Engineered to Perfection, by Meech
“Scientists investigate that which already is; engineers create that which has never been.” – Albert Einstein
Each month, we showcase how Meech’s engineering team and staff develop solutions that enhance our customers’ manufacturing and industrial processes. Our well-engineered technologies improve safety, productivity, and quality through static management, web cleaning, and energy-efficient air technology. This month, we meet Iain Watkins, System Sales Project Manager.
This month, meet Iain Watkins – System Sales Project Manager.
Iain’s journey, from joining Meech in 2018 as a project engineer and quickly progressing to system sales project manager, is defined by a hands-on approach: “I deal with bespoke requests from customers, from inquiry to testing to designing, installation, commissioning, after-sales support and service. I’m involved right the way through, from inquiry to completion and then post-completion.” His work blends engineering with an artful approach to solution-seeking and is driven by a hunger to make our customers happy.
Far from being desk-bound, Iain chases solutions to complicated problems intellectually, and sometimes physically. “Depending on the complexity of the proposal, I might go out on site to look at the installation, even if it’s a factory not even built yet. I’ve done that before in Poland, where they extended a glass-making facility into the car park in a big old operation. I visited the site, measured up, looked at what they have, what we can offer, took lots of photos, discussed with them what they need and then commissioned the system.”
What sets Meech apart, according to Iain, is the ability to tailor solutions: “We don’t just sell products. We sell solutions our customers need for their personal machine applications. A lot of our equipment is bespoke in some way. It’s not standard, it’s not off the shelf. There’s always something quirky, something different. If our customers want something doing in a different way, we give a much more personalised experience and deliver what they need.”
Iain’s expertise has taken him around the world, supporting major manufacturers from the USA to Germany. “I was in California last year, visiting a large manufacturer on site to offer Meech’s help. It was a real collaborative experience between customer and supplier. It was fantastic.” The results of close, personal collaboration speak for themselves. “We had a recent discussion with a customer a few months ago who saw a 70 per cent yield increase with our equipment. We were cleaning 3D products for them with deionised air, using a brand-new, tailored machine.”
Iain frequently steps in when installations demand hands-on expertise. “Occasionally I’ll commission systems myself if they’re particularly new or complex,” he says. His ability to troubleshoot under pressure has taken him across Europe: “I recently flew to Italy at a weekend’s notice to resolve a problem. It wasn’t of our doing, but I fixed it in half a day and stayed on to make sure everything worked perfectly.” This responsiveness, backed by Meech’s knowledge base, ensures customers receive not just equipment but complete confidence in its performance.
Iain believes Meech’s British heritage is a strength: “I think customers see being British as a positive because we’re robust in our procedures. We are responsible ethically. We offer more than just a product.” Meech’s commitment to responsible business extends to the community. “We offer lots of work experience roles, we sponsor local sports teams.”
Since joining Meech, Iain has seen the company’s community awareness grow. “I think Meech has got a name for itself. I’ve had some fantastic opportunities here and done some really cool things. What we do is really interesting and I see genuine interest and enthusiasm once I start talking about Meech and what I do for a living.”
Iain’s work blends two of Meech’s core disciplines – navigating the robust, analytical world of science and engineering, whilst mastering the arts of technical creativity, flexibility and outside-the-box thinking. Relentlessly chasing opportunities to provide for our customers, and Iain’s start-to-finish approach delivering solutions, is a perfect example of the strength and depth of the services we deploy across the world.
To learn more about the diverse applications of Meech’s solutions, visit: https://meech.com/applications/