Latest / The Elevator Careers Podcast / Worldwide Opportunities: A 30+ Year Journey in the Elevator Industry | Richie Lobert

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Worldwide Opportunities: A 30+ Year Journey in the Elevator Industry | Richie Lobert · The Elevator Careers Podcast

• 0:00
  SPEAKER_01: It is a real community feel, and I can uh I can vouch for that.
• 0:03
  SPEAKER_01: It's um anywhere you go, um, there's there's people there that do a a similar a similar job and um and to have a chat is is is really cool.
• 0:13
  SPEAKER_01: Um I know that you can sort of you know lean on on people and catch up with people and you know they're very very receptive around the world.
• 0:22
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the elevator community sort of crosses all borders.
• 0:26
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a really we're really lucky to be in it.
• 0:29
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, um and my business partner and I have gone to all parts of the globe almost and um you know gone into test towers and whatever else and always been, yeah, it's it's been unbelievable the the reception.
• 0:44
  SPEAKER_03: Hello and welcome to the Elevator Careers Podcast, sponsored by the Allred Group.
• 0:50
  SPEAKER_03: I am your host, Matt Allred.
• 0:52
  SPEAKER_03: In this podcast, we talk to the people whose lives and careers are dedicated to the vertical transportation industry.
• 0:59
  SPEAKER_03: To inform and carefully build, to inspire the next generation to elevator care, the elevator industry has many, many people from all over the world.
• 1:39
  SPEAKER_03: Well, Richie, welcome to the show.
• 1:42
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks so much for having me, Matt.
• 1:44
  SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, it's an absolute honor to be uh talking with you.
• 1:49
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you likewise.
• 1:50
  SPEAKER_03: No, I um I I think we've you know known each other online and seen you know bits and pieces for for quite a while, and obviously you're from the land down under, so uh haven't had a chance to rub shoulders yet, but you never know when.
• 2:06
  SPEAKER_01: I'm privileged to be uh to be the the first one from the land down under, I guess.
• 2:10
  SPEAKER_01: So that's great.
• 2:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah.
• 2:13
  SPEAKER_03: Um so uh let's let's just start with with my favorite question, which is tell me how you got started in the elevator industry.
• 2:21
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, sure.
• 2:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um and not dissimilar to many of your other guests as well.
• 2:26
  SPEAKER_01: Um I had no idea what the what the elevator industry was all about, to be honest.
• 2:31
  SPEAKER_01: I I basically finished school and uh I was keen on on starting an electrical apprenticeship.
• 2:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh that was my sort of direction.
• 2:40
  SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, I I basically sort of looked through a a newspaper back then, giving away my age.
• 2:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um and yeah, Con A Elevators were were advertising for apprentices.
• 2:53
  SPEAKER_01: Um obviously I applied and uh was lucky enough to be shortlisted, but um, yeah, and was that was the start of the journey really.
• 3:02
  SPEAKER_01: I was really blessed to be selected there.
• 3:04
  SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, like most apprentices, I guess I started in the in the construction side of the business.
• 3:11
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but I was really fortunate because I started on a uh the the building I started on was a high-rise building that was basically just concrete.
• 3:21
  SPEAKER_01: So I uh I got to see the whole process from start to finish.
• 3:25
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it started with putting in rails and all the mechanical side of things, which um which was great.
• 3:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um and it led into the electrical side and right till the end till I was tuning the lifts that I put in.
• 3:36
  SPEAKER_01: So a massive, a massive learning curve, and it was really, really great.
• 3:41
  SPEAKER_03: It's really what you were looking for, it sounds like is give me a big challenge and let me dive in head and heels and everything.
• 3:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and that's what sort of uh, you know, within five minutes, I I loved, I loved the industry basically, um, apart from the initial shock of um you know getting into a lift well 50 floors up as a as a kid, basically.
• 4:02
  SPEAKER_01: But um I just loved the fact that you could do mechanical, electrical, and and everything in between.
• 4:08
  SPEAKER_01: It was it had so much to offer and still does have a lot to offer.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
• 4:12
  SPEAKER_03: So were you were you coming around out of high school?
• 4:14
  SPEAKER_03: Were you in college?
• 4:15
  SPEAKER_03: What what was the you know your your status?
• 4:19
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I I finished school and um I sort of had to make a decision where to go from there, but I was always keen on doing something um in in a in a trade sort of area.
• 4:30
  SPEAKER_01: Um at high school, uh the way it worked here, you could do a couple of subjects um that sort of led you into that direction.
