment but would certainly be open to looking at electric options once the infrastructure for commercial vehicles has had more investment. As we travel internationally, battery life does remain an issue, but it’s not to say that we won’t explore these options in the future.”
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Moving onto more recent history, Ian then discusses the partnership with Carrier Transicold and the introduction of the Vector eCool.
Gray & Adams recognise the key to our long-term success is our people and commitment to innovation. As one of our values, Gray & Adams put innovation at the heart of everything we do, we have continuously strived to develop new solutions to meet our customer’s requirements, as well as taking the ever-growing environmental concerns into our consideration.
One of the individuals responsible for innovation in the engineering space is Group Engineering Manager, Ian Smith. Ian has worked with Gray & Adams in the Fraserburgh HQ for over a decade, with extensive experience in the commercial vehicle industry prior to joining the business.
As we leave the year of our 65th anniversary behind and look ahead to 2023, We have asked Ian to reflect on what milestones from an engineering perspective have been most memorable and discuss what is next for the industry.
Ian tells us,
“We can’t discuss milestones without first mentioning the double deck trailer which was originally developed by Gray & Adams in the 1990’s. Since the introduction of this product to UK roads, we have continuously worked on the betterment and development of this product, constantly responding to market needs.
Gray & Adams is focused on the longevity of our products, so we are constantly developing and testing ways we can be superior to our competitors in this area.”
Whilst moving on to discuss the changes in legislation in the industry, Ian shares a key insight from his experience, “Prior to 2012, we did not have type approval to deal with and we just focused on the UK
legislation requirements that were in place as the time. With the change in 2012, the type approval process for trailers has been slightly more challenging as we have to now balance customer wants with what is appropriate legally, however, this has carved out an opportunity for Gray & Adams to be a market leader in our sector, as we slowly began to take on more of an advisory role rather than a body builder with a sales team.
Using our expertise, we are able to guide our customer into deciding what’s right for their business and brand but within the confines of the law. An example of this is when we discuss LED lighting on a trailer, it’s almost the ‘bling’ of a trailer so to speak and looks aesthetically pleasing, however we need to be mindful of what is within the limits of the law, as lights can be distracting for other road users so they are an element that is regulated.”
The customer advisory experience is something that Gray & Adams has become synonymous with over the years, our team of experts ensure that the customer is making the right choice and it is interesting that this strategy impacts every member of the team.
“Working with the team at Carrier to develop the eCool was a really smooth and enjoyable process for the engineering team. We knew from the start of the partnership what both businesses wanted to achieve, and it was just a matter of minor tweaks to get it to where it is now. They initially came and spoke with us confidentially about the idea which was a real pleasure that Gray & Adams was in the forefront of their mind as a partner for innovation.
The biggest challenge with electric commercial vehicles does remain the type approval that I touched on earlier, we want to make this a more streamlined process and we are working with the relevant bodies to do so. At the moment, each trailer needs to go through an individual inspection which does incur some cost, however Gray & Adams and Carrier absorb this in R&D rather than putting it on to the customer who is really trying to make better and more sustainable choices. We managed to catch up with the Department of Transport at the Commercial Vehicle Show earlier this year where we raised this as a red tape issue for further discussion.”
Ian then moves on to discussing from his perspective, what is next for the business,
“Sustainability and environmental issues are obviously key topics and will remain so into 2023. Electric vehicles are a huge focus in the industry at the moment and they definitely have their place, however I am personally excited to see the development of hydrogen powered engines. Hydrogen is a bit of an underdog compared to electric at the moment, but I am keen to see the capabilities explored in more depth. End of life issues and disposing of the batteries in electric vehicles is something that still needs research and development so I think it is important that we explore OTHER alternative fuels at the same time.“
James Hall & Co. Ltd’s Transport and Logistics department has taken delivery of its first fully electric refrigerated trailer.
It is the first in the company’s fleet to have an electric refrigerated motor rather than a diesel one, and it eliminates diesel costs as well as Co2 emissions from the trailer refrigeration unit.
said:
“We are very pleased to take delivery of the new trailer and it looks fantastic in its special livery. It is a first for us as a business and the trailer is already delivering savings when out on the road. We will be monitoring its performance with interest over the coming weeks and months.
While it is supporting a reduction of costs on diesel as an associated benefit, at the forefront of the decision to invest in the trailer is the benefits it brings to the environment.
We are also aware of an increasing number of cities and metropolitan areas within our patch that are implementing clean air zones and we are conscious of these factors when making investment decisions.”
“We have a really good, longstanding relationship with Gray & Adams. We are always very pleased with the trailers we receive, and these keep our SPAR distribution service on the road, and in turn, support communities across the North of England.”
The new trailer, which will transport products to SPAR stores across the North of England, has had a special green livery put on to it to mark it out from others in the fleet.
While on site at the company’s SPAR Distribution Centre in Preston, there is a facility to charge the battery and pre-chill the load space.
When off-site, the battery pack provides a five-hour reserve run time to support the trailer’s fridge when it is not moving and when it is without a mains supply.
The investment into the new trailer is part of James Hall & Co. Ltd’s continuous replacement programme and the company’s commitment to running a greener fleet.
