As part of our new feature ‘Life at AML’ we chat to Alex Cotton, R&D Manager
Q1. Alex, you joined AML shortly after graduating with an MEng in Aerospace Engineering. What initially attracted you to the company, and what made you take the role?
In 2017, AML was still quite a small company with around 20 staff and just 6 machines. Even as a graduate fresh out of university, I recognised there was a significant opportunity to progress my career quickly, while contributing to an industry I was already interested in. I didn’t like the idea of applying to a graduate scheme at a large organisation as there are too many different hoops they make you jump through to get onto each programme. It felt more appropriate to get a regular job at a company that I wanted to grow with.
Q2. You started on a 6-month contract integrating production planning software. What did that project involve, and how did it evolve into a permanent role?
When I first started, AML was planning work through its machines using a whiteboard. This lacked agility and couldn’t provide any forecasting beyond the current week. My initial role with the company was to set up our planning tool, Orchestrate, and integrate its use into day-to-day operations. Three months into my initial contract, I was offered full time employment with additional responsibilities because of the success of my work on planning.
Q3. Can you briefly walk us through your career progression from Production Planner to R&D Manager?
During my time as production planner, I was sometimes required to deliver a short briefing to the shop floor team during the handover window. This was mainly to verbalise the plan and provide any detail required to clarify what work should be done on which machines for the next 24 hours. These briefings evolved during times when our manufacturing lead was away on holiday to the point where I was promoted into a parallel role. During the pandemic, the organisation was restructured and I was given the sole responsibility over the entire shop floor team. The team grew substantially in the following years, and I began overseeing our supply chain department, at which point I was promoted to Production Manager. In 2023, I was given the opportunity to take the role of R&D Manager, which I saw as a good opportunity to further my knowledge of the wider manufacturing space, and work on new and interesting projects, as opposed to day-to-day operations.
Q4. How did AML support you in developing your skills and confidence early on?
The AML of 2017-2020 required its staff to be flexible in capability and responsibility, where most team members would conduct more than one typical job role. We are much larger now, meaning this is not the case, as such, anymore. However, this requirement allowed me to see far more of the company than is usually expected for an entry level position. By being exposed to these areas of the business, while simultaneously taking advantage of external leadership training opportunities, I was able to accelerate my knowledge and confidence.
Q5. What training, mentoring, or development opportunities have had the biggest impact on your growth?
I think the work we did with Sharing in Growth had the biggest impact on my personal growth from a training and mentoring perspective. However, I believe time served, and the experience gained, in mid-level positions can be attributed the most to my growth. The mistakes I made through my journey resonate the strongest and are more quickly recalled to memory than any training ever will. Moving into the R&D role has given me the time and headspace required to reflect on these mistakes and observe others to pick out the good and the bad, and form, in my mind, the sort of person I want to be inside and outside work. I’m sure I’ll look back on my current thought processes in 10 years time and have the same feelings, but it’s all a part of growth.
Q6. How would you describe the culture and team environment at AML, and how has that influenced your career?
AML as a company will always go above and beyond what is expected to ensure it delivers a good product and service to its customers. This grit and determination runs through the team – everyone works together to achieve a common goal and, while this can create friction and heated moments, I believe everybody understands that we’re on the same team and all want the same thing in the end. The people who work at AML are the reason for its success and, while we are getting bigger and teams are becoming more focused on their individual areas, there still exists a core group of team members who understand more than just their area and will actively work to help others achieve their goals. Seeing how the culture has shifted through different dynamics has allowed me to understand more about what I like and dislike, and change my approach to improve my working relationships, rather than put pressure on them.
Q7. What do you enjoy most about working at AML?
I find the most enjoyable part of working at AML is the knowledge of our contribution to the industry. It is hard to not feel proud of what you do when you see some of the components that we make; the difficulty of what we do paired with the scale we do it on would impress anybody. I am fortunate enough to be in a position where I can regularly share the success of AML through networking events, presentations and factory tours. When I describe AML to someone who doesn’t know about us, they are always astounded and in awe of what we have achieved and what we continue to achieve. I can recognise the part I have played and currently play in this and feel immensely proud to be involved.
Q8. What advice would you give to graduates or early-career engineers considering a role at AML?
AML has grown a lot since I first started and I was able to ride the wave of growth, positioning myself favourably. That being said, we are still relatively small and that same opportunity is available to anyone who has the drive to go and take it. The projected growth of AML is beyond what anyone would reasonably expect, and the opportunities that will come with that growth cannot be predicted. There is no right answer when you graduate – if you get onto a grad scheme at a large company (Rolls-Royce, Boeing, Airbus, etc.), you will be set for life. Those names on your CV will keep you in great engineering jobs forever, but it will take decades to climb the ladder to a truly senior position. If you join a company like AML, you can climb that ladder much faster and leave you in a position to take a senior role at a big company, which may well mean staying at AML. Don’t underestimate the growth you can gain from real experience.
Q9. How do you now support and develop others in the way you were supported?
I try to pass on as much knowledge as I can. Even though I have only worked at AML for 8 years, I have seen a lot and, as I mentioned previously, made a lot of mistakes. When I see people making similar mistakes, especially those new to management, I try to give as much advice as they are willing to take without stepping on their toes. Throughout my career, Mark Hands and Gareth Morgan have provided memorable advice on where they went wrong in the past and, while this has been greatly appreciated and used, no method of learning compares to making mistakes yourself. I just try to limit the damage of those mistakes for others, so they can still learn effectively without compromising their relationships.
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