Meet Vehicle Assembler “Big Ian” Wilson, who’s been making his mark at Allied Vehicles for 13 years. We caught up with Ian to discuss his role at Allied, the changes he’s seen, his plans to improve his technology skills and the work he does to support his colleagues’ favoured charities.
Tell us about your role at Allied.
I cut big holes in motors. That’s basically what I do! I get the new motor, strip it, cut it out and fit a pan. They probably wouldn’t trust me to do anything else, I can be a wee bit heavy handed at times.
There’s a variety of stuff that I do. I can find myself working four different lines in one week. The last two new builds, the e-Rifter and the new Independence that was coming down the line, I built the five new prototypes. I think I’ve worked on every motor in the building.
You’ve been here 13 years. What keeps you coming back?
I’ve got to pay the bills! I’ve got a daughter and a wife, and I need to keep the roof over their heads. Haha! Ach, it’s a good bunch of boys I work with.
This is going to sound daft, but if I go down to the main production hall, I feel as though I’m a new start; I don’t know anybody. But a lot of boys I work with across the road, a lot of them have been here longer than me, and there’s a couple started just after me. We’ve all worked together for years.
What is your most memorable moment?
There’s a lot of really good memories, a few bad memories; that’s a hard one to answer. I didn’t think I’d have made it to 10 years, but here I am. I’ve seen a lot of different gaffers come and go, different ways of working, stuff like that.
You must have seen a lot of change at Allied. How is it now compared to when you started?
Night and day. It’s a totally different atmosphere; a friendlier atmosphere. All the offices used to be in a different place, and you would never see anybody. Then they started promoting from within, so now quite a lot of the gaffers have come off the shop floor.
Perfect example is our Production Manager Chris Baird. I worked right next to Chris on the line when he first started, and now look at him. Fair play to him, he’s worked for that. He’s been to night school and done everything that he’s had to do.
Gaffers will listen to you now compared to before. You can sit with them and say, “I don’t agree with that, and this is the reason why.” And they’ll listen to you.
If there was something you could tell somebody about working here now, what would it be?
If you’re ambitious, you can go places. There are some boys I’ve seen come in as Vehicle Assemblers, but they’ve got degrees in Engineering, so they’ve been given jobs in Engineering.
If you’ve got a bit of ambition and you’re willing to learn. You can climb a ladder in here.
What are the biggest challenges that you that you face?
Getting out of my bed in the morning! I’m up at quarter past four and not getting home until 7 o’clock. By the time you get a shower and something to eat, it’s basically bedtime.
Even the wean comes to me at half eight and says, “Daddy, you not going to your bed?”, and I’m like, “…aye…”.
Nothing really, work wise, though.
Is there a goal you’re currently working towards?
Aye, I’m going to be starting a computer course, because I don’t know how to work computers. I’ve got a nine-year-old, and if I need something done with my phone, I’ve got to ask her. I’m serious!
I’ve just got my level three for the electrics, so I can work on the electric vehicles. I would like to go and get my level four, but I need computer skills to do that.
My reason is that, when I was younger, I helped my dad fix his motor, and my dad helped me with my old bangers. My daughter, when she’s going to be driving, it’ll all be electric, so I don’t want to turn round to her at that point and say, “I don’t know what I’m doing” when she needs a hand with her motor.
If you weren’t doing this, what do you think you might be doing?
I’d be lying if I said I knew. I’m somebody who can turn my hand to anything. I even worked for a butcher when I was at school, just washing the plates.
I’m the youngest of four, so there wasn’t a lot of money about. If you wanted all the trendy stuff you needed to have your own money.
You’re known for running a charity football coupon. Tell me about that.
It’s a wee charity thing. Half the money goes to the prize pot, the other half goes to charity. The first year we did it, we gave it to the social work for the Possil weans, to buy Christmas presents, and we did the same at Easter to get them an Easter egg.
But now the Charitable Trust is putting so much into the local community if there’s a charity one of the boys likes we’ll support that.
You’re a well-kent face around Allied, but what’s something people might not know about you?
I’m shy! Nobody’ll believe you if you write that. No, I’m just a boring auld fart to tell you the truth. I did all my stuff, well… before camera phones, let’s put it that way. Haha!
Now I’m all about making sure my daughter’s alright, and Her Who Must Be Obeyed, of course!
I’m told that you like a bit of XBox?
Aye, I play Xbox; driving games. I like Hot Wheels 2, Horizon 5, and Need for Speed: Outbound.
I play online with all kinds of folk. American, Canadian, a few Germans; they can’t understand a word I say. I have spoken to a few interesting ones though. One of the boys in Canada was a grave digger.
Is that how you like to unwind?
I like to go to the football as well. I go to the Cappielow for Greenock Morton.
I’m 56, so I was four or five the first time I walked through those turnstiles; I’ve never supported another team.
Ian, thanks so much for taking the time to speak to us.