The ‘Long Service Awards’ are back and In this edition we’re thanking six incredible people who have dedicated between 25 and 40 years, and the majority of their career, to Gray & Adams.
Every year we are proud to celebrate these achievements and be a part of this momentous milestone with our colleague’s and on behalf of everyone at G&A, we want to say a huge congratulations for their devotion and hard work over the many years.
Gray & Adams is proud of its people, they are key to our success, and it is integral that we recognise outstanding work. We are delighted to celebrate the long service and retirements of these featured colleagues, to those retiring, we wish you all the best, and to those continuing their journey with us, we can’t wait to see what the future brings.
We are also delighted to share two long service awards in the Chassis Brakes Department in our Fraserburgh Headquarters. Congratulations to both Paul and Martin who are celebrating 25 years with Gray & Adams.
How Long have you been working with Gray & Adams and what is your day-to-day role?
At the end of November 2022, I will have worked at Gray and Adams for 25 years based in my hometown of Fraserburgh working as part of the CAD engineer team. My role as a Senior Draughtsman in the Gray and Adams drawing office requires me to work with our team of engineers to develop the lifting floor and double deck trailer drawings. These drawings enable our workshop to manufacture the components required to suit the client’s specification.
What attracted you to the company initially?
I grew up in Fraserburgh, so I knew the company well just from being in the area and having friends and family who worked there.
I studied Civil Engineering and unfortunately, I graduated during the recession and struggled to find full-time work at the time. I took a part time job working with my dad as a lorry mechanic when I saw a full-time ‘Store Person’ position available at Gray & Adams which offered more hours. After applying for the role, I was asked to come in and discuss my experience with Jim Watt & Lewis Gray, which led to being offered a job in the drawing office.
Bowie – Assistant Line Manager Assembly Department – 40 years serviceArthur is our longest serving award winner in this edition with 40 years’ service under his belt. Arthur joined G&A right out of school and has enjoyed working in a number of areas of the business stating “one of the reasons that I have stayed for 40 years is that I think the directors and senior managers treat their team really well and you always feel valued and respected for the work you are doing.”
We also would like to wish Trevor, Simon and Robert all the best in their retirement, and we thank them for their 110 Years of their collective service.
I quite enjoyed technical drawing at school on the drawing boards so was interested when they said drawing office, and here I am, 25 years later, still drawing! (No drawing boards these days though)
Tell us about your greatest achievement whilst working for Gray & Adams
I’ve worked on a few great projects over the years but one that stands out was the swap body trailer. The partner (Safeway) needed a product that could be used both on road and rail so we developed an integration which could be transferred from the trailer to the rail links which worked perfectly.
If you could do someone else’s job (at Gray & Adams) for the day, whose would it be and why?
To be honest, I really love my own job, drawing is great but if I had to choose, the ‘Completion Team’ would be a great area of the business to be part of. I find it very impressive that they can take a job from an incomplete status and turn it around to produce the quality that Gray & Adams are so renowned for, it must be a very satisfying position.
What is the best thing about working for Gray & Adams?
There are two main things here, firstly, the job itself is amazing and I truly enjoy what I do. I never have two days the same and it’s nice to have that change of pace day to day. Secondly, I was so impressed with the way Gray & Adams approached the pandemic and did an immense amount of work to ensure we all felt safe during this difficult time. They really do care about their employees, and it’s noticed throughout the business.
At Gray & Adams, we are proud of our people, and we work hard to attract and retain talented individuals. We understand that young people are the future of our workforce, so we want to acknowledge the work ethic, curiosity, and ambitious nature of our more recent recruits.
In this edition, we speak with Kieran McKinnon, 18 Years Old and based at our Dunfermline depot.
What is your role at Gray & Adams and tell me about your day-to-day responsibilities
I work in Dunfermline in the fabrication department, a more accurate description for my role would be new chassis interface preparation which basically means that I help prepare chassis for new orders according to the bespoke customer specifications. This allows me to do various different tasks such as Sub-frame assembly, fitting fuel tanks and ancillary equipment such as tail lifts, all according to the exact customer requirement, so every day is different.
I’ve been aware of Gray & Adams for a while and I’m fortunate to have known quite a lot about what they do as my dad is a department assistant manager and has worked for the company for 16 years.
I wanted to pursue my interest in mechanics in a professional environment to further develop my skills. I have interest in stock car racing and maintain my own stock car in my free time, therefore a company which were offering opportunities in a mechanical environment locally, was an ideal fit for me.
I’ve not been with the business that long, only 18 months but one of the memorable moments is when I had the opportunity to fit a tail lift on one of the customer orders by myself and without the support of any managers or supervisors. I felt like the training and support from the team had paid off and it was nice to be able to see a job completed right first time knowing that I had a huge part in it.
If you could do someone else’s job (at Gray & Adams) for the day, whose would it be and why
I’ve got some experience in welding through working on my stock car so I wouldn’t mind joining that department for a day!
I`m sure I would be quite happy in any of the trades teams as everyone I work with is really nice.
Bryan Easton, General Manager shares his thoughts on Kieran’s career with Gray & Adams so far. “Kieran has really good values, he is hardworking and willing to go that “extra mile”
Our people are the key to our success and I am encouraged to see more young people like Kieran joining the business.”