Institution news
Having been in post for many years now, Sandra Mulligan, IMechE's Business Development Manager for Scotland. has visited hundreds of companies throughout the region. There are very few occasions when a site visit is to an organisation is completely new to her.
This was definitely the case on a recent visit, before lockdown, to Allied Vehicles in Glasgow where discussions took place about developing closer links with the Institution and setting up an accredited graduate development programme.
The visit was hosted by Robert Peacock, Mechanical Design Engineer, and Mark Rae, Engineering Manager. Robert holds an MEng in Mechanical Engineering from Strathclyde University and has been at Allied since June 2019, having previously been based with Frazer-Nash Consultancy.
During the visit, Sandra learned that Allied Vehicles was established 1993 and is headquartered in Possilpark, North Glasgow on a 40-acre manufacturing and operations site. It also has offices in Coventry and Edinburgh. The company is a specialist supplier of wheelchair accessible cars, minibus conversions, mobile welfare vans and low security custodial vehicles to the healthcare, education, community transport, construction and security sectors. Allied is committed to ‘moving people and making a difference in their lives’, converting about 5,000 vehicles a year.
Robert commented,
“I am really enjoying working at Allied Vehicles since joining last year. I moved jobs to enhance my knowledge and understanding of manufacturing, which I feel is essential to be an effective Design Engineer. My colleagues are really experienced and it’s great to learn from them.
"Day to day, I am focused on new product development and widening the range of features Allied Vehicles can offer in their wheelchair access vehicles. I design sheet-metal components, plastics and fabrications as well as tooling to production and assembly. The work is interesting and it’s great to contribute to vehicles that make a big impact to the lives of others.
Sandra explained,
“I love getting out and about to meet members at their place of work. However, frequently I don’t get the opportunity to have a site tour. I really enjoyed seeing what goes on behind the scenes at Allied with Robert who was a very helpful and informative guide. I’m certain that Glasgow Area Committee will take up the offer of a site visit for local members.”
In line with government advice, Allied Vehicles took the difficult decision to temporarily suspend main onsite operations until further notice. Robert told Sandra how Allied Vehicles responded to the pandemic,
"Before the lockdown, our directors acted quickly to safeguard the business and protect employees. They have been giving us regular updates and keeping us informed as the situation changes. Being reassured that our business is build on strong foundations has been comforting during these uncertain times. They have also arranged online quizzes to keep us entertained through lockdown.
"Working from home is strange but I appreciate I am lucky as many others across the business have been furloughed. I do miss working alongside other design engineers, but the non-furloughed engineers have been able to communicate and share ideas through Skype and Whatsapp.”
Sandra concludes,
“To develop a good working relationship with an organisation, it’s critical to have a good contact on site. Robert has been great and I look forward to working with him and Allied Vehicles going forward”.