• 4:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um so I did a little bit of electrical and and had some sort of understanding of maybe that's the area that I'm I want to go into.
• 4:47
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, and just ended up going straight after school and and starting an apprenticeship, um, and did a whole lot of other things along the the journey in terms of extra schooling at night school and and things like that.
• 5:00
  SPEAKER_01: So really loved it.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: Cool, cool.
• 5:02
  SPEAKER_03: So you uh, like you say, kind of coming out of high school, really haven't even picked a profession at that point, just find the ad.
• 5:10
  SPEAKER_03: And it what did it say?
• 5:11
  SPEAKER_01: Essentially apprentice, mechanic or electrical, or what was it that uh that the ad was electrical apprentice, and um I really didn't know I had to do my research in terms of hey, what's what's the elevator industry all about?
• 5:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um I actually didn't really know anyone in it.
• 5:31
  SPEAKER_01: Um only found out later that you know some friends of friends were in it, but I I really had no understanding of of the industry, but um was absolutely lucky to to land in it and and I've been in in the industry ever since, and you know, it's been 32 odd years or something like that, and uh I've really enjoyed it.
• 5:50
  SPEAKER_01: I've I've never wanted to do anything else, so yeah.
• 5:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 5:54
  SPEAKER_03: How long were you like in the field, you know, actually working on tuning, like you say, or or adjusting elevators?
• 6:01
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, so my my first stint with with Con A in the field was about 10 years or so, and um I basically covered all areas, um, all the different departments in the field, um, you know, as I said, construction first and then into service and um uh modernization.
• 6:21
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, I loved it so much I even did many, many years of night calls, you know.
• 6:25
  SPEAKER_01: I couldn't get enough of it during the day.
• 6:27
  SPEAKER_01: So I'd be out on call at night time as well.
• 6:30
  SPEAKER_01: And uh, you know, I'd after many years of doing that, I I sort of uh I found out that if you leave your boots on when you go to bed, you you know, your phone stops ringing.
• 6:39
  SPEAKER_01: So that was uh that that took a few years to learn.
• 6:42
  SPEAKER_01: But um just yeah, really enjoyed it and then sort of came to the conclusion that um, you know, once you can fix a lift or service a lift or repair a lift, um, you know, you can basically that's a skill set that's transferable across the globe.
• 6:57
  SPEAKER_01: So after about sort of yeah, 10 years or so with Con A, I decided to um to travel Europe.
• 7:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um you know, I was married at the time and we we were traveling through Europe and um you know traveling.
• 7:11
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, were you backpacking, biking, hiking, or or I mean, just I'm just curious because I have you know some friends that are like, oh, I'm gonna go hike through Europe.
• 7:21
  SPEAKER_03: I'm like, really?
• 7:23
  SPEAKER_01: You know, it was a a little bit of all of the above, you know.
• 7:26
  SPEAKER_01: I've really had no plans at all.
• 7:29
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and there was some hiking involved.
• 7:32
  SPEAKER_01: There was a bit of you know, catching up with friends involved, but basically, and my wife was really keen on having a good holiday experience.
• 7:38
  SPEAKER_01: I was more keen on finding some work, so I was determined to get over there and um and land uh land a job on the other side of the world.
• 7:46
  SPEAKER_01: Um, I do have a German background, so I was looking, you know, on in that part of the world to try and um test the waters over there.
• 7:55
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah, traveling around and you know, I was in a ripped-up t-shirt with with some shorts, and I'd put a shirt in the backpack because I knew that there was a few interviews that were sort of loosely planned and stuff like that.
• 8:07
  SPEAKER_01: So um, you know, I'd stop every now and then and talk to someone and see if there was any work around.
• 8:11
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah, it sort of um it all worked out well.
• 8:15
  SPEAKER_01: It sort of it was interesting.
• 8:17
  SPEAKER_01: I was I was in Bavaria somewhere and uh, as you do, had a several wheat beers under the belt and um, you know, walked out of the the pub I was in and saw an elevator van parked there on the street and had a chat and and they were really interested and said, you know, when can you start?
• 8:34
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Well, probably not now.
• 8:36
  SPEAKER_01: I sort of I've had a few drinks.
• 8:38
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, so it's sort of uh it was interesting.
• 8:43
  SPEAKER_01: Absolutely.
• 8:44
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, so and then I had some interviews in you know Austria and uh a few more in Germany, but I landed a a a gig in Switzerland.
• 8:54
  SPEAKER_01: Oh wow, um so yeah.
