At SCT, everyone plays an important role in the advanced smart monitoring solutions we deliver to our growing customer base. We thought you might like to get to know some of us better.
Every company needs that special person who keeps things on track. At SCT we are lucky that our person is Vanessa Reed. In this Meet the Experts article, we put the spotlight on Vanessa, our Head of Operations and Finance, and so much more.
SCT: Vanessa, welcome and thank you for agreeing to be interviewed for our latest blog. Could you share with us a bit about your background and what led you to join Smart Component Technologies?
Vanessa Reed (VR): I joined SCT in April 2021, and I didn’t really know what to expect to be quite honest. I was initially hired as the Office Manager, but it became clear very quickly that the job was far more strategic as the company was going through a major transition. In my previous roles, I’ve been a sales, commercial and general manager, so I understand what is needed to keep a business operational as it grows and develops. I’ve since taken on the role of Head of Operations and Finance, which essentially means that I handle everything that is non-technical. So that includes HR, finance, a lot of liaison with IT and marketing teams, logistics, insurance, accreditations etc. I also manage Production. All the things that keep SCT on the road. By doing this, I can ensure that our technical teams can remain fully focused on product and business development.
SCT: You’ve seen SCT grow in the four years since you’ve been here, what do you think makes SCT unique in the market, and why do customers choose to work with us?
VR: There are a few things that I think make SCT stand out. Number one is our collaboration with customers. We actually talk to and listen to our customers, and work with them to solve their problems and develop products, rather than imposing our solutions on them. They feel part of the process and they know that they can easily reach out to the SCT team and get a quick response.
We are also constantly innovating. Our technical teams are always finding ways to develop and improve our products, again, based on the close relationships we have with customers. This is strengthened by our insistence on doing all the design, manufacturing and technical work in-house rather than outsourcing it. It means we can be very responsive to our customers’ needs – which they really appreciate.
SCT: Now for a bit of insight about you. If you could invite any four people to a dinner party, who would you choose?
VR: Without hesitation, Spike Milligan. I have been a fan of The Goon Show since I was in my teens and was lucky enough to get the opportunity to meet him during his personal appearance when I worked at the HMV store in Oxford Street in London.
I’d also invite Audrey Hepburn. I just love her style. Again, while I was working at HMV in the nineties, we featured what we called ‘cheesy listening’ – a kind of easy listening that was very kitsch, her style captured that era perfectly. I also love her films. It is amazing to see where she got to in life when you understand what she went through during WW2. A very brave woman.
As a big fan of Formula One, (Vanessa used to have a motor racing licence) I really enjoyed the competitive era of the eighties and early nineties, so I’d invite Ayrton Senna to hear his stories of racing with drivers like Prost, Mansell and Damon Hill.
Finally, Kenny Everett. He was such a maverick and hilarious. At school I had to do a project on a famous person and chose him, so I’ve always felt an affinity towards him. I think he’d be great fun to spend an evening with.
SCT: What do you think sets SCT apart when it comes to customer satisfaction and success?
VR: I think it all really boils down to the close relationships we have with our customers. We know that they appreciate it because they tell us. Again, they know that they can pick up the phone and speak to someone in our technical teams as if they were a colleague. We do build strong bonds with customers, and this feeds into our commitment to innovation. We do what we do for them, to keep track maintenance engineers safe, to make sure that maintenance is performed in a timely way to prevent accidents or assets wearing out. We may develop and produce highly technical products, but they are directly related to helping the person doing the job and keeping them safe. There is a very human element to everything we are about at SCT.
SCT: Taking a look at the work you’ve been doing with customers, what challenges do you see them facing, and how is SCT helping to address them?
VR: Right now, the biggest challenge for our UK customers, (which is not necessarily the case with our overseas customers who are generally much better placed at this time), particularly those in the rail networks, is the lack of funding and budget constraints for monitoring and maintaining aging assets. There are parts of the rail network that are seriously underfunded, so there tends to be a short-term, reactive approach to maintenance rather than investment in predictive and preventative measures that would save money in the longer term. I hope this is a temporary oversight and there will be a realisation that the bureaucracy and red tape that some think is protecting the railway is actually holding it back. Our customers know the value of predictive monitoring that SWiX in particular delivers, but breaking through some of the bureaucratic obstacles within our local market can sometimes be a challenge. I’m not sure how we can help customers address this, but we’ll be here to help them when they do.
SCT: Looking towards the future, Vanessa, if we had this conversation again in a year's time, how do you think things will have moved on?
VR: We will, I think, have significantly expanded our capabilities, team, facilities and our industry recognition in the next 12 months. I see us continuing our trajectory of growth and innovation. We will have a greater international presence and have expanded into new overseas markets, especially with our Smart Washer product. This, and SWiX, will also be enhanced with new models in response to customer feedback. We will have a larger team, and I hope we’ll be in a position to start an apprenticeship scheme to encourage young people into an exciting career. We have already won R&D funding from the Eureka Eurostars programme and I’m keen to secure other funding for further research and development. I also have a personal ambition for SCT to secure a Kings Award for innovation and export next year. Watch this space!
SCT: Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us, Vanessa.
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