Published
Header image for article 4965

Asking employees what machinery they needed to do their jobs more efficiently has helped the Building and Maintenance Division (BMD) create a bespoke Joinery Manufacturing Unit at the Inchyra Depot.

With the new workshop nearly complete, the joinery team are set to move out of their old unit and into the 181sqm space later this month (May).

Using skills already housed within BMD, it took workers just 15 months to turn a temporary, disused building earmarked for demolition into a modern, bright and spacious workshop – a quarter of the size of the old unit.

The move is part of the Council of the Future Redesign of BMD Services project, which aims to future proof the division.

Jimmy McCulloch, a Skilled Operative, who has worked in BMD for 29 years, said the men appreciated being asked for their thoughts.

He said: “Getting to sit down with management to talk through what kit we needed allowed us to get our views across, as a lot of the machinery in our old workshop isn’t needed any more. Seeing investment in some new equipment also meant the points we’d made had been taken on board.

“The move had to happen, as our old workshop was too big for what we do nowadays. It will be a big change for us, but we’re hopeful it will improve our working environment as the old workshop was noisy and very dusty so having the new extractor system should sort that out.”

Robert Fotheringham, Senior Property Co-ordinator, and Council of the Future Redesign of BMD Services Project Manager, said the drive to create one super depot at Inchyra had resulted in a lot of positive change for workers.

He said: “There will be 350 people working or mobile working from here by 2020 so we’ve had to re-shape and re-model the depot to ensure we fully utilise the space available. Creating the new workshop allows us to transform the old unit into a storage and power tool store, install new offices and put in showers.

“Asking employees what they think will help them do their jobs more efficiently and then looking for ways to make that happen has been central to this whole project, which has really helped build morale.”