• 8:56
  SPEAKER_03: So what was I mean, I'm just curious, you know, having uh kind of traveled the world, I mean it sounds like uh the elevator community is alive and well in Europe as much as uh as in the States.
• 9:08
  SPEAKER_03: I and I've not been to Australia, but but to be able to bump into somebody on the street and say, Hey, you know, you and me, we're we're on the same team.
• 9:17
  SPEAKER_03: What was that reception like?
• 9:18
  SPEAKER_03: What uh I mean it sounds like the mechanic or whoever you were talking to is like, yeah, hey, come come talk to my boss or whatever.
• 9:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, um, yeah, it's it's a really cool industry and the people in it are really cool.
• 9:32
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I've heard it on your podcast before from others that um it is a real community feel, and I can uh I can vouch for that.
• 9:40
  SPEAKER_01: It's um anywhere you go, um, there's there's people there that do a a similar a similar job and um and to have a chat is is is really cool.
• 9:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um I know that you can sort of you know lean on on people and catch up with people and you know they're very very receptive around the world.
• 9:58
  SPEAKER_01: So I think the elevator community sort of crosses all borders.
• 10:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a really we're really lucky to be in it.
• 10:05
  SPEAKER_01: I mean, um my business partner and I have gone to all parts of the globe almost and um you know gone into test towers and whatever else and always been, yeah, it's it's been unbelievable the the reception and the hospital.
• 10:21
  SPEAKER_03: It's amazing to me.
• 10:22
  SPEAKER_03: Just just that there is such a tight community and and just kind of an understanding of okay, you know, we we understand each other, at least uh a good bit of of each other just because of what we do.
• 10:36
  SPEAKER_01: 100%.
• 10:37
  SPEAKER_01: And you know, if any of your listeners are in in Australia at any given time, just look me up and drop in.
• 10:43
  SPEAKER_01: But um I did have someone the other day um look me up and they said, let's catch up.
• 10:48
  SPEAKER_01: And they were in Brisbane somewhere and I'm in Melbourne.
• 10:51
  SPEAKER_01: And I said, Yeah, that that would work, but it's about a you know, three-day drive or something like that.
• 10:56
  SPEAKER_01: It's quite a big place.
• 10:57
  SPEAKER_01: So just look me up in the right part of of um of Australia, that's all.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
• 11:02
  SPEAKER_03: That's very cool.
• 11:04
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so it sounds like that kind of opened up the world of elevators to you, just just that little uh uh I guess uh vacation in a sense, but it became kind of a working vacation.
• 11:15
  SPEAKER_03: How long did you spend in Europe that time?
• 11:18
  SPEAKER_01: Uh close to three years, and I was um I was mainly doing troubleshooting, but also sort of helped out in the in the repairs department.
• 11:26
  SPEAKER_01: And um yeah, it was a real great learning curve and it sort of um tested out the German.
• 11:32
  SPEAKER_01: I was a little bit rusty, but it was yeah, an amazing experience.
• 11:36
  SPEAKER_01: And um yeah, and then sort of came back to Australia with um starting a family and everything else that that comes with it.
• 11:43
  SPEAKER_01: So um, and then did a few different gigs here, uh, straight back into Con A at this end and then um ended up doing some uh modernization sales at at Otis and moved across to Schindler.
• 11:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um met the business partner at Otis, he was there at the time, and um actually both moved across to Schindler and then yeah, decided to to start um consulting um our own business probably 11 years ago or so.
• 12:13
  SPEAKER_03: So how you you had been uh so out of about about 20, 20 something years when you decided to get into consulting?
• 12:20
  SPEAKER_01: Something like that.
• 12:21
  SPEAKER_01: And and you know, it's um it's the business is growing and and we've got some amazing people.
• 12:27
  SPEAKER_01: And someone said recently, or it's been said before, you know, why didn't you start something like this sooner?
• 12:33
  SPEAKER_01: But it's sort of a journey, you know, like it's um you need to really know a lot or a little about a lot or other way around.
• 12:42
  SPEAKER_01: But yeah, to be exposed to all the different um equipment, all the different companies and processes and things like that, it's it's been a it's been part of the journey that sort of led us to this point, you know.
• 12:54
  SPEAKER_01: So it's um it's nothing you can really change or or do any sooner.
• 12:58
  SPEAKER_03: Sure, sure.
• 12:59
  SPEAKER_03: You can't just start out from high school and hey, I'm gonna consult on something I don't know anything about.
• 13:04
  SPEAKER_03: So walking that path, spending the 20-something years doing that, what was it that led you to that decision that, hey, I'm gonna start a consulting firm?
