November marks National Career Development Month and at Tailored Image, we’re passionate about providing a platform for hard-working, talented and ambitious individuals to blossom in their careers.
We caught up with our Warehouse Manager David about his career to date and how he has progressed through the ranks to his current position.
I finished tech after studying computer programming and website designing. At this time when I completed the course it was during the big crash of 2008. Jobs were far and few between but I was not one to sign on the dole! I decided to set up a bouncy castle business which I ran for 3.5 years and I was then Dungannon’s best reputable supplier with up to 30 inflatables! The problem was that it was seasonal and very weather dependent. I then had to seek a part time job for during the winter periods so I ended up working for a high street fashion retailer. Here I worked in the warehouse on jobs like receiving goods in, putting away stock and replenishing. I did this for 1 season while also looking for something nearer to home. Back then we had to look in the Tyrone Courier for jobs and it was there where I came across the Warehouse Operative job in Tailored Image and I just felt like that’s the job for me.
I started with Tailored Image January 2011 and took a year out in 2018 and I emigrated to New Zealand for a year. I came back to Tailored Image in the summer of 2019. We can call it 12 years!
To be honest the job description matched my current role, and I thought well if I am doing this job here then why not do it nearer to home. It was also full time and back then getting a job was difficult enough and I believed I ticked all the boxes for what the company was looking for.
Now where do I start! We have come very far from the Tailored Image I first knew. This is more in relation to our customer base, infrastructure and technology along with multiple continuous improvement projects to sustain the steady growth we have gained over the years.
What the guys have managed to keep and what is great to see is that the directors are still the same people that I meet back in 2011. Yes we have more meetings about projects and diving more into KPI reports and this is all very important, but what is great to see is that the door is always open to any of the directors and they have the best intensions of giving solid advice.
The core values have always remained strong, and the directors commit to showing these values each day through many different actions.
My first role was a warehouse Operative, and my first order that I put together was a person pack order for Newtownabbey Council. In 2011 we didn’t have the lovely pick notes that we are familiar with today. The person pack details had to be pre-typed onto a large label and we picked from that and then packed them into large Blue bags and then applied the sticker on the bag.
The managed contracts side of Tailored Image was only really beginning at that stage. We had one large transport contract and then we won a second and it was then I started moving in the direction of the contracts end of the business. We then several more large scale contracts which then kept me in full time contracts warehouse, where I gained the role as Contracts Coordinator. In this role I had many hats such as Goods in Person, picker/packer, dispatcher, van driver and customer service. I gained a lot of experience through this was also customer facing – attending meetings for pre and post roll-out talks.
As we gained more contracts, we then committed to adding to the team. This then led to me progressing to a Warehouse Manager role. Here I was able to build a team and work on continuous improvement projects with IT systems and SOPs.
The growth of the company also came with its challenges in the form of infrastructure because we had multiple warehouses to operate from. Now in our new HQ, we are able to manage all our stock from one location which has had massive benefits.
I am continuously monitoring 4 simple things that contributes to operations of the warehouse. Flow, Accessibility, Capacity and Traceability. On these four points we have improved massively, and will continue to improve further.
When I joined Tailored Image, it was just about to go into its growth stage. I believed the team could see my commitment and potential to also grow with Tailored Image. I would consider that along my time with Tailored Image, I hve been mentored and directed by the guys here, and this is what has gotten me to where I am today.
A lot can come from a quiet word in your ear to then being included in situations like customer meetings, interviewing potential new staff, to leading a team. This has all allowed me to learn from these experiences and reflect on things that went well, things I need to improve on and to identify things I am good at.
Tailored Image was able to give me the tools and the materials I needed along the way. It was then up to me to make something great from that.
Yes, our values are We Commit, Care, Own, and Respect. These values can be applied in many different situations and not just on customer base focus.
We Commit to the company and the customers but also to our team around us.
Care – we also care about the work we do and also about the environment through multiple recycling exercises and continuously working on improving this
We all Own the work we do and also own the responsibility of ensuring that we as a team are continuously working on the values and applying them.
Then we have Respect that I can 100% say that this is vitally important for any workplace, and this can be applied in many formats. At Tailored Image, we ensure that we speak with each other in a constructive manner. Here we ensure that we don’t apply blame if and when there is a problem. Here we ensure that we work through issues and learn from our errors. We also have many nationalities under one roof and we all respect each and everyone’s background.
It all depends on what the person wants when joining any workplace. Some people want to come to work and do a day’s graft and go home with minimum responsibilities. That’s fine and we have work here for you. Some people want to join a company with the plan to gain some experience maybe get a role that has responsibility and work on a career. That’s great come on in. You will have to ensure that you apply your skills and be consistent every day. I see many people come through with skill sets but do not have the patience and then stop being consistent. Consistency and patience will pay of and if this is you then come on in, we have a role for you! I can ensure that if you are consistent that this will be rewarded with a role that needs your skills.
Tailored Image has an ambitious growth plan and the hunger to get there and this will also need a team behind it with the same ambition and hunger.
To find out more about Careers at Tailored Image, contact us on sales@tailoredimage.com.
