OxTS have led the way for over two decades, combining the best of high precision GNSS receivers and world-class inertial navigation expertise to accurately measure position, orientation and dynamics in all environments. At OxTS, our team is truly at the centre of all we achieve. Here Production Manager, Anthony Loxton, shares insights into his role, and explains how he’s helping OxTS customers.
1. How long have you been at OxTS, and have you seen many changes during your time here?
I will have been at OxTs for four years in March. Since early 2016, I have seen significant growth, and with that growth I have seen many positive changes. When I first started, OxTS had 40 employees, now we have almost 100 members of staff. I’ve seen individuals grow, including myself, into new and existing roles due to company expansion.
Personally, my own role has changed significantly in the last four years also – I was originally recruited as a Test Technician. I was the ‘last set of eyes’ on a customer order before it could leave the Company. I ran full functionality tests, ensuring units were configured to customer requirements.
After only four months I was promoted to Service Engineer, working in the Service and Repair department. My focus was on process improvements, as the Company grew rapidly. I managed to bring down lead times and began to mentor less experienced team members. This enabled me to grow into a line manager role and I was officially recognised as Service and Repair Team Leader from March 2018. I took on production planning for all new orders going out, and this was the first step into my latest promotion. I’ve been OxTS’ Production Manager since the beginning of this year.
2. What does a ‘normal’ working day look like for you?
At 08:00 hrs every morning I run a production meeting where I discuss how the previous day went and plan targets for the day ahead. Any issues the team have will be raised in this meeting. I then feed that information into the operations meeting I run at 09:00 hrs (consisting of stakeholders from our Process Engineering, Export and Purchasing teams). We discuss all orders which are ready for despatch and any potential concerns raised from the 08:00 hrs production meeting. I then plan for the following weeks, scheduling the production plan accordingly. On Thursdays, I run a SIOP (Sales Inventory Operations Planning) meeting, where key stakeholders from Operations and Commercial work together to ensure we have the right parts and capacity required, based on our lead time, to ensure we keep promises we make to our customers.
3. What’s your greatest achievement during your time at OxTS?
This is a tricky question. I think probably my greatest achievement is working my way up through the business, from a Test Technician in 2016, through to a Production Manager in 2020. I made suggestions for improvements at OxTS and was allowed to implement these, enabling improvements for our customers and our team. I’m proud of being able to grow and mentor my team – And of being able to make a difference.
4. You’ve observed a lot of changes already at OxTS, how do you see the future of OxTS progressing?
Yes, OxTS has grown exponentially in the years I’ve been here and I see further growth in the future. I’m currently recruiting for a Production Technician and a Service and Repair Coordinator. Our team is growing rapidly and offers great opportunities for good people. I look for passion in my new technicians. My new recruits have the opportunity to make an impact, both individually and in collaboration. Before any OxTS product leaves our ‘showroom’ we’ve tested every single component. We’ve ensured units are seeing the expected number of satellites, are calibrated and that full functionality tests are carried out. We really care and take pride to ensure that every component works perfectly before we will allow a unit to leave site. In future, I see that our quality testing will continue to evolve, ensuring that our customers can trust OxTS products. It’s an exciting time in production as we’re now manufacturing the next generation RT, the RT-3000 v3, with integrated WiFi and RT Range capabilities.
Further resources:
- Read more about OxTS and learn how we’ve become global leaders in inertial and GNSS.
- Visit the automotive applications hub to discover INS solutions ideal for ADAS and more.
- Explore OxTS survey and mapping applications.
- Contact us to discuss your own project requirements.
- To register to participate in forthcoming OxTS support and training webinars, or to view recordings of sessions we’ve already presented, please follow this link.
