Trish Gray, specials team leaders at Gripple Ltd., has been named The Manufacturer’s employee of the Month October 2015.
What is your role and what are your main responsibilities?
My role is to run a mini business within a larger business by empowering and engaging my team to hit targets and achieve their own and the company’s goals.
My responsibilities are to look after my team’s development and wellbeing, as well as taking care of all the machinery.
A quarter of Gripple business is with new products and, as team leader of the specials non-standard products department, my team is responsible for getting the products from the Ideas and Innovation department through production processes and out of the door.
What are the key technical skills you use?
Part of my role is getting new products through the new product process which entails liaising with other departments to convert products from hand assembly through all the relevant stages towards automation.
I also concentrate on continuous improvement to make the processes more efficient by using skills like problem solving, effective meetings, 5s and TPM, also undertaking quality investigations.
As Gripple I 100% employee owned, a major part of my role is ‘people’ with a major focus on people development. Therefore I have to organise training and coach people myself when needed and use performance management and human resources skills.
What personal characteristics help you in your role?
I am well organised, approachable and a ‘people person’. I am conscientious, seeing myself as a team player.
I have a keen eye on detail and task completion which, working with new product processes, are good traits to have.
What do you consider to be your biggest personal success so far?
Within my first three years of joining Gripple I gained promotion to team leader from machine operator and achieving this while having my two children.
This was an incredibly proud moment as the faith put in me to lead was based on my contribution. Since making the move to team leader the belief in me has continued to grow as now I head a team that has to deal with a great deal of change and variation while never compromising on quality .
What are the most rewarding parts of your job?
One has to be the people I work with. I have built good relationships and work as part of a dynamic team. When we pull together and get things done it feels great!
I am proud that I work in a company which believes strongly in UK manufacturing. One of our mottos is “if you can’t buy it in the UK, we’ll manufacture it”.
Working for a fully employee owned company means everyone from the cleaner to the managing director has a say. I know that all our hard work contributes to the bigger picture of making Gripple successful year after year.
I’ve worked at Gripple since January 2002 and have never had a sick day off, which I think that says a lot about the company.
Do you have a career ambition?
I’d like to be the best leader I can be and continue to contribute towards the company’s values and goals, and help people reach their full potential.
I want to help to make Gripple a household name and leave a Gripple legacy to my children who I hope will pass it on.
