New Chief Executive for Allied Industrial Engineering
20 February 2015
Kelvin Wright took over as chief executive of Allied Industrial Engineering in August 2014 and the first thing he did was start calling and visiting customers to find out what their experience of AIE was. It was instructive he says.
“I listened very intently and have added a lot of what I learned into my strategy development process” said Wright.
“We are making changes to the way we interact with customers through our commercial team. I found customers who were big AIE fans but also people who found AIE’s strict costing process too arduous and inflexible. We are changing that.”
He said AIE has become more competitive and responsive.
When Wright first investigated the company before taking the job he found AIE had the most advanced and well thought out workshop in the country. The team was made up of highly skilled engineers.
“AIE had a history of completed projects that would be the envy of most. Most importantly the explanations about how problems that arose on projects were solved during the pressure of a breakdown or when vital scheduled shuts were happening has shown some quite remarkable problem solving capability.”
I also found people were positive about the return of founder Paul Raethel as full owner of AIE.
“Paul and I are on the same wavelength about getting back to basics, infuse integrity into all that we do and ensure customers both large and small know they are valued.”
Wright said AIE has been the quiet achiever of New Zealand business for some time but has perhaps been too quiet.
Strategically the company is consolidating its core business and expanding in the areas of hydro and steam turbine work. He says AIE will also be pursuing more component manufacturing.
Kelvin has been involved in engineering for most of his working life. He initially qualified as a tool maker before working in a range of engineering roles and also a few years as a commercial pilot. He has almost completed an MBA through Massey University. He is also a keen sport fisherman.
Source: The Scoop