Indigo Software is a leading European warehousing and logistics provider, implementing warehouse management systems solutions for 100+ happy customers. Established for over 30 years, Indigo delivers and supports a total solution with competence, expertise and integrity in a mission critical business.

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Engaging with Indigo brings numerous benefits and a unique relationship with Indigo is enjoyed by many blue chip organisations.

Warehouse & Logistics News – What brought you to this industry?

I joined Rank Hovis McDougall (RHM) in 1981 working initially in the goods inward department for raw materials and I quickly realised that things could be much much better in the organisation of the department. I was using very old ICL based system which, at best, was 24 hours out of date. I was responsible for receiving stock prior to it being sent to the factory for production so as part of the planning you had to eyeball the stock rather than rely on the computer system. How different things are now!

WLN – What’s the most exciting thing about your job?

Working as a solution consultant allows me to indulge my passion for logistics and real world warehousing with some of the best companies in the UK and abroad. My role at Indigo has taken me to the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Philippines, Thailand and Hong Kong, meeting professionals at all levels of the business and helping them along their journey to more structured processes and procedures.

Solutions consultancy is about selling a dream or a vision of how things “could be”. You need to have a belly full of enthusiasm to succeed and when you do it’s magic. Making a return visit to clients often years later to see just how far they have come is extremely rewarding.

WLN – Who inspired you most in your career?

That’s easy – a guy I worked with called Roddy King. At the time he was the first Operations Manager I had come across who knew what he was talking about. Not only that, he led with passion, vision and action and it’s a mantra I’ve carried throughout my career. He lived life to the full and his career spanned the merchant navy dockyards to food manufacturing. He was by a country mile the most influential person I’ve met.

WLN – If you were an item in a warehouse, what would you be?

I would have to be a Bendi truck. They are so versatile and can almost do anything. They also have a great reputation in the industry.

WLN – If you had to do it all over again, what would you do different?

I’d have left RHM sooner – purely because staying in one place for such a long time (19 years), I feel, is career limiting. I was surrounded by bright, keen individuals who bought into the customer service concept and so this made staying there an easy decision. Isn’t it the individuals in any organisation the reason we all stay?

WLN – What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s ever happened to you at work?

Flying to the other end of the world without my demo laptop and having to get it sent by courier a day later. Luckily I received it in time and the meeting went well but that’s not a mistake I’ll make again.

WLN – Who or what makes you laugh?

My 25 year old son Ryan. Full of beans he’s currently taking on the World, one project at a time and never ceases to amaze me with his one liners. He reminds me a lot of me when I was his age.

WLN – Do you have any hidden talents?

Yes, I can pull a 90 mile an hour wheelie in second gear on a Hayabusa. Don’t print that.

WLN – Who would be your favourite party guest?

Winston Churchill. A man more suited to the role than any other on the planet at that time.

WLN – What is the greatest luxury in your life?

Riding a motorcycle in the late Spring. You are surrounded by beauty and it’s just not the same in a car. People don’t ‘go for drives’ anymore but with a bike you ride purely for pleasure.

WLN – What is your favourite guilty pleasure?

The Stylistics – the soundtrack of my youth (Thanks Mum!)

WLN – Do you have any secret ambitions?

To play the guitar like Peter White.

WLN – What’s your dream holiday destination?

I’d love to visit the Raceway at Laguna Seca in California and sample the corkscrew.

WLN – What are your three favourite movies of all time?

Unforgiven, Black Hawk Down and 2001: A Space Odyssey.

WLN – What is your favourite book of all time?

Vulcan 607 by Rowland White. It’s a synopsis of the bomb raid on the airport at Port Stanley, The Falklands. These guys flew further than anyone else had ever done on a mission of this type and barely made it back.

WLN – What’s your favourite pastime?

Cycling both with and without an engine. I also love walking round Durham and the surrounding area in the Spring and Autumn.

WLN – If you won the Lottery, what would you do?

Buy a Desmocedici bike and store it in my front room so I could just look at it. It’s the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. However, I’d have to indulge my passion for what I do. I couldn’t stop working as my role is so rewarding at Indigo.

WLN – What would be your advice to someone thinking about coming into the industry (apart from “don’t do it”)?

Embrace technology. For every dead end there are 50 routes through the process that will add value to everything you do. RF technology has revolutionised our supply chain technology and allowed businesses to grow whilst meeting and often exceeding customers’ expectations.

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