Anand Jayakumar’s Post

A Self congratulatory post for me as I quietly celebrate 30 years in the truck industry. No continued service with one company to be recognised just the advancing years and creaky back serving as a reminder! 10th August 1994 saw a 16yr old me starting as a Technical apprentice for Volvo Trucks UK, apprenticeships had had a rebirth recently and I was on the ‘Modern’ scheme. Good job….things moved quick and I saw some huge leaps in technology, seeing off Drum brakes for Disc, Manual for Auto, Analogue for Digital. Euro 1-4 and the introduction of SCR and EGR in just the first 15 years alone! Time with MAN Truck & Bus UK saw in Euro 5 and when I saw what a Euro 6 engine (combined EGR and SCR) looked like I knew it was time to trade the overalls for a suit and offer that experience in a number of supporting management roles. All of the advancements in technology were met with resistance along the years, the latest weak argument put up is Mirrors vs DAF Direct Vision System. – #nocontest, the improved view to front is worth it alone! It’s eye watering how quick time flies, although nothing made the eyes water like the exhaust plume of a Euro 0 truck on start up!....So no matter how we look back on the industry in the last 30 years we should be grateful for the advancements in emissions! What next?......No time to wait for Euro 7, lets just call it ZERO emissions….embrace the future of Electric Vehicles and do it with the manufacturer I chose to work with when drawing on my 30 years of industry knowledge! DAF Trucks UK Ltd.                #batteryelectricvehicles #Zeroemissions #futureisnow #Experiencetellsme #Cleanair

40 years ago this week I moved 500miles from home to Coventry to start my career at Austin Rover as a graduate trainee in Product Development at Canley. It was exciting times and I had a passion to try to do my bit for the UK Automotive sector. Not long after starting we were introduced to Warwick University and learned the opportunities through academia and industry working closer. Later I enjoyed various training courses at Arden House and the ATC (Advanced Technology Centre) where in the early 90’s we wrote a paper titled 2020 Vision on trends in automotive (we didn’t see the electric revolution!) Yesterday, I visited both the APC and WMG again to see how things have changed and discuss how to work even closer together to move the dial in UK car design and manufacture. What’s changed you could ask? In some ways not a lot - engineers solving the problems of the day with always insufficient funding. In others we have moved a long way. Today, lots of pieces of the jigsaw are there. In the UK we have innovations and manufacturing solutions we can implement and we have the people who can do it. We do, however, need to break out of that very British habit of being modest and start shouting about our capabilities to get the backing it deserves from the investment community. Governments have been supporting innovation and now look like there are green shoots of thinking towards longer term strategic industrial strategy. To me though, right now, it still looks easier to innovate here in the UK then export the thinking and implement the industrialisation bit somewhere else in the World. We need to right that issue soon!

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The best thing about working in automotive is that there really are so many amazing opportunities for anyone and everyone. The variety of people working in the sector makes it the brilliant sector that it is. Read my automotive career journey, misconceptions of the industry and advice for anyone considering joining the sector here: https://lnkd.in/d7Bszhnr. #MoreToMotor #RealVoices The Institute of the Motor Industry

Already five year... Alhamdulillah, this week I've completed my fifth year at Lear Corporation Rabat Engineering Center. Back in 2019, I was the sixth team member, I joined it as Design Engineer, but with no previous experience in seating... Five years later, here I am, managing an engineering center, and having great times with the team. As I reflect on the days of climbing, I realize the success story we've built together, from six team members to over a hundred talented engineers and amazing people. Yes, we dreamed it like this; we believed in ourselves that one day we would make it happen. While it’s a success story, it wasn’t easy, we faced hard times and challenges that we overcame together as a team. Today, I want to congratulate and thank myself for being a dreamer, a hard worker, enthusiastic, a learner, patient, and human. Thanks to everyone who supported and helped me get to where I am today, especially James Wharton , Yazid GAYAL and Youssouf EL HRAICHI. If I wrote this post, it’s to share a few thoughts: * No matter how or when you started, what counts is how it ends. * Regardless of your skills or education, there’s always a way to learn and grow. * Look for a company and people who believe in you and care about you as a person. * There’s room for everyone to succeed, you can build an amazing career without undermining others. * Being professional and assertive doesn’t mean being inhuman, you can achieve business success while remaining empathetic and cool. * It’s okay to feel tired, stressed, overwhelmed, or emotional, but don’t stuck on it. Learn how to overcome it, it’s all in your mind, and you have control. * Falling down isn’t the end; it’s part of life’s journey. Fight for your dreams and goals. * Once you reach the top, remember to thank those who supported you and help lift others up. That’s all. Thank you for taking the time to read my words and celebrate my first five-year anniversary. See you at the 10th anniversary! #Success #Achievement #Growth #WorkAnniversary #Engineering #Lear #Gratefulness #Celebration #Leadership #Life

An interesting topic to discuss! What factors need to be met for the safety of driving a loaded truck, does age factor into it?

