In the latest Lord Combustion Services staff profile we speak to Lyndon Davis, who was recently promoted to Contracts Manager, about his work, the enjoyment he gets from working for the company and his experience to date.
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
I am responsible for delivering small to medium sized heating, combustion and plumbing contracts for Lord Combustion Services. I joined the company in January 2022. My work covers everything from a small replacement part to the full replacement of a plantroom. After being passed the initial brief, I am responsible for the site surveys and getting a handle on what is required so I can create a proposal which is shared with them for approval. I am then involved in the delivery through to handover. We cover clients across the West Midlands, including Birmingham, Worcestershire, Derbyshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country and Shropshire.
Who do you work with directly in the Lord team?
At Lords we all work as a team, I liaise with service / maintenance, projects, accounting and field based engineers in the delivery of works and the board of directors for forward planning. My role is to link up with all the teams.
What jobs did you have before you joined Lord?
I have spent all of my career within Engineering with a large amount of time working in cast metals, working with copper, brass and cast iron. I have worked with aluminium, gold, silver and platinum. My previous job titles included engineering manager and maintenance manager.
Which skills did you bring to Lord from your previous work?
My varied engineering experience has enabled me to gain a wide range of technical and practical experience. I have previously looked after a management team of 45 people, through to a group of three. I have also been a user of contractors and have brought this experience with me on the contractor side. I have a fair idea of what a customer wants and I can draw upon that approach in my work at Lord. With a fixation on safe working, I am NEBOSH and IOSH qualified so I have a thoroughness to health and safety.
What do you enjoy about working for Lord?
I like the people I work with, from the office based colleagues through to the service teams, the fitters and the engineers. They are a great bunch. I am working with people who are motivated to do a good job and like getting things done. I am enjoying meeting new people every week. We are in a service industry because we support not just organisations but individuals by making their heating work. In previous decades I have been doing very similar work each day which could feel constrictive but the variety in this role is enjoyable.
What is the best bit of advice you would give somebody starting at Lord?
The best advice is to be honest and open. If you can be positive and forward thinking, it goes a long way. There is an old phrase that the customer is always right and that is still the case at Lord.
What has been the most memorable occasion where you have helped a client?
I was recently with a facilities manager who had been having heating problems. I gave a transparent understanding of his options, which was a fair assessment of the situation compared to the advice he had been previously given. We always aim to offer a fair and honest review for each client, so we can build a relationship of trust.
What can be the most challenging parts of the job? How do you address these challenges?
The amount of details this job requires can be more than many people are used to. The biggest challenge is ensuring the customer is always given the response they deserve, which having had 40 years of working with contractors, I try to influence and assist.
What are your interests outside of work?
Since I had kids my life has been focussed around my three children, who are aged between 15 and 21. My passion has always been music especially pop and rock from the 1960s onwards. I love collecting records and play guitar and bass. I played in bands for a number of years.