Alistair Gill Joins Allett as Senior Quality Engineer
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For over 50 years Allett has specialised in the design and manufacturing of precision, single-cylinder walk behind and ride on lawn mowers. As a wholly British company and after taking great pride in our heritage, we are proud to have built to a fantastic customer base and along with it, a brilliant team.
This month Alistair Gill has joined us as our new Senior Quality Engineer
Alistair was employed on a three month fixed contract at the beginning of October. In the short time Alistair has been with the business we have been really pleased with his progress and dedication to the quality role and the difference he has already made to business. We are now delighted to announce him as a permanent member of staff and look forward to utilising his skills and knowledge as the business evolves (James Till, Operations Director, Allett)Q. Can you give us a little bit of background about your previous career?
I previously worked as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for Caterpillar. I was responsible for managing multiple projects to improve the safety, quality and delivery of transmissions through an assembly plant. Prior to that I graduated from the University of Birmingham, having studied Mechanical Engineering and Business Management. I think I was always destined to be an engineer. My Grandad was an Air Fitter in the Fleet Air Arm during WWII. I remember him teaching me how internal combustion engines work at a young age and many of my childhood memories involve me taking things apart to see how they worked.
Q. Can you give us a bit of a background on your life?
I’m a self-confessed lawn nut. When I’m not at work, I’m usually cutting my lawns! I also like to relax by walking over Cannock Chase with family, or fellwalking in the Lake District.
I live with my beautiful wife Sara. We got married in 2012 in Lake Bled, Slovenia. The church is on an island in the middle of the lake and has 99 steps up to it. We were told that it was tradition for the groom to carry his wife up the steps on their wedding day. It was only after I had done exactly that, the photographer told me that most people only pretend and just pose for the photo!
I’m a massive Formula 1 fan. Watching three practice sessions, qualifying and the race is a great way to fill a weekend!
Q – Where did your interest in lawn care stem from? Did this passion result in you wanting to work in the industry?
My Grandad was an avid gardener, and my Dad is too! You could say that having a beautiful garden runs in the family. We only moved into our house a few years ago but I’ve taken great pleasure in renovating the lawns and seeing the improvements from all my hard work.
Q. Whats the proudest moment of your working career so far?/ biggest achievement
At my previous job, a team of colleagues nominated me for an award in recognition of my commitment to teamwork and helping departments work better cross functionally. Knowing that I had helped my colleagues and the fact the award came from them meant a lot to me.
Q What are you most excited about working at Allett?
The team have all been very welcoming and have made me feel right at home. I’m really excited to have joined Allett at a time of growth and innovation. The buzz being generated around new products such as the C34 Evolution is palpable. I look forward to working with the engineers and production teams to bring these products to market and ensure they meet our highest quality standards.
Q. What will your job involve/what are you responsible for? Can you describe the various responsibilities and roles of a quality engineer? What traits do you have to suit this role?
I’m something of a perfectionist. As a lawn enthusiast myself I can easily imagine myself in our customer’s shoes. I know that they expect the very highest levels of quality and reliability from an Allett machine to produce outstanding lawns and sports surfaces.
I’m also a very thorough and analytical person and I believe these are traits that will help me in this role. My background in Six Sigma gave me a solid foundation in using data to reduce the variation in parts and processes. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use that experience, along with many new things I’ll learn along the way to help our suppliers and the team at Allett to continue to deliver world-class products to our customers.
Alistair was employed on a three month fixed contract at the beginning of October. In the short time Alistair has been with the business we have been really pleased with his progress and dedication to the quality role and the difference he has already made to business. We are now delighted to announce him as a permanent member of staff and look forward to utilising his skills and knowledge as the business evolves (James Till, Operations Director, Allett)
Q. Can you give us a little bit of background about your previous career?
I previously worked as a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt for Caterpillar. I was responsible for managing multiple projects to improve the safety, quality and delivery of transmissions through an assembly plant. Prior to that I graduated from the University of Birmingham, having studied Mechanical Engineering and Business Management. I think I was always destined to be an engineer. My Grandad was an Air Fitter in the Fleet Air Arm during WWII. I remember him teaching me how internal combustion engines work at a young age and many of my childhood memories involve me taking things apart to see how they worked.
Q. Can you give us a bit of a background on your life?
I’m a self-confessed lawn nut. When I’m not at work, I’m usually cutting my lawns! I also like to relax by walking over Cannock Chase with family, or fellwalking in the Lake District.
I live with my beautiful wife Sara. We got married in 2012 in Lake Bled, Slovenia. The church is on an island in the middle of the lake and has 99 steps up to it. We were told that it was tradition for the groom to carry his wife up the steps on their wedding day. It was only after I had done exactly that, the photographer told me that most people only pretend and just pose for the photo!
I’m a massive Formula 1 fan. Watching three practice sessions, qualifying and the race is a great way to fill a weekend!
Q – Where did your interest in lawn care stem from? Did this passion result in you wanting to work in the industry?
My Grandad was an avid gardener, and my Dad is too! You could say that having a beautiful garden runs in the family. We only moved into our house a few years ago but I’ve taken great pleasure in renovating the lawns and seeing the improvements from all my hard work.
Q. Whats the proudest moment of your working career so far?/ biggest achievement
At my previous job, a team of colleagues nominated me for an award in recognition of my commitment to teamwork and helping departments work better cross functionally. Knowing that I had helped my colleagues and the fact the award came from them meant a lot to me.
Q What are you most excited about working at Allett?
The team have all been very welcoming and have made me feel right at home. I’m really excited to have joined Allett at a time of growth and innovation. The buzz being generated around new products such as the C34 Evolution is palpable. I look forward to working with the engineers and production teams to bring these products to market and ensure they meet our highest quality standards.
Q. What will your job involve/what are you responsible for? Can you describe the various responsibilities and roles of a quality engineer? What traits do you have to suit this role?
I’m something of a perfectionist. As a lawn enthusiast myself I can easily imagine myself in our customer’s shoes. I know that they expect the very highest levels of quality and reliability from an Allett machine to produce outstanding lawns and sports surfaces.
I’m also a very thorough and analytical person and I believe these are traits that will help me in this role. My background in Six Sigma gave me a solid foundation in using data to reduce the variation in parts and processes. Hopefully, I’ll be able to use that experience, along with many new things I’ll learn along the way to help our suppliers and the team at Allett to continue to deliver world-class products to our customers.
