MCHPS construction careers

CAREER CHOICES IN THE CONSTRUCTION PLANT & EQUIPMENT INDUSTRY

Produced by McHale Plant Sales, distributors in Ireland of Komatsu, Metso, Merlo and Zetor construction plant & equipment

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Dear Reader: The quest to find employment of a kind that will provide individual reward, whilst being stimulating and exciting in a creative and challenging way, is the subject addressed in this short booklet, the content of which we hope you will find interesting.

It is written and produced by McHale Plant Sales, distributors in Ireland of Komatsu, Metso, Merlo and Zetor construction plant and machinery and a company regarded by many as a leading voice within the industry.

Recognising the need that all companies have to engage with those upon whose shoulders responsibility for the future will rest, its content is aimed at those young people who will guide and manage the development of the industry, and those experienced adults who may be seeking new openings and opportunity in a sector they may not have previously considered.

Enjoy.

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INTRODUCTION Who amongst us will not remember the days when, as children, we lived much of our lives in our imagination?

On the beach, in the garden, along the carpet, or on the kitchen table even, how many of us have driven dump trucks, pushed earth, operated diggers, loaded lorries, and moved things from here to there just so we could build roadways and runways, construct bridges, make mountains, or create waterways that would bring our ideas to life?

That little pipe we laid along the beach, that hole we dug to put things in, that landscape we planned to add reality to our creations – were these not the exciting ‘look what I did’ constructions that occupied our time and so challenged our imagination?

You bet they were!

Today, as young adults and grown-ups, those dreams we had in childhood can become a rewarding, real-life reality through the medium of a career in the construction plant and equipment sector.

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To many, the sector that we work in sends a ‘not for me’ message to people generally, and young boys and girls especially.

But, for those willing to dig down, it is a sector bursting with excitement, challenge and reward. For those willing to open their minds to its possibilities, it promises fulfillment, satisfaction, and return at all levels, and the means to rise within the ranks and become a person of importance in an industry that is central to the economic welfare of our country.

Yes, there are times when you might be out in the open air, dressed in a high-vis jacket, hardhat and strong, protective knee-length boots. Yes, there are times when you might be in a quarry or out watching a road being built, or down a tunnel, or building a runway or dredging a river or putting up flood defenses, or constructing a power station, or shaping a golf course, or moving a mountain, literally!

Every house you ever lived in, every footpath you ever walked on, every tap you ever turned, every phone call you ever made, every road you ever drove on or building you ever entered, every airport you ever left from or school you ever went to...indeed, almost everything you see or

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ever do will have had construction plant used in its creation.

And the wonderful thing is this: ours is a close-knit industry. Make it and your achievements will be known. Ours is a community well-known to each other, a community made up of people who come from different backgrounds, who have different roles to play and functions to perform - people all working together to build Ireland’s future and, sometimes, to work on projects overseas, as well.

Through the medium of this booklet, we in McHale Plant Sales, in partnership with those we represent, would like to create an even bigger picture of the career opportunities that the construction plant and equipment sector offers – to those already in employment and to those deciding the direction their future career will take.

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EMPLOYMENT ENVIRONMENT The construction plant and equipment sector, as it is widely recognised in Ireland, comprises three individual and separate subdivisions. They are: •

Manufacturers – though the vast majority of machines falling under the construction plant and equipment umbrella is manufactured by large, multi-national producers in factories located overseas, there exists in Ireland a body of producers whose manufacturing operations are significant and whose products are found in construction plant and equipment scenarios. One example is the water bowser – mobile tanks used to carry and store water used for dust suppression and other uses on worksites (often adaptations of equipment built for farming and agricultural use). Excavator buckets is another example of a product category in which Ireland has manufacturing credentials.

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Distributors – they being firms like McHale Plant Sales that import, market, sell and service the equipment that powers our industry

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Customers / End Users – they being that wide community of contractors, builders, quarry owners, ground works operators, specialist producers and services engineers for whom excavators, dozers, crushers, loaders and suchlike are but the tools required to enable them to conduct their trades.

Those approaching the sector, in search of employment or in pursuit of a longer-term career, would be advised to recognise its very distinct nature and immerse themselves in all of the aspects and elements that give it its distinct character.

Read industry magazines and absorb the messages you’ll find within their pages.

Study websites and view You Tube videos.

Watch machines at work and get to know their various functions so you can distinguish one from another.

Don’t hesitate to talk to people in the industry. Ask questions, get to know the pros and cons, take an interest in developments and learn about the economic, environmental and other factors that govern its activities.

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Cultivate your interest in the business and develop a love for the industry of a sort that will make your work an everyday enjoyment.

Then will you be ready to make your job application and attend for interview; then will you be able to engage fully and successfully in the topics your interviewer will raise; then will you be able to see and discuss your role in the wider context, and sell yourself as someone beyond the ordinary, someone with enthusiasm and a hunger to embrace the lifestyle and opportunities that a career in the industry presents.

