Remarkable passion for hire
14 December 2022
A remarkable recent milestone that cannot go unreported on the blog is the 40 years of industry service chalked up by Andy Connor, Speedy’s group product innovation and supply chain director. I sat down with Andy to reflect on his career to date, including how he amassed his extraordinary product knowledge.
Andy Connor’s fascination with equipment started at an early age.
“I remember my mother saying when I was about three that whenever I got a new toy for Christmas or my birthday, the first thing I’d do was carefully take it to pieces to see how it worked,” he recalled. “I’d then put it back together again. And still today I get a real kick out of discovering how the latest tools and equipment are manufactured and serviced. It’s fascinating.”
Andy’s first job was outside hire with a six-month placement on a government Youth Training Scheme (YTS) in 1982. “I’d left school in Liverpool with decent qualifications primarily in practical subjects like woodwork, design and architecture. I started at an upholstery business which I hoped would be hands-on, but all they really wanted was someone to make the tea and sweep floors funded by the government. As soon as the six months were up, they let me go.”
However, he quickly took another placement in the Liverpool depot of PB Power Tools, a firm where many industry notables have started their careers, and Andy’s entry into hire officially began on 18 October 1982.
“I went to the interview on my two-stroke motorcycle and walked in carrying my crash helmet. In conversation, I mentioned that I enjoyed working on the bike and could strip the engine down. I was told to start work the following Monday,” said Andy.
This time, after the six-month YTS period, Andy was rewarded with a full-time job as a technician and quickly gained experience of working on tools and equipment such as Kango breakers, Dolmar cut-off saws and generators, while also completing an apprenticeship in electrical and mechanical engineering.
Eventually, following HSS’ purchase of PB in the late 1980s, Andy became a mobile technician working on equipment primarily in London. In the late 1990s he helped to set up the group’s technical department under legendary technical director Phil Wolff.
“I got a real insight into the design of equipment, servicing it and also new product development with suppliers, which was really rewarding,” said Andy.
He took an opportunity to pursue this latter aspect further in 2002, joining Vp’s Hire Station business as technical procurement director. However, after three years of commuting from Liverpool to Manchester, an opening with Speedy at Haydock proved irresistible and he was appointed as senior supply chain manager, becoming group supply chain director in 2010 and adding responsibility as group product innovation director in 2021.
“I’ve therefore had roughly 20 years of fixing and servicing all kinds of equipment, and then 20 years of evaluating products and, often, working with suppliers developing new ones in all the main categories of equipment,” said Andy.
“And this is as important today as it’s ever been, given the need for customers and suppliers to develop more sustainable ways of working and to meet Net Zero targets.
“Back in 2005 the industry was developing new equipment in response to new regulations governing issues like HAV, work at height, dust, noise and site illumination,” he said. “Now we are looking at ways of developing low-carbon products that use energy sources like batteries and hydrogen, and methods of reusing, recycling and re-purposing equipment as part of the wider circular economy.
“It’s important that the industry works together and shares information and experiences. We shouldn’t be competing to save the planet and in many ways I’m even more passionate now about new equipment than ever. We all have to take urgent measures to meet our Net Zero responsibilities and targets.”
I asked Andy if he had an outstanding memory or achievement – perhaps rather unfair given that his career to date spans 40 years.
“One thing that I always get immense pride out of is seeing a product on a job site that I have had a hand in developing with the supplier,” he said. “It’s hugely satisfying seeing it go from the earliest idea stages to the finished item.”
Forty years of hire industry service is certainly a remarkable milestone. And other achievements clearly lie ahead. With Speedy working intensely on developing and implementing strategies for the company and its customers to achieve Net Zero carbon status by 2040, ideas with a long-term focus will remain on Andy’s agenda for some time yet.
Photo: Paula Field
