National IT Professional Day
No one knows our customers’ tyre businesses better than our customers. <full stop>
But we know that when our customers’ tyre business expertise is coupled with our tyre software experience and our wider IT skills, that’s when the synergy happens. Online customers can purchase from accurate online stock, rebates are profitability managed and warehouse managers have full visibility of their van stock.
That said, our know-how is only as good as our people. But we’re fortunate to have the best!
From deploying our software and training our customers’ teams, through to our behind the scenes infrastructure experts; our IT professionals have enabled CAM to keep the tyre industry moving for more than 40 years.
To celebrate IT professionals day, we thought we’d talk to some our IT professionals and see what makes them tick.
Meet Mark Abbott
Can you describe your IT professional skills in less than 50 words?
I have a good all-round background in IT and have experience in a wide range of disciplines including hardware deployment, networking, software management, some software development, systems and domain administration, virtualisation and disaster recovery… oh and 21 years as a CAMEO user and system administrator.
21 years’ experience as a CAMEO user, tell us more about that!
Before joining CAM I worked for Oak Tyres who are one of the UK’s leading tyres wholesale distribution companies. Starting with the company in 1998 as the IT assistant I eventually became the IT Manager. During my time with Oak the business grew from being a single wholesale warehouse based in Rainhill to becoming a multi depot company with warehouses in Haydock, Trafford Park, Leeds and Washington. Along the way we also had two head office relocations which both required some effort to achieve without disruption to the business.
During My time with Oak Tyres I was lucky enough to work alongside some great people and managed to learn a little about the Tyre industry and how a successful wholesale tyre distribution company works. We even built and deployed our own WMS system.
Now you’re at CAM, what’s your role?
My title is a Technical Delivery Consultant and I am a member of the Technical Delivery & Program Management Team. My consultant role means I am involved in several customer projects from a small CAMEO config change or upgrade through to hosted migrations and Warehouse Management System implementations. In addition to this we can be called upon to discuss customer requirements with them and advise and assist with the configuration and management of their CAM software. It can vary from simply carrying out technical work such as a software upgrade for a customer through to being part of a project delivery team working on a major software deployment. No two days are the same which keeps it interesting.
Can you tell us more about the Warehouse Management Systems?
I am currently working on multiple WMS implementations. Part of my role is to ensure that our customers’ setups are fully optimised, so they get the fullest rewards from our unique Warehouse Management system. Because it’s been designed for tyre wholesalers, they’re able to realise
huge increases in efficiencies around managing inbound and outbound stock, as well as stock control, rolling stock checks and enabling electronic delivery confirmation.
So when you’re not being an IT professional at CAM, does IT spill over into your leisure time?
I recently set up a Pi Arcade system with my sons to introduce them to computing in a fun way. Now I’m building a set of Arcade style joysticks and buttons for them to use with it.
Outside of IT, what are your 3 top skills?
I used to be a half decent rugby league player.
I can juggle.
I can make a cracking piri-piri chicken.
Meet Alex Gilchrist
Tell us a little about your background Alex.
Before joining CAM I spent two years with Protyre working in their retail department and eventually moving to the wholesale team. These days I am a Prince2 project manager but it’s my technical ability that has grown exponentially since joining CAM. I now working on complex systems where no two are the same, writing scripts in SQL databases, writing commands through DOS box, using batch files to run a complicated series of activities to import/export data.
Can you tell us about you role as a Technical Delivery Consultant?
I look after 4 of our major customers. I handle their escalated support tickets, installing new products, configure their custom built software and I also write installation and configuration guides. The role is all about the customer, from the start of their journey gathering detail for the specification through to installation & training their users to enable their day-to-day operations. By listening and learning about my customer’s tyre business, I am able to select, enhance and bespoke a product CAM product to fit customers’ requirements. It's a giant puzzle and no two games are the same.
What were you working on just before we started chatting?
Implementing CAM’s new Warehouse Management Solution. It’s superb and takes locating tyre stock in a warehouse to a whole new level! Significantly for our tyre warehouse customers, the reporting & traceability enables them to track a tyre’s movements to its exact location at any second. Automated sequencing allows more time per pick & load, instead of time spent on paperwork. CAM has introduced tablet technology with barcode scanners to the tyre industry!
We hear you like your home IT. What you working on at the moment?