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JOB OPPORTUNITIES So, what are these careers and what are the likely skillsets you will require to cut it in the industry?

(1) Sales Selling heavy plant is a challenge – one that demands a very special talent. For those who relish that challenge, and who have the talent needed to succeed, the satisfaction one gets from selling heavy plant is beyond description.

At its core, of course, is an ability to sell and close the deal. You will need to form good relationships with customers and prospective buyers. This will require empathy on your part and an ability to understand the business and demonstrate knowledge in a fashion whereby you become more than just a supplier. You must place yourself in your customer’s boots and represent yourself and your company as true partners in the process of equipping your customer with the machinery he and his customers need to have on site.

Yours will be no ordinary task. As a salesperson, you would have to get out and about, visiting sites, meeting with owners and operators.

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Because of their vast size, you cannot bring your product with you in a samples case.

Instead, you will rely heavily on your selling message and your skills of persuasion, supporting your arguments with real-life demonstrations, viewings, or some other product presentation and sales medium.

You must know the machines you are selling, inside out. You must know the facts and figures and be able to quote them at will to buyers – customers with enough expertise and understanding to discuss their features and debate their benefits with equal assurance.

You must be expert when it comes to regulations, in understanding emissions laws, and matters relating to performance, productivity and things like health and safety.

Since modern machines are fitted with hightech features of all kinds – like hybrid technology and power drive systems, and satellite linkages that monitor movement and record their productivity – you must be familiar with the back-office methods by which their effectiveness will be measured.

As a salesperson, you must be familiar with purchase financing, used values, trade-in

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and resale possibilities, and be in a position to advise your customer accordingly.

Be you a young person keen to grasp opportunity and put yourself on the first rung of a long and rewarding career, or an established sales person anxious to bite into an industry that is truly at the coalface of economic progress and development, a sales position in construction plant and machinery is one that will sort out the men from the boys.

And, just as women can now be seen carving a niche as engineers, surveyors and project managers in the civil engineering and construction sector, so too does the equipment and machinery industry extend its hand to all, including also those technicians and in-house operatives keen to take their chances on the road.

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(2) Marketing Like any other business, plant distributors have a need for marketing expertise – openings for experienced marketing personnel who can manage a marketing budget and orchestrate effective campaigns that will support the sales function.

The marketing person is one whose task it is to support the sales function by employing all of the tools and techniques available to build brand awareness and communicate product news and information to the marketplace in the most effective fashion possible.

In marketing plant, your message will be aimed at a down-to-earth audience, less moved by fancy gizmos than by wellfounded propositions. It’s a world in which a whole gamut of activities and events, tools and techniques can be used to create winning campaigns.

It’s a discipline in which age-old, tried and trusted methods sit side by side with latest, online approaches – one in which an exhibition or hands-on demonstration can speak in terms stronger than any other.

It’s a competitive world made for bright people – a world in which one must have

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creativity, imagination, an alert mind and the ability to spot opportunity and respond.

(3) Technical Technicians working in the construction plant and machinery sector must be skillful, with both hands and minds, whilst being versatile and adaptable in every other way.

That versatility will include everything from the nuts and bolts of routine servicing and parts replacement to the complex fields of hydraulics, electronics, diagnostics, IT, hybrid power and satellite guidance, monitoring and control systems.

Servicing giant machines, a technician really does have something to work on. Apart from routine maintenance or part replacement, the plant technician might frequently work on machines that are being reconditioned, refurbished and restored so their working life can be extended.

Benefitting from certificated factory training and instruction, the diligent plant technician can build up a file of approved qualifications that testify to the excellence of his or her workmanship.

Often called upon to substitute the worksite for the workshop, technicians often have to

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leave the cover and comfort of the workshop to travel out of house. Believing that no distance should be too long and no site too remote, theirs can be the task of affecting an on-the-job repair so a sick machine can be returned to working order and the least amount of productive time is lost.

Because that is so, the technician’s role is one even more valued than it might first appear. In that way, the technician works in an industry in which time really can mean money, in which his value to distributor and customer alike can be calculated in equal measure.

(4) After-Sales A crucial element in any machinery distributor’s organisational chart – and one aspect of the operations that opens longterm career opportunities to those with the right qualifications and skill – is that involving the after-sale dimension, not least the scheduling of routine maintenance, the operation of spare parts ordering, storage and sales, and the distribution of components and attachments.

It’s a part of the business that calls for staff who are orderly, staff who can read demand and anticipate future needs, people who don’t forget things, who are methodical,

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good at record keeping and who can remain cool and ordered while working under pressure.

Why this should be so can be seen in a situation where a vital piece of plant goes down with a broken part that needs replacement – urgently. Until fixed, the machine will lie idle while site work is delayed. Then will the spotlight shine on after-sales as pressure to supply the part and get things back to working order mounts.

