Mark Neale
HYDRAQUIP CELEBRATES ITS 25th ANNIVERSARY
Friday 1st September 2014
Today meet Mark Neale
Area Sales Manager HYDRAQUIP Hose & Hydraulics
My journey in the field of hydraulics began in 2002, when I joined Dunlop Hiflex in Sittingbourne as a mobile engineer. Not having had any experience, Dunlop Hiflex provided all the necessary training for me to begin my role as a hydraulic service engineer. After spending a few years with Dunlop Hiflex, I joined the team at Pirtek Medway. I worked as a mobile hose engineer at Pirtek Medway going on site assisting in hydraulic breakdowns. Though in 2008 whilst at Pirtek Medway, a Hydraulic Engineer role arose at Hydraquip Medway. I had to weigh up the pros and cons of moving from Pirtek Medway to Hydraquip Medway. Hydraquip offered an opportunity to progress and develop my skills as well as the knowledge of the industry, for which reason I chose to leave Pirtek Medway. I spent a number of years working on the road, attending on site breakdowns to get customers machinery up and running with minimum downtime. No matter how dirty the job got, especially with hydraulic oil spillages from broken down machinery, my van always remained immaculately clean. This baffled not just my colleagues but my customers too! Come rain or shine, the Hydraquip logo on my van remained 100% gleaming!
Over the years, I have gained a wealth of experience, knowledge and a great understanding of all aspects of the hydraulic industry especially daily operations. As a result I worked my way up to an Area Sales Manager for the Strood hydraulic depot to oversee and support engineers in their daily on site jobs as well as driving sales and building relationships with existing and potential customers in the South East of England.
I am also actively involved in setting up the new hydraulic on site workshops, from stock to inductions and training. I spend a week with the trained engineers to give them an insight to Hydraquip’s policy of repairs, customer service and health and safety. Joining a team that provide experienced mentors enables new employees to feel supported and gain a great understanding the company’s work ethics. I am one of two people that are contacted during out of hours if any questions may arise. This is not often, though I am always prepared (even if it is 2 in the morning!).
I participate in the company’s Karting for Heroes annual event, I really enjoy the competitive element of karting and especially when it is for a good cause such as Help for Heroes. Over the years, I have successfully involved a number of my customers which make up nearly half the number of teams who participate.
I love to spend time with my family, especially with my 19 month old daughter Lois who always keeps us on our toes! We have recently returned from a family holiday on the Greek island of Skiathos. This was the first time Lois had been abroad and she absolutely loved it! In my spare time (not that I have much these days!) I play football, enjoy swimming and watching football and motorsport. Luckily for me I can go and watch some of the motor sport races at Hydraquip’s Brands Hatch suite!
Meet The Team