I think the thing that surprised me the most is the genuine desire for positive change within the industry
To be honest, my automotive journey started purely due to proximity. Having left a managerial role and having taken a significant pay cut I was looking to limit my outgoings wherever possible and LKQ Euro Car Parts is close to where I l live.
I love the fact that my role allows me to share my inner geek! I love to share the things we do so well on both sites, to see the genuine surprise at the sheer size of the site, the efficiency of automation, the scope of the training available and the general cleanliness of both sites.
Our automation system holds 580,000 totes and I love the look on visitors faces when they see the system for the first time. It is usually likened to either ‘The Matrix’ or the ‘Hall of Prophecy’ form Harry Potter (depending on the age of the visitor!)
Having been a manager for many years I am used to speaking to people in all walks of life so I am as confident when looking after guests regardless of whether they are customers, executives or branch colleagues.
Also, having worked in the retail sector I fully appreciate the importance of the branches receiving everything they order, especially if an item is for a VOR (special order) and the efforts made by the teams to unsure all orders reach the branches as soon as possible.
I think one of the biggest misconceptions of the sector is still that it is an all male environment. Whilst a high percentage of the motor industry is still dominated by men, women in roles at all levels are becoming more common and are much more widely excepted and not such a ‘surprise’ anymore.
From the warehouse point of view, I think the expectation is that the environment will be dirty and the products heavy. Due to our ‘clean as you go’ policy, the warehouse is kept very clean and tidy, and although some of the products are quite heavy, I always viewed working these deliveries as a free gym work out!
I think the thing that surprised me the most is the genuine desire for positive change within the industry. I was one of the 1 in 10 women of menopausal age who leave a successful career due to what I later found out were very common symptoms of ‘my time of life’. Although there is still a widespread lack of understanding of the impact this can have on many women, I have found that there is a ready acceptance within LKQ Euro Car Parts that this is something we need to address. Maybe, because there is a definite drive to attract and retain women into the automotive industry, I have found this attitude much more positive than in my previous roles.
I have very much enjoyed my time in the automotive industry and even if you are not a ‘petrol head’ there are many opportunities within the sector that do not require you to have any knowledge of motor vehicles (luckily for me!).
The available roles are many and varied. Even within the warehouse there are opportunities to take on additional duties, making every day different.
I joined LKQ Euro Car Parts with rather low expectations and did not expect to be given the opportunities I was offered. I was trained on MHE, then as a trainer, and currently I have been given the challenge of building the Guest Co-ordinator role. On several occasions I have been given a project and free reign to complete the task as I saw fit. During my automotive journey so far I feel I have been given the scope to explore my capabilities and to add value to LKQ Euro Car Parts on many occasions.
I had a conversation with one of our Shift Operation Managers a couple of years ago about what I wanted to do going forward and at the time I didn’t really know. I was able to go back to him recently and tell him I felt that I had found my perfect role!