Good after-sales service and spare parts managers are a boon to any distributor.

Aside from the discipline of having to ensure that their response to need is fast, accurate and correct, they must also weigh other factors equally important in the overall scheme of things.

While they must keep good stocks of fast moving parts, they will win no plaudits for filling their shelves with items that seldom every need replacement, thereby causing a build-up of obsolete items that cannot be sold however heavily they may weigh on the company’s balance sheet. It is in this area that good judgment comes into play.

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Similarly, on the service side, customers who sign up to a regular maintenance contract will present no bouquets if a service is missed or overlooked, and a machine breaks down for want of attention. Here too will the personal qualities and skills described above prove vital.

In addition to the various employment and career possibilities referred to above, opportunities sometimes arise in those important administrative departments whose functions constitute the cement that binds a successful organisation together – Accounts, Administration, Sales Financing, Warranty, Insurance, Purchasing, Etc.

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FROM THE CUSTOMER PERSPECTIVE So far, we have looked at careers and employment from the perspective of a construction plant and equipment importer and distributor. But, the story doesn’t end there.

On the contrary, excellent employment and career possibilities are to be found working for those diverse companies who are the plant and machinery customers and equipment users.

Unlikely as it may appear to the man on the street, many of Ireland’s premier construction, civil works and infrastructural contractors rank amongst the most professional in Europe. These are the names that appear on projects that bring change to our lives, be it a new motorway development, a tunnel, a runway, a flyover, a waterworks or similar construction.

Amongst these companies and consortia, and the specialist sub-contractors they employ, challenging opportunities can arise.

What these are will vary from situation to situation, from company to company.

Suffice it to say, the opportunities they offer should not be overlooked and those seeking employment in these sectors would be well 21

advised to study the scene closely and keep a watchful eye on what is going on around them.

It has been said that the path to long-term, secure employment is to make yourself indispensible in the job you are already in!

Good advice. Imagine, therefore, what employment would be like in companies of this kind, then ask yourself: ‘have I got talents I could bring to their business?’ Do the groundwork. Research every approach you wish to make. Demonstrate your knowledge and reveal your interest and enthusiasm in a manner likely to capture attention and win support. Prepare your Curriculum Vitae, making it interesting and relevant to the position you would like to fill and the talents you would bring to the job.

On major projects, you can imagine that work scheduling, on-time stage delivery and project completion are important goals. This calls for pinpoint planning and on-time materials delivery.

Within the overall plan will be the need to ensure that the myriad of small items that make up the overall plan must fall into place, as and when required. This means that machinery must arrive (and leave) when

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expected. There will be a time for diggers and a time for dozers; a time for rock breakers and crushers; a time for dump trucks and tippers, for loaders and site levellers, for aggregates deliveries, for rollers and bitumen spreaders. Manpower too must come and go as the project progresses from one phase to another.

Within this great melting pot of disciplines, there may even be need for those skilled in community liaison. Who knows?

Suffice it to say, there are many places and many stages at which skilled and enthusiastic operatives will be needed – not just qualified trades people but on-site and back office personnel willing to work to help transform great ideas into completed projects.

It is the world of the hard hat, the high-viz jacket and steel toe work boots. So, next time you come across a road works, or gaze into a construction site, or see a piece of heavy plant at work, pause and ask yourself: Could I do that? Would I do that? If you answer ‘yes’ to these two questions, then wait no longer. The world could be your oyster!

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MCHALE PLANT SALES Founded as a plant and machinery dealer in the 1950s, McHale Plant Sales began to grow into the business it is today when, in 1994, it was appointed importer and distributor in Ireland for leading Japanese manufacturer, Komatsu, whose equipment is recognized for excellence the world over.

With headquarters in the mid-west at Birdhill, Co. Tipperary – a short distance north east of Limerick city - and a modern east coast base in Rathcoole, outside Dublin city, the company has significantly expanded its field

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of operations and today represents a number of manufacturers in addition to Komatsu.

Amongst these is the renowned Finnish manufacturer Metso whose rock crushing and screening equipment is recognised for its quality and excellence the world over.

Another manufacturer whose equipment has a proud place in the McHale Plant Sales’ portfolio is Italian manufacturer Merlo whose wide range of telehandlers enjoys a marked presence in both the construction and agricultural sectors.

Recognising agriculture as an important marketplace into which many McHale Plant Sales products are sold, a further product central to our operations is the Czech-made Zetor tractors range, sold by us in Ireland through an extensive main dealer network.

Like any company whose mind is fixed on growth, McHale Plant Sales strives always to achieve the highest standards in every sphere of its operations and to recruit only those whose drive and ambition will support the company in the achievement of its goals.

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If there is any matter omitted from this booklet, which you believe should be included, please let us know by email to info@mchaleplant.com

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Where Plant Matters Matter Most

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Birdhill, Co. Tipperary and Rathcoole, Co. Dublin