What are the key aspects of your role?
My role supports the service team to carry out work on the range of machines we supply and look after. This includes developing the skills of the team with training and technical updates, as well as investigating and answering technical issues that arise. I also make sure that any updates are communicated to everyone via an engineers portal that can be accessed by all members of the service team. I am responsible for analysing data from our work to review and continually develop our van stocks and first time fix rates.
How long have you been with JTM Service?
I joined in May 2008, having spent ten years doing a similar role in London working on commercial laundry and dishwashing equipment.
How has your role changed in that time?
I started as a Field Service Engineer looking after Lincolnshire and Humberside, then progressed to Senior Engineer. As part of this role I evolved into the engineer that was called upon to visit any sites that had ongoing issues, or something that was a bit more “challenging” then the normal day to day work.
My role has continued to develop and as Head Technical Engineer, it now includes a more support based role making sure that the engineers are fully equipped with the correct information and to be a point of contact for technical issues.
How has JTM Service changed in that time?
My first day at JTM coincided with the old paper-based job sheets being retired and all jobs going “digital” onto handheld devices, which was a fairly steep learning curve but meant that all jobs were “live” on the system for instant reporting. From an Engineers point of view all technical data was kept in the office (those who are old enough to remember the “Brown Miele Folders” will understand!) and since then all tech information has been changed to digital so engineers can access it on the handhelds and laptops whilst out in the field. All engineers now carry laptops with all the diagnostic information loaded onto it to assist and source the correct parts on site, where many years ago this was done by a member of the office staff looking at a diagram and hoping it was the correct part!
JTM Service has always had a family feel to it but this has been reaffirmed by the management changes in the past few years, where all opinions are valid and listened to, plus there is a level of trust that allows me to progress with the tasks I have with confidence. And the best one of all is after 25 years of being a field engineer I now have Aircon in the van!
What do you enjoy about your job?
No day is the same, I always like having a challenge to work on and to do it working with a team of people who like to get things done properly. Plus, during the recent pandemic, a lot of the work we were doing was very much “making a difference” to allow the major NHS and care sites to continue their amazing work.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work?
Attempting to play golf and mountain biking… plus my most important role of “Dad’s Taxi”, driving my children around as part of their very busy social lives.
An interesting fact…?
I had a short lived career as a Drummer in a heavy metal band… I am too old and tired for that kind of thing now!