• 13:15
  SPEAKER_01: That's a really good question.
• 13:16
  SPEAKER_01: Um, so uh as I said, Dean Morgan, my business partner, and I were at Schindler at the time.
• 13:23
  SPEAKER_01: Um I was sort of doing a lot of modernization um presentations and he was doing sales presentations.
• 13:31
  SPEAKER_01: So we spent a lot of time together presenting to clients and thought, you know, this is something we um we could consider doing um ourselves, but in the consulting world, um, everyone basically was was coming to us for advice and things like that anyway at that point in time, and we did know a lot of people.
• 13:49
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and I think we just wanted the it was all about the challenge.
• 13:53
  SPEAKER_01: It was never about starting a business or or making money, it was about the challenge, it was about um helping clients, which was no different to our normal approach before any of this started.
• 14:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and yeah, it was about just um trying things a little bit different to how other consultants were doing it at the time.
• 14:12
  SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, we were dealing with consultants on on the other side of the fence, of course, and and you know, no disrespect uh intended, but we just wanted to try things a bit different and and um implement some new technologies and and do things different to how it was being done, you know, really make a go of it.
• 14:30
  SPEAKER_01: So that's how it sort of came about.
• 14:32
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah.
• 14:33
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, yeah.
• 14:34
  SPEAKER_03: Um, so tell me in what ways uh is your work different?
• 14:38
  SPEAKER_03: And you mentioned technology, but but yeah, you know, elaborate on that a little bit, if you will.
• 14:43
  SPEAKER_03: What what is it that kind of sets you apart or or at least that you focus on in a way that you feel like is different?
• 14:51
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 14:52
  SPEAKER_01: Um look, in summary, it's it has to start with our people.
• 14:56
  SPEAKER_01: We've got an amazing team.
• 14:58
  SPEAKER_01: Um all of our consultants are uh what we call lifties over here, so the old school people that have come through the field with plenty of experience across all the different um all the different companies and equipment.
• 15:11
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we have a lot to offer there.
• 15:13
  SPEAKER_03: But um in terms of can you identify or just just define lifties a little bit?
• 15:19
  SPEAKER_03: Does that mean that that they started as mechanics or uh uh how do you how do you join the lifties club?
• 15:26
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, I'm I'm one of those.
• 15:28
  SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, so it's basically you know, you've come through and and done an apprenticeship um and come through the industry on the on the tools, you know, turning a wrench and comfortable in a in a lift shaft.
• 15:40
  SPEAKER_01: Um and uh yeah, come through different parts of the of the business and industry as well.
• 15:46
  SPEAKER_01: So through you know, management positions eventually.
• 15:49
  SPEAKER_01: And um, yeah, we've got a a guy in our team, for example, was 40 years as the national Otis engineering manager, and we've got people that were training managers at Connei and and you know, TK and things like that.
• 16:05
  SPEAKER_01: So you bring all that together in the same room.
• 16:08
  SPEAKER_01: I I've sat in this, I'm downstairs in the training room.
• 16:10
  SPEAKER_01: I've sat in this room before on a on a one of our safety days where we bring everyone in from around the country and you you look around the room thinking, wow, it's like 475 years of combined industry experience, you know, and it's beautiful.
• 16:23
  SPEAKER_01: That means that we're old, but it also means that there's a lot of knowledge in the room, and it's uh it's gonna be a shame when you lose some of that as uh some of the people do leave the industry as well.
• 16:33
  SPEAKER_01: So um, yeah, they are definitely old school lifties.
• 16:37
  SPEAKER_01: Um, but in terms of how we do things different, we sort of um yeah, we look at what we do as um evolving, you know, we're always um reviewing our documentation.
• 16:48
  SPEAKER_01: You know, when we go on site, we capture the the data using an app so we get the precise information every time and we save that to the cloud and photographic records to the cloud.
• 16:59
  SPEAKER_01: And um, we have portals that we set up for our um clients and some of our major clients.
• 17:05
  SPEAKER_01: Um we also um we implemented uh something pretty cool.
• 17:10
  SPEAKER_01: Uh we go to Interlift as well as part of our sort of global reach and see what's going on in the world and the new technologies and the like.
• 17:18
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah, we sort of uh bumped into an organization a few interlifts ago and uh they were developing a ride quality app.
• 17:28
  SPEAKER_01: So, you know, most people have known the PMT uh device or machine that's uh uh basically a box that you carry around to measure ride quality of lifts.
• 17:38
  SPEAKER_01: Um this is sort of that next generation, which is um just an app on a on an iPhone.
