Interview with Jon Edwards
A conversation with Jon Edwards
Jon Edwards, President of HYDRO USA, is 41 years old. He grew up in England where he completed his 4-year degree in mechanical engineering. His professional career started as a design engineer for Caterpillar, near Leicester, UK. In this early phase of his career, he designed large structures for Caterpillar construction equipment such as vehicle chassis. After two years with Caterpillar, he headed to Land Rover, to work in the powertrain design department. Here, he was responsible for managing design milestones throughout the development of new vehicles. After two years with Land Rover, he returned to Caterpillar and was responsible for the development of engine installation designs for new vehicles including the air intake, exhaust, fuel, mounting and cooling systems for the engine. In 2009, Jon joined HYDRO as employee No. 9 for HYDRO UK. This was a very challenging time, directly after HYDRO had reached an agreement with Rolls-Royce to become their tooling supplier. This job required constant direct customer contact for multiple tooling delivery programs associated with new engine development. He soon took over responsibility for the Rolls-Royce account and was eventually responsible for the UK business, alongside Jonathan Farnfield, always on the commercial or customer side. In 2014, he jumped at the chance to move to Seattle as VP Sales for HYDRO USA and in November 2018 became President of HYDRO USA, the largest HYDRO site after headquarters.
Jon Edwards is married, lives on the east side of Seattle, USA, and has three kids.
What differentiates US customers from customers elsewhere in the world?
Customer expectations are higher in the US than a lot of places. The expectations for customer service are higher and the expectation for responsiveness is higher. This creates a different challenge for the team. Being a global company, we can’t treat all our customers worldwide in the same way, the approach has to be tailored to the region.
Additionally, to get the best out of your team, you really need to take the time to understand the American workforce culture because the dynamics are quite different to Europe. The success of HYDRO USA directly correlates with getting the best out of our fantastic US workforce. This means we have to invest in the right people and, most of all, to develop strong American talent in the company. This is something I am determined to have our business focus on in future. This way, we can understand and best serve the US customer while better meeting their expectations.
How would you describe the market situation in the USA in your business?
The US market is strong, growing and competitive. All the commodities we operate in have domestic US competition but we take the attitude that “steel sharpens steel” so we enjoy fighting to win customers and grow our business.
The tooling market has always been extremely competitive so you have to have the best product, with the best quality, maximum involvement with the customer and the best service. Focusing on all this, it is possible to grow market share, but it also takes dedication. We have grown more than 20% in recent years in the US, so we must be doing something right.
The engine transportation stand business is becoming more competitive. In the past, the supply chain was very segregated according to engine manufacturers. Over the last few years, these engine manufacturers have started to diversify the supply chains they use, leading to more overlap and competition. We have enjoyed this opportunity to build on the heritage we have in Rolls-Royce stands and bring some of our expertise to GE and Pratt & Whitney. For example, we are excited to exclusively supply the PW1700G engine for the coming Embraer E2 with our engine transportation stand. From development to prototype, it took us less than 8 months. We also recently completed trials on our first engine stand for GE. Here, the functionality of our stand left the users absolutely delighted on the first test. This engineering speed and focus on hitting customer critical success factors is what sets us apart.
What do you expect in the next year?
Next year, we will bring in a few new products. Further engine transportation stand models will follow. We will also start mass production of the engine transportation stands that we developed this year. We will continue to make Rolls-Royce engine stands for the Trent XWB, Trent 1000 and Trent 7000.
The time between the product introduction and the ordering of high volumes often takes a while. This is what can be hard for some companies. As we have a wide range of products in our portfolio, we are able to shift production priorities with the market situation and manage these circumstances. Flexibility is the key to success, even more so in the coming years.
„The tooling market has always been extremely competitive so you have to have the best product, with the best quality, maximum involvement with the customer and the best service.“
President HYDRO USA
You moved the HYDRO US facility into a new building. What is the plan behind that?
The focus of our factory in the US is clearly on engine transportation stands and tooling. We employ approximately 130 people. Since the summer of 2018, we have been moving our facilities in stages. We were in two facilities in Auburn, WA. Now we are in one building in Kent, WA. The whole move should be completed by the end of 2018. It’s going to be good to have the whole team back under one roof, driving growth and most of all lean production.
Unemployment rates are down in the Seattle area. Do you face any problems with hiring qualified staff?
Seattle is one of the largest aerospace hubs in the world. There are a lot qualified people there. The key to bringing in those very high qualified people is to present them with the right opportunities. We, as a medium-sized company, can offer the opportunity to be more directly involved and that you can directly see the outcome of your work. With our new facility, we will be more visible to potential talent – physically as well as metaphorically. That helps a lot in the competitive market in the Seattle area to bring in the right people. There’s a lot aerospace business around us, which on the one hand gives us opportunity, but on the other hand makes us work hard to retain the talent that we grow. Again, “steel sharpens steel”, so this is a good thing. That means we have to stay attentive to the needs of our team.
„We recently completed trials on our first engine stand for GE. Here, the functionality of our stand left the users absolutely delighted on the first test.“
President HYDRO USA
Efforts had been started to implement lean philosophy in the HYDRO headquarters in Biberach, Germany. Are there any plans to implement this also in the US facility?
Technological progress is happening at ever increasing speed. The aviation industry is growing, with a high demand for new aircraft. These have to be delivered and maintained faster to maximize flying time. Cost pressure also increases as profit margins across the industry are put under pressure. The result is that HYDRO also needs to deliver higher quantities in shorter times, with increased reliability and quality, while working more flexibly and efficiently. We have to fuel this need to improve with operational efficiency and excellence. So yes! We are implementing lean.
We have already started with planning our continuous improvement. That means we have scheduled Gemba walks and Kaizen events to identify opportunities. We’ve also started value stream mapping of our engine transportation stand production. We believe our customers will benefit from shorter delivery times and increased flexibility.
CLOSE-UP WITH JON EDWARDS
A good day at work starts with…
20 oz. of coffee, very kindly prepared by my wonderful wife while I get ready for work. Then usually 30 mins of conversation from my truck with my European colleagues before they go home for dinner!
I earned my first money…
When I was a young teenager in Leicester, I did a paper route. I always had to earn my own money.
If I could chose my seat neighbor on an aircraft…
Kevin McCloud… he has presented “Grand Designs” on English TV for about 20 years. It’s a program about house building and renovation that I am a little bit obsessed with.
I lose track of time…
When I go skiing with my kids.
The so far most expensive purchase in my life…
The aforementioned three kids, they cost me a fortune. I can’t believe how much it costs to play kids’ soccer here in the USA!
I have always…
Been very independent.
I have never…
Flown in a 787. Unbelievable as I travel a lot and also supply products for it every day.
Those aiming for a career at HYDRO…
Take an interest in how the business truly works. Not just your job. Then, don’t wait to be asked. Do something positive that moves us forward… eventually that will be your job.
When I was 18, I wanted to…
Travel and see the world.
Home for me means…
Sitting on the deck, a beer in my hand, hanging out with friends and my family, somewhere quiet and peaceful.