Ex-Forces in Business Awards Finalist – Neil Murray

We’re delighted to announce that Neil Murray, RSE Internal Plant Coordinator, has been shortlisted as a finalist for the 2024 Ex-Forces in Business Awards in the Engineering Excellence Award category.

The Ex-Forces in Business Awards is the world’s largest celebration of ex-military who have ventured into a second career path, recognising the true value veterans add to businesses. The awards aim to highlight the military-gained skills and qualities that have helped enable achievements within the workplace as well as acknowledging the employers that support the transition for servicemen and women.

Neil started his career with RSE in June 2022 as an Internal Plant Co-ordinator. This was a newly created role within the company due the amount of plant that had been accumulated over the past 20 years of trading, for which no structure or system to identify and record the plant had been implemented.

Neil’s organisational skills gained whilst serving as a Mechanic in the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME), along with his plant hire experience, has transformed our internal plant hire service. Neil has developed an acute detail of our plant requirements by talking directly to site personnel and creating a plant inventory across our facilities, on site, and in our vehicle fleet. This gave each piece of plant its own unique identification number and has managed to capture any calibration certificates into the inventory. This process allows our teams to identify when our items need calibrated, which can be viewed remotely via an online certification system that Neil has helped to implement, allowing site personnel to not only view but also print a copy of the certification. Developing the records of our internal plant has significantly helped the business to carry out our external audits.

Within his role, Neil also transformed RSE’s lifting/rigging processes by applying the same online service as the plant inventory and creating a rota for all inspections of lifting equipment which Neil carries out for the company UK wide. He has additionally been responsible for re-vamping the current stores located within our Muir of Ord facility, managing to remodel the store to allow anyone to enter and find what they are looking for with ease if he is not available. Neil has also implemented a booking in and out system for all plant, which has greatly increased RSE’s accountability and traceability of all plant and lifting equipment.

Neil’s knowledge of mechanical and electrical equipment that he gained whilst serving in the REME has also helped to maintain plant and equipment by carrying out any repairs and PAT testing across our facilities and sites in Scotland. He is additionally responsible for overseeing the calibration of gas monitors in house, something which RSE previously outsourced at great expense due to the nature of confined space working.

Neil’s contacts and ability to network within the construction hire industry has played a massive part in setting up several key accounts, helping to minimise costs to RSE, the hirer and the end client. A recent example of Neil’s influence was showcased on a large-scale project, where he managed to get large plant equipment delivered to site via his contacts at very short notice, which in turn saved a lot of work down time on site. 

His willingness to help and positive can-do attitude, combined with his plant hire experience have transformed RSE’s internal plant processes. Neil’s ability to not only be approachable, but the ease in which he communicates with people from director level down to the people working at the coalface, has made him such an asset to the business. His honest approach to creating cost savings by price checking current hire costs, to buying outright, are a big part of his success and has saved the business thousands in external hire costs. Neil is truly dedicated to doing a great job and always strives to improve the way we work at RSE. He has also become one of our first Mental Health Champions, a role which he takes very seriously, as he is always willing to listen and provide support to his colleagues with any issues that they may have.

“Neil has made an excellent impact to how our internal plant and equipment is maintained. He has completed a full inventory of our equipment (no small task) and has allocated asset IDs to allow for ongoing maintenance and inspection.
Neil has input into the development of systems for tracking this information to a point where the system is now fully functional with continual improvement ongoing.

The risk of our equipment being out of certification or out calibration is now greatly reduced which has a huge benefit to our business and our people. Neil has become the central focal point for these activities and has taken real ownership and pride in the system which is now in place.
Neil is reliable, consistent and always a pleasure to deal with. He has also recently become a Mental Health first aider for the business demonstrating his capacity and desire to assist those in need”

Ken Ross, Production Stream Lead

RSE believes that Neil’s time served in the forces has set him up to succeed in whatever he does, and we are very grateful for his dedication to the company. The team would like to wish Neil and all the category finalists the best of luck for the Ex-Forces in Business Awards held in the Double Tree Hilton Hotel in Glasgow on the 14th of March.