• 17:44
  SPEAKER_01: Um and we sort of help you know provide those guys with plenty of data out of Australia, given that we've got more high-rise and high-speed lifts than they had over there in Germany.
• 17:55
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and now they're sort of on the second generation of that.
• 17:58
  SPEAKER_01: So it's basically an app that you go in into a lift and you ride it up and down from inside the car.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Sure.
• 18:04
  SPEAKER_01: Um, and it provides you with a whole heap of data, and that's um done with every maintenance audit that we do, which is which is our bread and butter.
• 18:13
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and it sort of gives you really, really good data in terms of um, you know, levels of vibration and uh in the three axes and acceleration type data, and and then you can pinpoint any issue.
• 18:26
  SPEAKER_01: So it's yeah, it's really handy.
• 18:28
  SPEAKER_01: And we're always looking for things like that that are just um yeah, a little bit next generation to how things used to be done.
• 18:36
  SPEAKER_01: I think you do need to move you know with the times a bit, and and even in our team now, we're we've sort of we've employed some younger mechanical engineers to to sit in amongst the mix and and you can learn from everyone.
• 18:49
  SPEAKER_01: It's it's a really cool thing.
• 18:51
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah, that's amazing that you can track ride quality with a phone.
• 18:55
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, I know they have accelerometers and phones, but I had never really considered that it can sense and and detect and report on like you say, the vibrations in in all three axes as it goes up.
• 19:08
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, and um what how that sort of came about a little bit was you know, we'd be traveling around Australia and New Zealand carrying this this PMT box and um really really handy tool.
• 19:22
  SPEAKER_01: Um I remember going through um must have been going through the local airport here to go somewhere and um had to sit it through the X-ray machine uh because I had no idea what it was.
• 19:34
  SPEAKER_01: And as it came through the machine, they're looking on the on the screen there at security, and all you could really see is a battery with uh with a coil of wire above it, like something you'd seen the cartoons and and this particularly uh this particular security gentleman, you know, thought it might have been a bomb or similar.
• 19:51
  SPEAKER_01: So asked a lot of questions and asked me to turn it on, and as soon as you turn it on, it says uh waiting, waiting for trigger or something like that.
• 20:00
  SPEAKER_01: It went pretty pear-shaped on that day.
• 20:02
  SPEAKER_01: And I'm pretty sure he wanted to uh chat to me out the back.
• 20:05
  SPEAKER_03: So did he slap you in handcuffs or what was his response to that?
• 20:10
  SPEAKER_01: Almost.
• 20:11
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah, it's been it's been a handy thing to be able to just carry your phone um anywhere you go.
• 20:17
  SPEAKER_01: I've been known to be overseas on holidays and take a ride quality reading of a of an elevator because I'm you know I'm a boring elevator geek.
• 20:26
  SPEAKER_01: But um, yeah, things like that.
• 20:28
  SPEAKER_01: We're always looking at exploring new technologies and and doing things differently, you know.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: Beautiful.
• 20:34
  SPEAKER_03: So so you uh what was it like a 40-pound box?
• 20:37
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, if it's got a battery in it, I don't know if that's like a car battery.
• 20:39
  SPEAKER_03: I mean, how much how heavy was that thing that you were carrying around?
• 20:43
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, when you say 40 pounds, it's probably uh geez, I'll talk kilos.
• 20:47
  SPEAKER_01: So it's probably about you know five kilos or something like that.
• 20:50
  SPEAKER_01: Oh, not not as big as a call at 10 pounds, yeah.
• 20:53
  SPEAKER_03: Okay, okay.
• 20:54
  SPEAKER_03: I just envisioned a you know, a lawnmower sized box that you're carting around.
• 20:59
  SPEAKER_00: Not quite that big, not quite that big, no.
• 21:02
  SPEAKER_00: No.
• 21:03
  SPEAKER_03: But uh it does sound like the phone is is definitely uh an an upgrade, certainly more convenient.
• 21:08
  SPEAKER_00: Um, yeah, absolutely.
• 21:11
  SPEAKER_03: So do you just I mean do you just put it on the floor and and let it ride?
• 21:14
  SPEAKER_03: And I mean, I I'm just curious how that Yeah.
• 21:17
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's as simple as that.
• 21:18
  SPEAKER_01: You basically sit at uh I think it's thirty centimeters in front of the uh the car doors on the floor, and you basically ride it up um till you get to the top and back down to the bottom and it spits out a whole lot of useful data.
