Gary has worked for Duro UK and sister company Yokota UK for a combined 21 years, starting in October 1996 as a Hi Tech engineer in the Yokota workshop. During this time Gary gained an in-depth knowledge of the Yokota air tools products, which in turn aided him in training new employees in repairing and maintaining Yokota air tools.
In 2006 Gary moved into the head office as a workshop manager and stock controller for Duro UK. 12 months later Gary was promoted as a Sales Representative covering Yorkshire, the Northwest, the Northeast and the Midlands. In the past six years Gary has been further afield covering the Southeast, North London and the West midlands – commuting from his home in Sheffield.
On his role, Gary commented “Day to day I manage customer accounts, providing the best possible service to the customers I look after. I pride myself on being very personable and professional, offering knowledge and advice on any application the customer requires our products for. We have a vast range of products, and different levels of performance for our cutting, grinding, drilling and breaking products, so I have a great selection to choose from to ensure the customer gets the right product. I work with a variety of customers from procurement teams at head offices, to providing product training on Yokota and Duro products on site, which means everyday is different.”
On the biggest change from 21 years ago Gary said, “When I started at Duro sister company Yokota, there were only 5 members of staff including myself, and the premises were a lot smaller to say the least. Now we operate from 3 warehouses and a central headquarters in Sheffield with a full complement of staff across numerous departments. This means I have more help and resource behind me when managing my customer base.”
On the industry Gary said “The best aspect about our industry are the people who you meet, making new contacts and building relationships which eventually turn customers very much into friends.”
When asked about what he does in his spare time, Gary said “I commute from Sheffield to London during the week so any downtime relaxing on the weekend is always good. I mainly spend a of lot time with my family or pottering outside (previously a keen gardener and allotment owner) so I always have something to do.”
