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Fundamentally what I love is that Econ brings in raw materials and builds a vehicle
Two-and-a-bit years later , Jonathan and Gareth were having a conversation about a new role . “ Fundamentally what I love is that Econ brings in raw materials and builds a vehicle . There are so few companies that are true cradle-to-grave manufacturers , and I find this a new and exciting environment to be in . I have been in operations for over 20 years , but not in manufacturing , and I was ready for a new challenge .”
Having mentioned his previous career , Gareth started out in oil and gas , in which he held various positions around the globe , before returning to the UK and entering the world of transportation at First Bus , prior to his career at Crossroads . Recognizing the challenges of taking on the new role of Operations Director at a well-established business in an unfamiliar sector , he admits he is starting off in observation mode . “ It ’ s really been a case of watching what ’ s going on and seeing what I think we could do better in the future , as there ’ s always room for improvement . It ’ s been a really interesting couple of months , as they work in such a different way to any of my previous roles .
“ I have also been involved in looking at health and safety , and new software systems . Looking for efficiency gains and process changes is where my skills lie . Econ has grown massively over the past ten years , and so , for example , the software system is dated . Rather than wait five years for support from the provider to be withdrawn , we ’ re currently interviewing for new ERP providers . I ’ ve come from somewhere that could access data at a very granular level , and while we have all that detail here , it ’ s not all available in one
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