• 21:33
  SPEAKER_01: I mean you can you know you can look at things like um bearing noises, drive issues, rope issues, um, rifle cheave issues, the list goes on.
• 21:45
  SPEAKER_01: So it's it's a really handy tool.
• 21:47
  SPEAKER_01: And if we we often do annual audits for our big clients.
• 21:51
  SPEAKER_01: So suddenly you've got a benchmark of a starting point, and you can see then in the following year or years, uh any changes to
• 22:00
  SPEAKER_03: that sort of starting point and then you can almost uh you know do that uh analysis and show it to the building engineer and get yourself a new customer saying hey by the way you've you've got whatever flat tires and vibrations going on and uh absolutely yeah absolutely uh it's really cool data if you're as boring as me it's really cool data if you know what you're looking at right if you know how to read the the yeah yeah the meter or and I'm sure it sounds like you've got obviously the software to be able to read it and say hey at 45 feet you know going up you see this and then at 65 you got this and correct or or whatever.
• 22:38
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah correct you can do all that sort of stuff as well yes absolutely yeah yeah uh what are what are some things that you would say distinguish you from from everybody else is has anything come to mind?
• 22:50
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah so apart from um it's again have to reiterate our people that they're just amazing they they go above and beyond for our for our clients but um you know I'm talking to you for example from our training room here and um you know we have a lot of people come through here in terms of clients that just want to learn some basics um terminology or just anything like that sort of um that helps them to to manage their portfolio of vertical transportation so I'm not sure who else has um a training center like this in Australia but um yeah we certainly use this a bit where um we even have like a a bit of a elevator museum and it's nothing like um Steve Cromley isn't it in um Amesbury I'd definitely got to get across there I'd really got to get across there but you know we we collect stuff like that so when we have uh we've had some um you know apprentices or or work experienced kids from school come through and we encourage that and we can talk to them about you know this is a modern lift with um with a microprocessor not much to see versus this thing over here that's just got relays clanking away and stuff like that.
• 24:00
  SPEAKER_01: So you can see you know how that technology has changed over the years and it's really important you know and um and it's it's fascinating for some of these people that come through.
• 24:11
  SPEAKER_03: And you said something a minute ago that kind of caught my attention and that was that you bring customers to your training room and you train them so that they can manage their portfolio.
• 24:20
  SPEAKER_03: That that seems unique to me and I don't maybe there's others out there educating customers but um I hadn't thought that I assumed it was just to train your own people.
• 24:32
  SPEAKER_01: They are trained.
• 24:33
  SPEAKER_01: It's like um we want to give back a bit to be honest.
• 24:36
  SPEAKER_01: So um with our clients we really encourage that because um it helps them to manage their portfolio.
• 24:43
  SPEAKER_01: So if they're talking to uh a Lyft company um and you know there's a lot of sort of different terminology being thrown around it it just makes their life a bit easier if they understand um a basic overview of what they're basically looking at.
• 24:58
  SPEAKER_01: You know they might be an electrical or mechanical engineer managing a property but um as we said earlier no one knows about elevators um it's just a box on a on a on a rope.
• 25:11
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah it's really good to have the opportunity to um to train these people and um it really goes down well and it it and if nothing else it brings us together with the client face to face which is something that doesn't happen quite as much these days um particularly post-pandemic type stuff you know and you can have a coffee and a a bit of a a sandwich at the end of it all and and talk through any any issues that they have.
• 25:36
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah it's been a really really good thing um yeah for the business as well.
• 25:41
  SPEAKER_03: It sounds brilliant honestly to to educate your customers because you're investing in them you're you're essentially paying it forward and then you know not only can they manage their their things better but they can uh you know obviously they're gonna be wanting to come back to you because you're you're educating you're giving them peek under the hood right and and saying hey you're the one paying the bill so you might as well know what kind of device you're buying and and understand how it compares to some others because you know you're the one shopping here.
• 26:11
  SPEAKER_01: 100% uh we've even had uh the lift companies um send some I guess new sales type people through or people from outside the industry that sort of you know often you you might be thrown in the deep end and suddenly you need to make sales or whatever the case may be and that's pretty difficult if you don't have a an overview of what you're looking at.
• 26:33
  SPEAKER_01: So we're happy to do that sort of stuff as well because at the end of the day we have you know with Lyft companies I know there's a bit of a a love-hate relationship at times between consultants and uh elevator companies but at the end of the day we've we've got the same clients and we've got the same sort of motivation and and direction.
• 26:51
  SPEAKER_01: We're both trying to help move in the in the right direction.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah.
