Potato Review

24 POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2019 SIGN POST NIGEL HAITH “One thing my father always taught me was never cut corners on quality and always aim to build machinery which is robust, gentle and reliable.” PROFES IONAL’S PROFILE Having begun working in a small cowshed, the Haith family are now well-established in the agricultural machinery industry. Here, Nigel Haith, Managing Director, talks about his own career evolution – and how his love of machinery still lls his leisure time. C an you tell me a little about yourself? What did you aspire to be when you were growing up? I grew up in a rural village, and my father carried out mechanical repairs for local farmers, which I think made me really interested in farming and engineering. You could say my training started at a very early age as it was very common that Dad would need some help at the weekends and I would go with him to assist or sometimes hinder him, as the case may be, because of my inexperience. At about 11, I realised I was quite good at buying and selling! I started by repairing old bicycles and selling them for a pro t! I then moved on to motorbikes, which is still my passion today. My grandad had some land at the back of the workshop and me, and my brothers would spend hours riding motorbikes, cars or anything customers brought in for repair around the eld. Howwe never got injured was a miracle! How did you embark on your career path and go about achieving your goals? Tell me a little about how you came to be in your current position? I left school at 17 and started work the following day in the family workshop. I did my apprenticeship and attended Doncaster college one day a week. I wanted to experience all the aspects of the business and started o in the fabrication department learning to weld and build machinery then progressed to the machine shop, turning parts for production and eventually working on site with my brother Chris, installing and servicing equipment all over the UK. I managed the manufacturing department for a number of years before progressing into sales. Having a keen interest in motorsport, I raced karts for a number of years, and after an accident which left me with a badly damaged ankle, I required a job where I was not standing up all the time, therefore, my father suggested I worked in the o ce looking after costing jobs sheets, invoicing and quoting. And, as they say, the rest is history! I became Managing Director of the business several years later when Dad become Chairman. What experiences have helped to shape your career and inspire you? I believe working my way up through all aspects of the company have given me a greater understanding of what is required when designing and building equipment for the agricultural market. One thing my father always taught me was never cut corners on quality and always aim to build machinery which is robust, gentle and reliable. We have adopted this philosophy on all the projects we have been involved in ever since. Also, it’s not all about price - it’s essential to give value for money. What are your main goals currently? One main goal for me is to keep building a strong young team to future-proof the business for many years to come, which will give our clients con dence in the Haith brand. We intend to keep investing in research and development, which has today made the Haith name a front runner in the potato industry. In all our designs, we look to include energy e cient solutions and to create a safe working environment for our clients and their sta . We intend to expand our already extensive coverage of the global market and are always searching for good agents. Tell me a little about your business successes and failures and what you have learned from them. We are proud to have receivedmany awards for excellence inmachine design, the pinnacle being the Queens Award for Innovation. We are the only company in our sector to have achieved this. rough constant product development, we have grown to be the market leader in potato pack-house and vegetable handling systems. We aimed to be able to design and supply the complete system from intake to packing. is is what we o er today - complete solutions, carefully managed all the way. One thing I have learned over many years in business is not to stray too far away from your core product as it can be very costly. I also watch out for people who want to develop their great idea using your money. I am proud of the fact that we take raw materials and using our designs, turn them into equipment that adds value to our customers’ operation. Nigel Haith worked with his father and brother from the business’s early beginnings and has seen it evolve over the years.