Ian McGregor was recently promoted to Production Manager at IK Trax. We caught up with him to find out more about his new role and what a typical day looks like leading the Production Team.
Tell me a bit about yourself.
I’m Ian McGregor, Production Manager at IK Trax, based in Aberdeen. I oversee production, procurement, and the logistics departments. My job is to streamline everything, reduce obstacles, particularly for the technicians and make sure that production goes as smoothly as possible. Outside of work, I like going to the gym, I like rugby (a lot!) and I enjoy going for walks in the hills. Anything that involves being outdoors.
You have been at IK Trax for several years now and dipped your toe into different departments. Can you explain how you ended up in your current role?
I was a chef before I started at IK Trax and decided that I would like to go into electronics. I went to college and that’s where I first saw the advertised Electronics Technician role at IK Trax and that is where I started in 2007. After a few years, I moved into the R&D Department whilst studying night classes at university. I also did Technical Sales spending time in Australia setting up a regional office. After some time away from the company, I returned in 2019 in Hire & Service before moving into my current role.
I feel that my experience in multiple departments has its benefits. I have seen how other departments operate and I know what is involved. It can be easy for people to focus only on what is going on in their team and, especially in this role, I can help people see the bigger picture.
Is there such a thing as a typical day for you? What does that look like?
A typical day is very busy! My days are varied so I wouldn’t say there is such a thing as a typical day. I spent a lot of time ensuring that our processes and work instructions are streamlined so that we can ensure we are able to build products efficiently. I check in with Procurement and Logistics to ensure we have all the parts we need, and we can get orders shipped on time.
I also help with technical questions whether from our technicians or customers and I am involved in training and mentoring our new technicians and apprentices.
So there are a lot of things going on – every day is different but the main focus is always ensuring we have a smooth build process and we don’t experience delays.
What would you say is the biggest challenge for you?
I think the biggest challenge is ensuring that everything is lined up so that we can meet our customers’ targets and requirements as that is the most important thing. There are numerous aspects to this such as build times, delivery of parts, relationships with suppliers, managing customer expectations etc all whilst trying to minimse costs. Communication and openness between all departments is the key to managing this.
What do you enjoy most about your role and working at IK Trax?
I think variety is the main thing. I like problems and problem solving, both in electronics and in day-to-day aspects of this role. Customers come to us with specific requirements, and I like thinking outside the box and being a bit creative to help come up with a solution for them. I’m glad I have been able to maintain that hands-on approach.
