Meet the team: Production Manager Andrew Price from Incap UK
Let’s meet one of our team members from Incap UK! Andrew Price is our Production Manager over Unit Assembly and MRO in the UK.
We are excited to introduce our team members from different factories and this time we are introducing Andrew from the UK! He is responsible for ensuring his team is successful in achieving their daily goals and also for satisfying the work order book to ship to the customer. It all has to be done in a safe environment and to the correct high standard.
Andrew has worked in Manufacturing pretty much all of his working life. He started working on the shop floor as a Production Technician, building a variety of JCB machines down in Assembly lines. After working in a variety of roles such as Quality Inspector, helping develop new products in the XP department, and also as a Lean Manufacturing technician, Andrew eventually became a part of the Management Team, starting out as a Team Leader. Over the years he progressed to Group Leader and worked in this capacity for several years. During this time Andrew also enrolled on a Leadership and Management course to further his knowledge and skills in Management, resulting in an NVQ Level 5 achievement.
“Though I was very thankful for my experience in JCB, I wanted to get exposure in different work environments, to understand how different businesses worked, learning from what they did differently and better, and also offering my own experiences to help improve them,” he recalled.
True fan of LEAN
“I believe the only relatable experience I can carry over into Incap is my experience with Lean Manufacturing. Understanding process flow, recognising bottle necks for processes and understanding OEE is something that can be used in any situation. Lean Manufacturing is essentially common sense, but it is a very powerful tool when used correctly. I was very fortunate to have met two fantastic mentors of Lean Manufacturing with my time in JCB: Dale Evans, who still works there currently, and also Russell Watkins, who actually wrote a book called “Adventures in Leanland”. Both had a great impact on my understanding, and I will always be thankful to them,” elaborated Andrew.
In addition to JCB, Andrew also previously worked for Terex, Bombardier, Perkins and Gestamp after his time at JCB. “The most enjoyable was Gestamp. Working in the automotive industry was a very enjoyable experience. It is such a fast paced and challenging industry, but also develops you into the mindset of moving heaven and earth to ensure you don’t stop the car assembly lines. It has certainly changed me for the better,” he added.
Journey to Incap
Andrew found his way to Incap when he was approached by a recruitment agency. They had seen his CV online and gave him a call. After the phone call Andrew was very excited to move from manufacturing agricultural equipment in his then current role, into an area he had never worked in. Fundamentally Manufacturing is about people and processes, so Andrew was confident that he had a transferable skill set, and with a can-do attitude and determination for not letting down the customer, he knew he would be a good fit within Incap.
Andrew’s main responsibilities are ensuring his team is successful in achieving the daily goals and satisfying the work order book to ship to the customer. He also ensures stock control is accurate and introduces improvements on the shop floor to improve efficiency and housekeeping. Moreover, Andrew regularly interacts with the team to understand the strengths and weaknesses of each team member and identify areas to strengthen with training.
Important role in the local gym
Andrew is also quite busy outside his work hours with running a nonprofit Community gym, called Hillside Community Gym. “I am the lead Director of the gym, with three other gym members also assisting me in the running of the unit. It’s all voluntary so none of us get paid in any capacity for what we do. We just enjoy maintaining a low-cost friendly environment where people can escape the stresses of everyday life and improve their mental health by working out. We run circuit classes four times per week, which I participate in either by instructing or joining in.”
Since Andrew took over the gym in November 2017 it has moved location into an Industrial unit. They installed a Mezzanine floor to increase floor capacity by 75%, so it has turned into a very busy small gym, which he is immensely proud of.
Aside from running the gym Andrew enjoys walks with his wife, having days out, or holidays abroad. He has two children, but they are both grown up and chasing their own dreams, so they have family get-togethers when they are around. Andrew is currently looking forward to a holiday abroad with his wife, as it’s been several years since they have been away alone. “Aside from that I will be very busy at Incap and at the gym I run, but it’s all good, positive work,” he added.
We are happy to have you in our team, Andrew!