• 26:55
  SPEAKER_01: Yeah yeah do you do you have like a regular schedule of hey we're gonna teach you know basics and advanced and you know on a like every month or or is it more kind of as needed or you know it's basically as needed and and we are quite busy I'll be honest we've got some big national clients that that keep us busy and um but we fit it in wherever we can and whenever a client wants it we'll make it happen.
• 27:21
  SPEAKER_01: That's important to us.
• 27:22
  SPEAKER_01: We love to in amongst our team there's some really keen people to share information.
• 27:27
  SPEAKER_01: You know as I said earlier there's um people that have spent you know 30 plus years at Conay and and then the same rules apply across Chindla TK and um Otis as well.
• 27:38
  SPEAKER_01: So you know it's it's important for us to share that knowledge you know and um I was even thinking of that as a as a bit of a a future thing you know when I want to do something different.
• 27:51
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah we do really enjoy that side of things but yeah probably not enough time to do as much of it as we'd like to sure understood understood.
• 28:00
  SPEAKER_03: What would you say um you know are some of the trends that you're tracking um you know maybe some concerns that you're seeing and uh what would you what do you see as you look to the future?
• 28:13
  SPEAKER_01: Another good question.
• 28:15
  SPEAKER_01: Something that's probably slightly annoying is we see um an influx in what's called inspection visits, which basically and there's nothing wrong with that um providing there's um follow-up at the other end.
• 28:31
  SPEAKER_01: So we're seeing inspection visits whereby it's almost just a case of ticking a box and being able to get a a maintenance schedule off a off a list.
• 28:43
  SPEAKER_01: And I'd rather not even see that on the list.
• 28:45
  SPEAKER_01: I mean it's it's so an example would be um you know we've been to some retail or infrastructure sites with plenty of escalators and you know a lot of the escalators would have handrails that need replacing for example um and then the client asks us to go through the maintenance records you know to see what's been planned or or what else and it turns out that you know there's been all these inspection visits done and and the handrails have been ticked off the list but there's been no sort of subsequent follow-up and that's quite frustrating and annoying for a client because then it's suddenly an unplanned repair um which results in downtime.
• 29:27
  SPEAKER_01: But by the way it also results in additional cost to the to the elevator company because if it's not planned then it's suddenly an emergency repair and it it it costs a whole lot of extra and you might have to get equipment in air freighted or something like that.
• 29:42
  SPEAKER_01: So that's one thing I'm seeing um I'm also seeing a a a lot more um rusting of hoisting ropes that have been left in operation for much longer than they used to be in in days gone by.
• 29:57
  SPEAKER_01: So and it's really a false economy because again you know an elevator company might be planning for for the changing of hoisting ropes and I understand that um but it seems to be dragging on for a long period of time and that is detrimental to even the profit of the elevator company it's it's it impacts reliability levels it um it can affect other areas of the installation uh we had a uh a recent example where a drive unit failed because it was full of um full of the rouge the the the rope dust that had gone through the unit and things like that so seeing a bit more of that um so I think what I'm hearing you saying is proactive maintenance makes everybody a a winner right and the customer the the contractor just just kind of being proactive about it versus waiting waiting waiting until something breaks is going to cost everybody and it didn't need to 100% 100% it's gonna save the elevator company in the long run I would think um and you're right so I mean it's it's a case of we're seeing um you know if if there's a call out for example we're often seeing that an inspection visit might be ticked off the list which is not really a proactive approach to maintenance um and yeah just trying to sort of um follow those trends and make sure that we can all work through them together really as an industry.
• 31:27
  SPEAKER_01: But then we're seeing things like uh and I've heard someone else on your podcast talk about IoT um we're we're all for new technology 100% uh I know that it'll be a good thing in the future I think currently it's it's probably still in its um early adopter type stage um but it shouldn't replace for example a um a physical visit by a technician um that can you know visually look and and whatever on site is is always uh a step above that um it should in it should sort of um enhance the current maintenance regime almost but yeah I think that's going to come in a lot more in the future um we've even got here in the training room a a a working uh display of a of a door curtain or a door protection unit I guess you'd call it over there maybe that's got IoT um built into that so you know there's a there's a the control box that's mounted on the on the car roof um has an accelerometer in it and it does all those sorts of things and it's all basically um done through the door protection unit.
• 32:43
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah all that sort of stuff is is great and it's definitely coming in.
• 32:48
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah there's a lot of I think there's a lot of changes moving forward with the technology for sure.
