Serck's Mark in Action award with James Brazier

Tüpra Izmit oil refinery, a new Turkish customer to Serck, needed 16 air coolers due to their Italian supplier's financial difficulties. Serck stepped in, agreeing to deliver the required coolers in just 12 weeks instead of the usual 24.

Despite logistical challenges, including a site flood and the Suez Canal closure, the Serck Gulf team worked extended hours across two sites, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi, to meet the deadline. They faced immense pressure but exceeded expectations by delivering high-quality coolers on time.

Their efforts ensured Tüpraş's refinery operations continued smoothly, bolstering Serck's reputation and securing significant future business with Tüpraş. This exceptional service exemplified outstanding customer dedication and technical excellence.

“As we celebrate Unipart's 50th year, the key driver is the excellent team we have at Serck; the skills, knowledge and experience and working collectively to deliver outstanding results for our customers and our business”, said Mark in Action award winner, James Brazier, Operations Director, on behalf of the team efforts during the 12 weeks. The whole team was nominated, having worked very extended hours during the manufacturing and testing phase of 3 weeks.

James took the time to reflect on the team, explaining: “The team’s drive and impressive organisational capability to manufacture an abnormally large quantity of coolers in about 50% of the time it would normally take was outstanding. This is on top of processing an unusually large order book for other customers. This work was of such importance to Tupras that they decided to send a very senior engineer out to the Gulf to verify our progress and quality. This was an exceptional effort by every member of the team.”

James started with Serck back in 2019 as the Operations Director and quickly came to like the culture and work ethic of both Serck and Unipart. He said: “My main responsibility was ensuring Serck delivered the cooler project to Tüpraş. I had to juggle several tasks to keep this project going while also overseeing the existing project pipeline and dealing with unexpected problems caused by flooding.

"I had to keep a close eye on subcontractors and supplier delays, which could have had a critical impact on the delivery timeline. I put in a lot of time outside of working hours to solve any issues and travelled between the two Serck sites to keep everything on track."

When asked about how The Unipart Way affected his decisions on this project James said: “The Unipart Way is truly at the heart of everything we do here. To me, it represents our commitment to excellence, continuous improvement, and putting our customers first. It's not just a set of principles - it's a way of thinking and working that empowers us to innovate and deliver the best possible solutions."

“Being named a Mark in Action award winner for myself and the whole team was a great experience. It felt amazing to be recognised for embodying our company values and making a positive impact. The award ceremony itself was excellent - celebrating with colleagues from across the business and feeling the genuine appreciation from leadership was special.

"One of the things I love most about Unipart is the sense of teamwork and camaraderie. My team is fantastic - we support each other, challenge each other to grow, and I couldn't be prouder of how everyone pulled together to make it happen.”

“What makes Unipart so special to me is the combination of our long history and our forward-thinking approach. We're always innovating and adapting, but we never lose sight of our core values. I enjoy coming to work each day knowing that I'm part of something bigger - a company that's not just focused on business success, but on making a positive difference to our customers, employees and all our stakeholders."

Have you noticed exceptional actions by your colleagues that could be recognised with a Mark in Action award? If so, please contact Katie Geddes, our Mark in Action Manager. She will be happy to guide and support you through the nomination process.

The full Mark in Action ceremony from July 2024 is available to watch click here.