My 50-Year Unipart Journey - Barry Bahadur

For the second of our 50-year Unipart journeys, we spoke to Barry Bahadur, who joined 50 years ago and has played a vital part in Unipart's journey…

Key milestones

I started at Unipart in April 1974, working on the Morris Motors in Cowley warehouse in the glass section, doing racking maintenance as a Grade B warehouse operative. Soon the opportunity came to progress and I become Grade A, doing picking and packing in the operation.

After that I was moved to the export section doing reach truck work, where an opportunity came for me to become a crane operator for the front deck cranes in the warehouse. I was a crane operator for 5 years.

More recently I became an Assistant Team Leader (ATL) for Unipart in the export department, which I did for a couple of years. Due to a change in business needs I returned to my role as a warehouse operative, operating reach trucks and counterbalances around the Cowley warehouse for the majority of the contracts.

Growing at Unipart

I have always worked in the warehouse moving from department to department - the people around me have been very welcoming and good teachers. Sharing their experience on the job with me has enabled me to learn all of the important details. I’d go as far as to say that Unipart has become like a family to me.

I found that Unipart had a very good atmosphere at work. It has been a very caring company during my time here. It always looked after the people working here, and has given them the opportunity to grow and develop, investing in many people over the years.

The best thing about Unipart

The best thing about working at Unipart from my perspective is that it has allowed me to meet so many new people, and develop connections and relationships with others that have lasted for many years. I have also had the opportunity to work in different environments across the majority of the contracts in Cowley.

My advice for anyone just starting out on their Unipart journey would be to truly understand the job and Unipart, be reliable, and develop good relationships with your colleagues.

Standout Unipart memory

All the memories from the past 50 years have been outstanding and it is not easy to select one single standout event, however I will always remember my 25 year milestone that I shared with John Neill because we started at the same time in the company.

Watch the moment Darren Leigh, CEO, introduces Barry and presents the long-service award.

As we celebrate 50 years, I’m proud to have been a part of this incredible journey and excited to see what the future holds. Here’s to the next chapter!

Watch the October Mark in Action Ceremony

The October Mark in Action ceremony is now available to watch again here.

Nominate now!

We are looking for your stories about colleagues who have gone the extra mile on behalf of their customer or colleague and behaved with CARE. If you know anyone worthy of a Mark in Action Award and want to make a nomination, please get in touch with Katie Geddes and she can support you through the process. Alternatively you can make a nomination by using the online Mark in Action nomination system here.