• 32:53
  SPEAKER_03: Yeah a lot of exciting things that uh don't know where they're gonna land right as you're saying we're we're still in the development phase so you know who knows what that'll look like when it all plays out and uh it could be multiple different iterations of how it plays out.
• 33:11
  SPEAKER_03: Um so uh you know kind of looking back on your your career and even um I I I guess the question is you know what what would you say to somebody who's uh you know looking at maybe getting in or they're just starting brand new what advice would you give to them?
• 33:31
  SPEAKER_01: You picked a good industry it's um it's it's it's a great industry with plenty of opportunities.
• 33:37
  SPEAKER_01: Uh what I'd probably say is um take it all in um don't be afraid to ask questions um people in the industry love to to share knowledge um they don't just hold it all for themselves um and certainly don't burn any bridges so if you find yourself moving between companies um don't ever sort of leave on a on a sour note um it's a small industry as we've established everyone knows everyone so um you know just keep those uh lines of communication and doors open in the future because you never know um where you're going to cross paths and I'm sure you will cross paths with with people that you've you know left for one organization you know you're bound to cross paths somewhere again in the future yeah but certainly um and the other thing is of course um for me I when I started out I never wanted to I was so comfortable in a lift well turning a wrench it was that was that was my happy place it actually still is but don't never say never um it's a journey so basically um start out where you start out from and then just if you're happy there that's great but just look around in terms of um you know there'll be opportunities thrown at you and and just uh see what you think and give it a go because when I left the field to move into an office role um really enjoyed it really loved the challenge every time I loved the challenge and every time I loved the change but I didn't like the change at the time because no one likes change.
• 35:13
  SPEAKER_01: But it's a fabulous industry and um if you've got any questions reach out and contact us we we'll we'll bore you with some elevator talk.
• 35:23
  SPEAKER_01: But um yeah it's a really good career um that can be made in the industry for sure you know yeah that's awesome.
• 35:30
  SPEAKER_01: Well Richie as we uh you know we're getting closer to our time here and and as we're about to wrap up um what else would you like to share with our listeners before we sign off what else uh well if you do find I've said it earlier didn't I if you do find yourself in Australia come and say g'day but um yeah just uh I don't know it's just a really good industry I've I've met so many great people um check out uh don't limit yourself just to the local market either um you know we as I mentioned earlier we we go to interlift uh in in Germany which is on every two years and it's a it's a massive expo they're all around the world there's there's some closer to home of course for you guys we go to China and we go to different test towers around the world it's really fascinating to see some of this stuff so just remember it's a it's a it's a global market and there's plenty to do and see in it.
• 36:29
  SPEAKER_01: So um yeah don't forget to to do all that sort of stuff and and reach out to people via um platforms like LinkedIn you know like I've um Ed Riviera that's a bit of a you know superstar on LinkedIn you know I've I've reached out and spoken to him and and Chris Goodches and stuff like that.
• 36:47
  SPEAKER_01: So yeah reach out and and ask people for um advice if you need to or yeah or if you find yourself in a bit of a bit of a dark place there's always people out there that are sort of lean upon for sure.
• 37:02
  SPEAKER_01: It's awesome thank you well and I think you've demonstrated that throughout your career by just taking off going to Europe and you know making friends talking to people and and realizing that that there is a a community of of like minded people that uh can support you give you a job give you some advice you know give you a kick in the butt whatever it is you need that day 100% help you on your way 100% you know and um even at Interlift I bumped into T Bruce you know just out of the blue one John Koshak I think is that I hope I'm saying that wrong yeah no you so it's a it's amazing who you see around the world that you sort of recognize from somewhere or from LinkedIn or from anywhere and it's it's pretty cool.
• 37:48
  SPEAKER_01: It's pretty cool.
• 37:49
  SPEAKER_03: It is it is well Richie thank you for being with me today.
• 37:52
  SPEAKER_03: I've enjoyed every minute of it and wish you the best as you continue to to do your work.
• 37:57
  SPEAKER_01: It's been a pleasure Matt and I really do enjoy your podcast um obviously I love elevators but I love people's journey in the industry as well so yeah you're doing a great podcast I really enjoy it.
• 38:09
  SPEAKER_01: Thanks for having me.
• 38:10
  SPEAKER_03: Appreciate it.
• 38:11
  SPEAKER_01: Cheers.
• 38:12
  SPEAKER_03: Thank you for listening to the Elevator Careers Podcast sponsored by the Allred Group, a leader in elevator industry recruiting you can check us out online at elevatorcareers.net please subscribe and until next time stay safe