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COVER PAGE |
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IBT |
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RUBBER |
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ISG |
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MATERIAL HANDLING |
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PT |
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FLUID POWER |
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ENGINEERING |
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IBT MEDIA |
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SAFETY |
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IMT |
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LUBE |
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LEAN SIX SIGMA |
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Meet Bruce Loyd -
New Engineering Manager
In January of this year, Bruce Loyd came aboard at IBT as the new Manager of Engineering. In this capacity, he leads a staff of seven. The Department is primarily responsible for the design, engineering, construction and installation of turnkey material handling/warehousing systems, motion control systems, and associated system controls.
Bruce brings a 20 + year background, with a career that has ranged from project engineering through engineering management and into plant and general management in various manufacturing companies. With this background, he brings a perspective that ranges from the factory floor to the executive suite.
Most of Bruce's career was spent in areas served by IBT, and as a result, he had an awareness of the company and its strengths.
"In many of the places I worked," Loyd reports, "we used IBT as a regular supplier. We tended to buy the basic MRO parts and components, and recognized that the company had top lines, trained people, a get-it-done attitude and good service.
"As my responsibilities grew into higher levels of operating management, the day-to-day contact with IBT was left to the engineers and maintenance personnel. As a result, I became a bit removed from the nitty gritty of the dealings.
"So, when I started talking to IBT about coming aboard, I was not fully aware of the full range of engineering activities the company gets involved with.
"We had, I remembered, installed some conveying systems and did not - for one reason or another - work with IBT. It did not take long for us to realize the error of our ways.
"When the people at a factory need a conveyor system, they are at a distinct disadvantage. They may be dealing with a supplier with product to sell - rather than an integrator trying to build the most efficient and fairly priced system the customer needs.
"Personnel at a particular factory may do five conveyors in a career. IBT may do five a month. So, we know what works, what the latest - and most durable - technologies offer. IBT takes pride in putting together a system that uses the right components - regardless of who makes them."
Some of Loyd's object lessons learned on the job were less dramatic - and they have allowed him to bring a special set of skills and understandings to his new position at IBT.
"My background is mechanical engineering," Loyd says. "But, as I studied management (he earned a Master of Science in Management degree) and as I worked as a manager within a corporate structure, I became a lot more aware of how decisions get made within companies.
"They are not always made using the engineers' sense of what ought to be. Management -- looking over a broad spectrum of issues, concerns, internal factors, finance terms and availability, long term plans, and many other subtle considerations - makes decisions that are not always understood further down the ladder.
"Because of my experience, I can work within those parameters. I can make sure IBT's proposals make sense when they are evaluated at all levels of an organization.
"I can help the IBT people ask all the right questions - more than just about how the system will be used. I can help the buyers we are working with understand how to get buy-in all the way up the channel - so they get the system they want and need.
"And, I can, when necessary, help talk to higher management in terms they will understand that may or may not get technical - but which will relate to their various needs and criteria.
"I'm really enjoying my time at IBT so far - and expect that when I get a little more mileage under my wheels that our department will improve beyond its already excellent condition."
Bruce's engineering degree is from K-State and his Masters in from Baker University. In previous positions, he worked in Wichita, Lawrence, St. Joseph, Kansas City and Alabama. He grew up in Johnson County, Kansas.
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