Willerby Team Talk – Richard Waite

In this month’s Willerby Team Talk chat we speak to supply chain manager Richard Waite.

Richard joined the Willerby family 15 years ago after working for a worldwide automotive company. He has been described by his Willerby colleagues as a man who would run through walls to keep the production lines moving!

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

A. I manage a team of eight raw material planners who liaise with 130 suppliers. They order the materials and equipment required to manufacture holiday homes in line with the production requirements. I make sure teams use the right systems to order the correct materials and manage the supply performance. My job involves a lot of logistics, decision making and problem solving.

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

A. The people. I interact with almost every department within the business and they have different pressure points and objectives to achieve, which my team supports. The job never stops and I like working with different people.

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

A. I feel proud when I spot a Willerby holiday home on a park or when it’s being transported on the motorway. I like that people can enjoy and experience their holiday home after we’ve done our jobs.

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

A. It would involve sport. I used to play professional rugby for Castleford and played amateur rugby for a further few years. I wouldn’t play again but I’d consider coaching.

Q. What’s your guilty pleasure?

A. I really enjoy cycling and love riding on routes around Leeds, close to where I live. I’m not very good at clipping into the pedals and I often fall off sideways, but I enjoy wearing the Lycra! My ambition is to complete a 100-mile route for charity.