Spotlight on Gary Francis, managing director of Taunton Aerospace

23rd Apr 2009

Gary Francis is managing director of Taunton Aerospace, designers and manufacturers of aviation technology

1. What excites you about your day-to-day work?
Each day always starts full of potential. I get real satisfaction from actually making things and seeing the end product being despatched to the customer, the result of many different processes coming together. I also get a real buzz from seeing people develop and grow in their roles.

2. In a typical day, what is guaranteed to put a smile on your face?
It is important that in a small company we can all laugh together. As well as the usual friendly banter, having a sense of humour and making a joke or amusing comment at the right time can often relieve the tension when we are struggling with a tricky problem. With relatively few staff, everyone’s actions are "out there" for all to see and people do make mistakes. It is important to ensure that blame and conflict do not take hold. Laughing together ensures that we all get along pretty well.

3. What has been your greatest achievement in the last year?
Completing our first full year (November 08) gave me particular satisfaction. Taking on a new business, even an established one always contains an element of risk. We performed pretty well and I think everyone exceeded their expectations. The change from being a part of a large Multi-National to being a small, privately owned business has meant a change of culture has been necessary. Normal company cultures change relatively slowly. I believe we have made the necessary mental adjustments. The equation ‘sales equals cash equals wages’ brings a great deal of focus when previously the linkage was not readily apparent. We also completed the development of a new probe for the US which successfully underwent flight trials, the culmination of many man hours of work.

4. On a day-to-day basis, what do you find frustrating about your work?
The most frustrating is when individuals find it hard to change the way they do things or fail to consider the various options, but assume that they are right or that because "it has always been done like that" then it must be the best way. Undergoing the process analysis as part of our Lean Manufacturing workshops with MAS-SW really showed how much potential for change we have as a business.

5. What inspired you to work in manufacturing?
It was either manufacturing or banking!! I actually decided to train as an accountant and got my first job as a trainee with Westland Helicopters where I qualified as a Chartered Management Accountant. It wasn't until I moved to Avimo Ltd that I really became involved with the manufacturing process as a part of a project team dealing with a very onerous contract to supply Thermal Imaging sights to the UK MOD. It brought me into direct contact with all parts of the company and that is where the buzz started.

6. What makes your company stand out from the rest? How do you beat the competition?
As a relatively new company I am not sure we yet ‘stand-out’. We have much work to do in bringing our capabilities to the attention of the industry, but we have already shown that our capabilities especially in Engineering and our responsiveness to our customers give us something really important.

7. What hopes / concerns do you have about the future of manufacturing in the UK?
It always amazes me at the sheer numbers of small companies around the country doing all sorts of clever things. Good companies will survive the current difficulties. I hope that more help is provided for SMEs. Our business has benefited from the RDA funding for Lean Initiatives and Strategic Management and Leadership.

8. What piece of advice would you give to any manufacturing newcomers?
Make sure you are rigorous in what you do. Always have a plan no matter how "sketchy" it might be, but do not be afraid to change it if the circumstances require. Opportunities appear in many forms and it is often necessary to move quickly to capitalise on them.

9. Who is your hero?
I do not believe in heroes. I believe in the ability of ordinary people to do extraordinary things!

Would you like to appear in next month’s e-Newsletter in the Spotlight section? We are looking for manufacturers who are willing to answer eight simple questions about their day-to-day role. More than 10,000 people worldwide read the monthly e-Newsletter, so if you would like to share your thoughts on working in manufacturing or tell us more about your role, email the editorial team on info@swmas.co.uk

back