Patience in Progress: Great Things Take Time "When things do not happen right away, just remember it takes 6 months to build a Rolls-Royce and 13 hours to build a Toyota." In a bustling workshop, two apprentices started their training. Both were passionate about cars, but one dreamed of building luxurious cars like Rolls-Royce, while the other wanted to work in a fast-paced factory. The first apprentice spent his days carefully crafting each detail, understanding that a high-quality car requires patience and precision. He would polish, fit, and refine each part until it was perfect, knowing that the result would be nothing short of exceptional. Meanwhile, the second apprentice joined a factory line where speed was the priority. He built cars quickly, finishing one every few hours. While he was proud of his work, he often glanced at his friend’s workshop, wondering why someone would take so long to build just one car. Years later, the first apprentice became a renowned craftsman known for his exquisite, one-of-a-kind cars. The second apprentice, though successful, realized that some dreams and achievements simply require more time and dedication to create something extraordinary. This story reminds us that when goals feel far away or progress seems slow, it is often because we are building something great. Good things may happen fast, but exceptional things take time. So, if you are working on a goal that seems to be moving slowly, do not rush. Stay patient, trust the process, and remember that quality and success are worth the wait. #Motivation #Patience #QualityOverSpeed

It appears that few carriers are interested in training and hiring truck drivers younger than 21 years old. But that is okay, because it also appears that not many young people are interested in becoming a truck driver anyway. That said, how comfortable would you be having an 18-year-old truck driver transporting one of your loads across state lines? Read on for some insights from our Indago supply chain research community, as well as some data reported recently by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration about its under-21 truck driver apprenticeship program. #trucking #logistics #supplychain #drivershortage https://lnkd.in/ew7zYDfq

Interesting article from GSF Car Parts but five years ago School of Thought (Automotive) issued a warning to the industry and created a programme to start to address the issue. We have met with GSF Car Parts to discuss how we could work together to help not just GSF but also their customer base. No response to date. School of Thought (Automotive) have spoken about the subject at many industry events including IBIS Global this year, Automechanika UK in 2023 and The Garage and Bodyshop Event in 2022 but also ABP and Bodyshop Magazine in 2019. It’s frustrating and disappointing that senior people and major companies in the industry are only just talking about the problem. At School of Thought (Automotive) we set about trying to address the issue in 2019 for the whole industry. So let’s stop the talking. We did five years ago and have now promoted careers in the industry to thousands of young people but also created a free directory for all companies which we will open up for students in the new school year who will be able to find companies in their local area who can offer work experience or apprenticeships. If any company including every GSF Car Parts branch wants to be visible to young people they can use our new website https://lnkd.in/d7zP2TNf or contact me directly at [email protected] We also created the very first National Automotive Careers Week in April this year. The theme for 2024 was work experience and every company in the industry can get involved in National Automotive Careers Week 2025 to make it an event that thousands of young people will be able to see what the industry has to offer them. Again any company wanting to get involved can contact me directly. Our Partners page shows companies already addressing the issue and not just starting. The words about the Skills Gap have all been heard for years so let’s stop talking, collaborate and start fixing it. There is no short term fix.

Do you know what sunk the vessel, Felicity Ace, and over $400 million worth of cargo along with it? It wasn’t a reef in Samoa... It was a car battery. As hybrid and electric vehicles (EVs) gain popularity, the lithium-ion batteries they use increasingly impact shipping safety, and are being linked to a rise in onboard fires. When a fire breaks out on a ship, controlling it becomes nearly impossible, making loss prevention a top priority for shipping lines. Recently, our fully qualified EV mechanic, Uncle, dedicated an hour at Jacanna Customs and Freight to conduct crucial pre-shipping safety checks of the hybrid-systems in vehicles set to sail. Our MITO apprentice, Shawn, eagerly shadowed Uncle, realising that a mechanic's career can extend beyond the workshop as demand for qualified technical expertise in the shipping industry grows with the rising popularity of these vehicles. 👉 For more information about preventing the risk of car battery fires in shipping https://lnkd.in/dFVbQqpj