Willerby Team Talk – Abdul Aidarus

In this month’s Willerby Team Talk we speak to Materials Manager Abdul Aidarus, who joined the Willerby family in 2022.

Abdul, whose whole career has centred around logistics, previously worked at a rice plantation factory in Uganda and Kenya before working as Head of Logistics for Boots in Nottingham for 20 years.

He lives with his wife and four children in Nottingham and commutes to Hull.

Q. Tell us about your job and what it involves.

A. I make sure all materials which come in for the holiday homes and lodges are receipted on the system and can be easily located before they’re supplied to the production lines.

I manage a team of 64 people and it’s a very busy job. A typical day starts with making sure we have sufficient cover, space for all the inbound and outbound materials, and checking internal and external storage areas for the holiday homes.

It involves a lot of planning and logistical mapping and you always need a contingency plan. I make sure the fleet is fully operational and look after the contracts for external storage and truck maintenance requirements. Making sure everyone comes to work and goes home safely is the number one priority.

Q. What’s the best thing about your job?

A. The challenges it brings. Every day is a new day for opportunities and making sure the dispatches go out as planned. I love my job and thrive on pressure and obstacles, which are always challenges we turn into opportunities.

If a mistake is made once we learn from that, adjust and make sure it’s not repeated. I like to take things back to basics and build up from there.

Q. What does being part of the Willerby team mean to you?

A. Willerby is a unique company. If there’s an issue, everyone comes together as a team. Everyone gets along and the management team is very strong.

The can-do attitude is next level and I feel 100 per cent supported in my work and professional decisions. I always look at ways of making processes sleeker, smarter and leaner. It’s about working smarter not harder.

Q. If you didn’t work for Willerby and you could do any job in the world, what would it be?

A. It would always be logistics. It’s in my blood and I live and breathe it. Logistics runs through my veins and my family. I started in this job as a young man and haven’t stopped.

Q. Tell us something your colleagues may not already know about you.

A. I used to be a boxing coach and worked with a charity organisation which trains young offenders to box and understand discipline.

I see a lot of them when I go into town and some have turned out to be good citizens with good jobs. I feel proud of that, especially when I’m with my own kids because they can see what Dad used to do.