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GEOFF POTTER
MANAGING DIRECTOR GRAY & ADAMS Gray & Adams Managing Director Geoff Potter, who is settling into his new role at the specialist trailer manufacturer, is looking forward to a bright future for the company despite the challenges ahead. He has told Export & Freight’s David Stokes, in an exclusive interview, that the company has ‘exciting developments’ in the pipeline. Just several months into the job, Geoff has succeeded Billy Dougan at the helm. “Billy has been a great ambassador for Gray & Adams and I’m very appreciative of the foundation he has built during his 25-year tenure. I’m really looking forward to continuing to work with our established customers as well as developing new opportunities.” By all accounts, Geoff has plenty to bring to the role, with a wealth of experience in the automotive & transport industry over many years. After completing NFC’s graduate management training programme, he held roles in Branch Management and National Accounts Management, but as he tells us, “as my next role with NFC would have meant relocating to Great Britain, I decided to pursue other local opportunities and spent a number of years with DAF Trucks (or Leyland DAF as it was then) followed by over 16 years in the bus industry.” He is referring to his time at Ballymenabased Wrightbus where he was initially responsible for Customcare, their worldwide aftermarket division, before taking responsibility for their Double Deck division. “I’m fortunate to have be involved in some great projects and believe the experience gained in operations, engineering, product development and customer service will be of benefit in my role at Gray & Adams.” He adds: “There’s no doubt that it’s a challenging role, however I have the benefit of being part of a highly experienced, customer centric, innovative, hardworking team.”
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So, will he be making any major operational changes? “Markets are constantly changing, and businesses have to continuously adjust, so yes there will be change. However, it will be refinements and improvements as opposed to major restructuring.”
Challenges Of course, manufacturing has had its challenges in recent years, so how does he think Gray & Adams will cope in the present climate? What challenges does he see the industry facing at the moment?
“Overall, I see a very bright future for Gray & Adams. However, like many businesses, Brexit and the environment will be two major challenges. From a Brexit perspective, things are currently in a holding pattern while the situation develops, but the industry will do whatever it takes to be successful – regardless of the outcome. “The environment, meanwhile, is playing an increasingly prominent role and there’s no doubt that deforestation, plastic pollution, global warming and air quality all need to
