Uncanny Success Story: Q&A With David Canny Of Major Motors
It’s ironic that a person who’s worked in the automotive industry for 45 years says they’re not mechanically minded. But that’s what Major Motors Group Parts Manager David Canny claims.
David has been with Major Motors for more than five years. Major Motors is one of Australia’s biggest truck dealers, with three branches in Perth (Forrestfield, Bibra Lake and Malaga), plus two more in Kalgoorlie and Port Hedland.
Automotive parts has been a rewarding career for David, one that started the day after he finished year 12 in 1977.
Hi David, thanks for talking to us. Can you tell us how your career in parts started?
A cricket coach of mine asked a few of us guys to work on a truck show and clean up some display vehicles, which we did during one Christmas holidays. And then I saw the company had advertised for a junior parts interpreter. I had already decided and told my mum and dad that I didn't want to study any further after year 12. I said to them quite cockily: `I'll get that job because I know the parts manager’. And I did!
What does a day in the life of a parts manager look like?
For me it's not as hands-on as it used to be in former places of employment. At our head office here, I have 16 staff, with seven of those in our warehouse, eight in the office and I have one external parts sales representative. I also oversee the parts staff and managers at our other four branches. So what that allows me to do here, which I hadn’t done as much a where I've been before, is a lot more work on managing staff, advertising, marketing, sales analysis and inventory control.
Having worked for different automotive companies over the years, how does your current role differ from what you’ve done in the past?
I was a bit surprised at how many staff we had and that was coming from my former place, where we never had enough staff. So that in itself was a big shock. And Major Motors is a family-owned company, and the management style is very different from where I've been before.
You're allowed to manage, do it your way. Bob Pearce, who's our managing director said during my job interview: `Dave, if you take this job, you do it your way’. And he was true to his word.
All the managers within our group are encouraged to manage things in their own way, which is really good because it gives you a lot of freedom, freedom to grow and try different things and you're backed to do it. So that's quite refreshing.
What does it take to be a good parts manager?
When employing staff I look for `good people’, either male or female. Through the interview processes, I keep reminding myself I need a good person. And secondly, do I think they'll be willing to learn? If they're willing to learn, we can teach them anything. It's not rocket science, but it does take some time, and most of that is just gained through experience and repetition. I don't think there's any secret formula.
A lot of that training is just basic, and it applies right across the board, so it doesn't really matter what products you sell. There's some basics and then the rest is experience.
What we also do though is for those who are new to the parts game, we'll start them on the back counter, which supplies parts to our own service departments. That means you’re dealing internally, which is a good place to start learning if you're not sure. Normally the mechanic who's ordering parts can help you out. Or you can just walk through into the service department and actually physically look on a vehicle.
Sometimes we'll start staff in our warehouse, so they become familiar with handling the parts that they will be selling in the future. If ever we get a vacancy within our parts department, I generally go to people who have been in the warehouse first to see if they'd like to step up.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
I like inventory work. I like looking at supply and demand and working out what to order and when to order. I place a stock order daily on Isuzu and generally on most days I'll review anywhere between about three and 500 lines. To some people that might seem pretty tedious, but I take quite a bit of pride in having good inventory to maximise customer satisfaction.
I think for me, the two most important things in our business are good people and then solid inventory management, and then the rest takes care of itself. In life when you get good people, they're good towards each other in the work environment, and they're good towards clients. If your inventory's good, then you've got plenty of cover for client needs. And if you're buying via stock order as you should be, the benefits are certainly greater than if we purchase on an urgent basis. So, yeah, I think for me, it's those two things: good people and good inventory and the rest pretty much takes care of itself.
How would you describe your management style?
My management style is pretty laid back and I really welcome feedback and ideas because I don't have all the answers.
My door's open all day, every day, and I say to staff, whether it's business or personal issues, if you think I can help, I will try to. I believe that if people are happy in their lives at home, on the sporting fields or at leisure, etcetera, then in most cases they will be happy at work.
It’s about getting to know your staff and being fair and flexible. And that is, I guess, a big part of Major Motors culture. We've got many, many people that have been here for 10, 20, 30, sometimes 40 years and that says a lot about our workplace culture.
We have a lot of women in parts departments across all of our branches. If you'd said that maybe 20 or 25 years ago, your big truckie would've thought: `women - what would they know about parts?’ That’s really changed, and I think most guys now are happy to speak with someone who is pleasant, knowledgeable, helpful and promptly follows up enquiries.
Interested in a career in the automotive world? Read about how Brett Stewart went from apprentice mechanic to upper-level management at Isuzu Australia Limited.
What does it take to be a good parts manager?
When employing staff I look for `good people’, either male or female. Through the interview processes, I keep reminding myself I need a good person. And secondly, do I think they'll be willing to learn? If they're willing to learn, we can teach them anything. It's not rocket science, but it does take some time, and most of that is just gained through experience and repetition. I don't think there's any secret formula.
A lot of that training is just basic, and it applies right across the board, so it doesn't really matter what products you sell. There's some basics and then the rest is experience.
What we also do though is for those who are new to the parts game, we'll start them on the back counter, which supplies parts to our own service departments. That means you’re dealing internally, which is a good place to start learning if you're not sure. Normally the mechanic who's ordering parts can help you out. Or you can just walk through into the service department and actually physically look on a vehicle.
Sometimes we'll start staff in our warehouse, so they become familiar with handling the parts that they will be selling in the future. If ever we get a vacancy within our parts department, I generally go to people who have been in the warehouse first to see if they'd like to step up.
What’s your favourite part of the job?
I like inventory work. I like looking at supply and demand and working out what to order and when to order. I place a stock order daily on Isuzu and generally on most days I'll review anywhere between about three and 500 lines. To some people that might seem pretty tedious, but I take quite a bit of pride in having good inventory to maximise customer satisfaction.
I think for me, the two most important things in our business are good people and then solid inventory management, and then the rest takes care of itself. In life when you get good people, they're good towards each other in the work environment, and they're good towards clients. If your inventory's good, then you've got plenty of cover for client needs. And if you're buying via stock order as you should be, the benefits are certainly greater than if we purchase on an urgent basis. So, yeah, I think for me, it's those two things: good people and good inventory and the rest pretty much takes care of itself.
How would you describe your management style?
My management style is pretty laid back and I really welcome feedback and ideas because I don't have all the answers.
My door's open all day, every day, and I say to staff, whether it's business or personal issues, if you think I can help, I will try to. I believe that if people are happy in their lives at home, on the sporting fields or at leisure, etcetera, then in most cases they will be happy at work.
It’s about getting to know your staff and being fair and flexible. And that is, I guess, a big part of Major Motors culture. We've got many, many people that have been here for 10, 20, 30, sometimes 40 years and that says a lot about our workplace culture.
We have a lot of women in parts departments across all of our branches. If you'd said that maybe 20 or 25 years ago, your big truckie would've thought: `women - what would they know about parts?’ That’s really changed, and I think most guys now are happy to speak with someone who is pleasant, knowledgeable, helpful and promptly follows up enquiries.
Interested in a career in the automotive world? Read about how Brett Stewart went from apprentice mechanic to upper-level management at Isuzu Australia Limited.
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