Employee Focus: Luke Parkinson, Implementation & Stock Manager

Luke provides a glimpse into the responsibilities of his role and why he enjoys it. And why he might not have quite as much time to pursue some of his hobbies in the near future…

Read on to find out more about Luke and his duties at Torque.

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What is your role, and can you tell us a little about it?

My main role is onboarding new customers, which includes project managing everything from developing operational and system processes, to planning and supporting the stock move from their current warehouses into Torque.
I also support in developing current operational and systems processes, oversee trials for new initiatives and roll them out across all our sites.

How long have you worked for Torque?

Two and a half years

What do you love most about your job?

Every day is different. I get to see all the different teams across all sites and how each customer is unique. I have built up a lot of knowledge because of this and am able to apply this to discussions with new customers and share with other parts of the business.
Torque is extremely flexible to support their customers’ needs and it’s great so see them happy at the end of a long project.

How did you progress into your current role?

I started as shift manager on Mountain Warehouse and was asked to manage our processing department over in Leeds. This was an interesting period to understand all the different rework processes that we offer.
I then moved over to Wakefield to manage various contracts and look at ways to improve certain functions. I quickly became a go-to person for numerous things which eventually evolved into my current role of Implementation Manager.

What invaluable thing have you learnt in your role?

Experience and knowledge have to be the most invaluable things I have acquired. I can use my experience from projects to troubleshoot on other contracts.

What one piece of advice would you give someone who is interested in a similar job?

Try to understand what you are project managing rather than just managing people. If you don’t understand, keep asking questions until you do. When new customers come on board, they have so many questions about every part of the business, and you are the main point of contact for all their queries.
It is also important to share knowledge from site to site and this role is how ideas and better ways of working are passed on.

Can you tell us the funniest or most interesting thing to happen to you at work?

For each go-live and new customer, I have the opportunity to see their warehouse and operations before they transition over to us. I have been across the country to places such as Chippenham, Barking and Manchester. I have even stopped overnight in hotels and supported them during the stock move, going the extra mile to ensure the transition goes smoothly.

How do you think Torque go the extra mile for their customers?

We are flexible in our approach and each process is tailored to the customers’ needs. If they ask for something and we don’t currently have it, we look at all the options to give them what they need.
As an example, we had a customer come on board that wanted to move warehouse before we integrated the two systems. So, myself and two other colleagues spent a week at their warehouse before the migration, to learn their system and write up operating procedures. We then went live with their system and equipment in our warehouse.

Will you share a fun fact about yourself?

I have a 1984 Ford Capri that I’ve had for about seven years now. I’ve been restoring it for about five of those and it is almost ready to drive again. I also have a hobby of woodworking and have actually made most of the furniture in my house from my bed to the kitchen table!
My girlfriend and I are expecting our first baby and it’s due in two months!

If you could invite 3 people (alive or dead) to a dinner party you were hosting, who would they be, and why would you invite them?

Jeremy Clarkson – I find him hilarious and would love to be part of one of his adventures
Gordon Ramsey – To do the cooking! Behind the angry chef front, I think he is a really good coach and mentor and has also done some great adventures that were funny to watch
Sylvester Stallone – One of my favourite actors and love watching his movies