“It is said, ‘there is nothing more constant than change’ and that has certainly been my view over nearly 30 years of working at Gray & Adams. I have had the privilege of sharing many experiences with colleagues, past and present, as our facility in Dunfermline has evolved.

Our most recent development is an essential investment to further expand our site footprint with an extended chassis parking area, re-routing of a local core path, extensive tarring and new perimeter fencing to manage our ever increasing workload.

To put this into perspective, 20 years ago we targeted five to six vehicle completions per week, equating to 1000–1100 direct labour hours. Our current demand is such that we produce 12–13 vehicle completions per week, equating to 2200–2400 labour hours. Our high productivity is the result of a real team effort, streamlining our production processes and procedures, and striving to continually improve with every opportunity.

Performing well in business is not only about a rigid vehicle body or double deck semi-trailer, it is about the working conditions for our people, fairness and profit, all attributes I have found to be at the fore during my time with the company. This is also evident in the increased number of young people who express an interest in working for our company. Over recent months we have engaged an additional ten new employees, bringing our total workforce at Dunfermline to 85.

It brings great personal and professional satisfaction to be able to give these young people an opportunity to set their own foundations in a strong, well- established business. We effectively engage, train and develop them to ensure they are the new engineers and operators who will take the company forward with the same traditional commitment we expect at Gray & Adams, and the determination to be the best in the industry.

Having started as a Storeman in 1989, the opportunities, and indeed encouragement, for career progression presented within the organisation were inspiring. I recall vividly some early words of advice from our company founder, Mr. Jim Gray, who said, “Quality must be built in, it cannot be added on”. These words have stayed with me during my time with the company and we apply this wisdom to both the product and our people.

Gray & Adams profile is now higher than it has ever been, our industry knows and expects the high professional standards that are synonymous with the brand and I am confident it will remain this way for many more years to come.”