I am working on automating my home to run off a Raspberry Pi running Hoobs and controlled using Apple HomeKit through an iPad mounted to the wall. I love it.
Meet Ryan Watkins
Can you tell us about your IT experience to date?
I have 10 years’ experience working in the IT sector. I initially took an IT apprenticeship shortly after I finished school, this resulted in me earning a handful of entry level industry certifications, namely NVQ IT Level 3, C&G IT Level 3, and Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician. Completing this allowed me to secure a job as a Helpdesk Analyst in a company with global presence in the manufacturing and logistics sectors. While there I worked my way up to EMEA LAN Engineer and earned my Microsoft Certified Server Administrator certification, gaining a lot of exposure to all the moving parts of the supply chain within these sectors, often travelling across the UK and Europe to various offices and warehouses. Looking for change, I applied for my role at CAM where I continue to learn and implement my previous experiences within the tyre industry.
So CPD important to you then?
Definitely yes. I am currently studying for my Microsoft Azure Administrator certification.
More practically then, what’s your role at CAM?
My title is Infrastructure Engineer. I support the day-to-day operations of the infrastructure at CAM and for some of our customers. I also lead and am involved in infrastructure projects that include site-to-cloud migrations, product implementations, and maintenance and upgrade cycles. Most recently I’ve been deploying a companywide endpoint configuration and management system. For our customers, this means huge benefits around device deployment, device management, reporting and analytics across more than 80 sites - both on-premises and in the cloud.
Outside of work, what’s been your most recent IT project?
I recently configured a NAS in my home to host my media and to remove the risk of data loss from my PC. This in turn is backed up locally and to the cloud to ensure minimal risk of loss. It’s not sexy, but everyone needs to back up their data!
Meet Adam Hardulk
Could you tell us a bit about your IT professional skills?
My core skills are in virtual technology’s such as Azure, VMware, Hyper-V and in application delivery through RDS Remote Apps and RDP. I have experience in supporting mixed estates well in excess of 400 physical and virtual server platforms running technologies that span the full IT spectrum.
We’ve been told that you have a plethora of IT qualifications. Any you’d like to share?
I’m certified in EMC VNX Unified Storage Deployment and Management, EMC SAN Management, Implementing Citrix XenApp for Windows Server, Active Directory Administration & Windows Domain Administration, Microsoft Basic Network and Microprocessors, City & Guilds Microsoft Processors and system architecture, City & Guilds Pt I&II Electrical installation, City & Guilds Sound Engineering.
That’s a long list! Which of these talents do you draw on most at CAM?
I have lots of experience with Servers, build, virtualisation and support and also application delivery and networking. CAM were already using many of these technologies, so they’ve proved very transferable.
Give us a flavour of what you’ve been working on most recently…
I regularly create bespoke server and application environments that provide cost effective and robust platforms that enable both CAM and our customers to provide services such as website, application and remote working solutions. I’m currently looking at cost effective ways to expand a customer’s current environment and create a disaster recovery solution for their business. The aim to allow them to grow and expand with minimal cost, as well as reducing the risk to their business.
Have you got any IT projects that you’re working on at home?
Nothing fancy and not strictly IT related, but I’ve just created a recording studio setup. Nothing complicated, just a pair of record decks, a mixer and a laptop that runs it all really.
Meet Amara Maiden
We hear your route into CAM isn’t your classic IT professional’s story.
CAM approached my school. They were looking for candidates that might be interested in a 1st Line Support Engineer role. School put my name forward as I was studying for my A-Levels that included Computer Science. They knew I was keen to pursue an IT career. It was an amazing opportunity and I grabbed it!
In practical terms, what does a 1st line support engineer do?
I’m mostly answering calls and emails, logging support tickets into Autotask and then completing those assigned to me.
But in practical terms what does that entail?
I’m speaking with customers on a daily basis. I log their support calls and then assign them to my support colleagues. If a support ticket is assigned to me, I investigate the issue. Sometimes this means calling the customer for extra information or asking them to replicate the issue for me. If I am making changes to the customer’s system, there is often a discussion between myself and the customer to ensure my changes achieve what they are after.
What motivates you?
I like problem solving. I try to resolve issues for customer as efficiently as possible. Crucially, resolving their issues quickly and correctly, allows the customer to continue running their tyre business smoothly.