In the first of what we hope will be many departmental profiles, we caught up with our colleagues over at the Yard to shine a light on who they are and the work they do day-in, day-out, here at Allied.
Mission and Purpose
Explain what your department does, its goals, and its role in the company
We are the Yard Department, we come under the wider production department.
We prep customer vehicles going out, accident damaged vehicles, production vehicles, any other vehicles on site that need storing – any vehicles to do with post production we take care of.
We’re responsible for getting the vehicles prepped with best quality and on-time for the customer, all day, every day.
Every day we turn over to the transport team, customer vehicles based on the date of delivery.
904 vehicles were moved last month – it was the most hectic month ever!
Team Members
Introduce key team members, brief outline of experience and share a few fun facts about the team
Chris McDonald – Yard Manager – Chris has been at Allied 17 years this year. He was the first male to work in ‘What Every Woman Wants’ retail store on Argyle Street. Before Allied he worked at Kodak for 15 years producing films, developed into chemical analysis. After that he went to Marley Roofing in Bishopbriggs, running the warehouse making roof tiles for building industry – was only there for two years, before joining JC Decaux, the coming to Allied as Yard/Security Manager.
John Page – Yard Coordinator – Ex-army, he served for 22-years then came straight into Allied
Gary Aicheson – Yard Coordinator – Was a driver for Allied for some time, before that he used to fit double glazing and doors.
Jamie Andrews – Yard Coordinator – Came to Allied after a short period of time at the Post Office after finishing school.
Day-to-Day
Describe your department’s typical tasks or projects
Every day we pull off a list for vehicle delivery two-days in advance, then get the order forms and number plates for each vehicle and do checks on these details. We plate the vehicles and get them ready for transport either by drivers or vehicle transporter.
The vehicles are checked, prepped and delivered to the bus garage ready for delivery.
Notable Achievements
Tell us about recent successes, creative solutions, or impactful projects
Over 900 vehicles prepped and delivered in the one month in March – with three guys, that is quite an achievement!
Chris has been involved in organising the Allied Golf Event for 14 years (with one year break).
Challenges and Solutions
What challenges does the department face and how do you overcome them?
The weather is one of the biggest challenges – the team works 100% of the time outdoors, which is so challenging in the winter, trying to stay warm and dry – and equally difficult in the summer with the sun!
Why It Matters
How does your work tie into the bigger picture at Allied? How does it support the company’s mission and/or enhance the customer experience?
We are the only department that feeds every department in the business – we get the job done. If the Yard team didn’t exist, nothing would get done.
