November 2nd 2023
“It’s good to be behind the scenes – making sure jobs run smoothly for the customer and seeing them through to completion” says Kevin Gasser, Applications Support Manager (South).
Kevin joined Selwood as an Installation Supervisor five years ago and moved to the Applications Support Manager role last year.
He now has the responsibility of managing quotes, deliveries, and the implementation of pumping solutions across the South, supporting the regional teams.
“Today, I have more of a role in piecing the jobs together. Getting the kit ready, organising transport and delivering kit to site, making sure the team have all the right equipment to do the installations – rather than being the one installing it!
Having accumulated 12 years’ experience in the pump rental industry, Kevin explains “I know what it’s like to be in the shoes of the Install team, so I try to reduce downtime for the guys and make sure they’re receiving the right equipment in the right order to make their job as easy as possible.”
Loading and delivery
As Applications Support Manager, Kevin works day to day alongside the Solutions team. His technical expertise is often needed to solve problems and manage projects to support customer requirements.
“The Solutions Managers produce the site survey and quote for the customer and then I review this to make sure they haven’t missed anything needed for the install. Having the knowledge and background in installations, I understand the process of how jobs are put together.
“I often assist our Revit Specialist with 3D drawings of the best method to set the pumps up on site. I then review the drawings to see if we need to make any amendments before the installation is carried out, saving on downtime and preventing delays.
“This is then shared with the customer to give them an understanding of what the site will look like and, once finalised, is also passed to our install teams so they know how to build the project.
“I also need to have an understanding of the job and location. This allows me to plan the transport according to size of the vehicle and priority of equipment being delivered to site, making sure deliveries are scheduled in the right order. There’s no point having a lorry full of pipework turn up, but no nuts and bolts which aren’t coming until the third lorry, for example.”
Planned jobs and emergencies
As well as pumps, Selwood supply a range of ancillaries to customers, which are available for hire. This supports the team in providing an ongoing solution, tailored to the customer’s specific needs. There are a lot of moving parts and components that Kevin needs to keep track of as part of his role.
“No day is the same for me – you need to be very reactive but also highly organised in this role. I could go from having a steady week to all of a sudden having three or four emergency jobs on the go, so we need to be as prepared as we can.
“In this case, I’ll go to site and check the vehicles will have safe access. If there is ever a problem, we will assess the situation and try to come up with the best solution. We’ve used tractors and helicopters to get equipment onto site before!
“You have to be spontaneous sometimes, depending on the job and the timeline. We often have to come up with solutions on the spot!”