Scott Donegan
Meet Scott Donegan
Hydraulic Service Engineer Hydraquip Hose & Hydraulics Purfleet
While at school I always liked the sound of becoming a fireman. I had friends and family who were firemen and wanted to follow their career path. Once I had finished school I put my name down on the waiting list but at the time the list was very long and I didn’t hear anything back. Still wanting to enter the world of work I decided to see what other options were available to me. My Uncle had his own building company, Swan Developments, so at the age of 16 I was offered an apprenticeship as a carpenter which I did for two years whilst attending Redbridge College. I enjoyed the work but unfortunately there wasn’t a steady flow of work so when I was given the opportunity to do a hydraulic engineering apprenticeship at a family friend’s company Alan A Smiths, I thought I would give it a go!
It was 1997 when I fell into the hydraulics industry, I didn’t plan it but I wanted to do something different and thought I would try it! It turned out that it was something I really enjoyed and found interesting so I decided to stay in the industry. Alan A Smiths were subcontractors for UK Lifts, who had a contract with Sainsbury’s supermarkets working on hydraulic compactors. I worked on all stages of the compactors including rebuilding, servicing once a month, repairs, installation and maintenance. After working at Alan A Smiths for 6 years, UK Lifts were bought out by an American firm which meant that we lost the contract for Sainsbury’s and our work slowly came to an end. Still wanting to work in the hydraulics industry I began looking for vacancies for engineering jobs. I saw that Forest Hydraulics had a vacancy so decided to apply. The interview went well and with the recommendation from Alan Smith, my previous employer, I was offered the job. I accepted and started in 2003 working on the trade counter. I was responsible for booking goods in and out, organising stock and liaising with customers. I worked as a trade counter assistant for 6 months before progressing to hydraulic engineer which was the type of work I really wanted to do. I was very happy to be given my own van and going on site repairing different hydraulic machinery but it was different to what I was used to. I often spoke to Sainsbury’s Store Managers but speaking to customers on site was new to me. However I soon got the hang of it and knew that being an engineer was for me. One job I remember in particular was working at Tilbury docks. I replaced lots of steel pipework underground which was a little bit scary but interesting as it was something different to my usual jobs, even if there were a few squeaky rats! Another job was in 2009 behind the scenes in the X Factor studios! A hose has blown on a scissor lift which I had to replace being as quiet as I could as very close by the X Factor Final rehearsals were taking place. It was the year Stacey Solomon was in the competition!
In 2012 after working at Forest Hydraulics for a total of 9 years my wife and I made the decision to move our family to a different part of Essex. We lived in Romford at the time but decided to move to Southminster as it was an area which provided better schools for our children. Looking for a new job in the Southminster area, I applied and went for an interview at Pirtek Basildon. The interview went well but soon after I was approached by Hydraquip. My boss from Forest Hydraulics, Eddy Garrard, gave Hydraquip’s Regional Sales Manager Alan Scott my number who called me and asked if I would be interested in joining the Hydraquip team. I discussed the opportunity with Alan and Hydraquip’s Managing Director Duncan MacBain who made me feel at ease and confident with the company. I had a good feel about Hydraquip and felt that the company were a team who worked together. I began working as a hydraulic engineer in 2012 based at Hydraquip Hose & Hydraulics Purfleet and am very glad that I made the right decision. Hydraquip is a great company to work for, they are helpful, supportive and you always have someone to turn to if you need to. Hydraquip look after you and so in return you look after them and help to provide an excellent service. Whilst working at Hydraquip I have been involved in a number of larger projects. One was in a pump room re-hosing and re-sealing equipment. I was given drawings and notes and asked to produce the correct hoses. All of the hoses were labelled so that if there was to be a question or problem in the future, the hose could be easily identified and quickly repaired or replaced.
I am married with 3 children, 2 daughters who are 9 and 18 years old and a son who is 15 years old. In my spare time I play a lot of football, I actually manage my son’s football team with two others, they are called the Burnham Ramblers. This takes up most of my time at the weekends but I also like watching football on TV. I support Arsenal and my all time favourite players are Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp. I also enjoy gardening and looking after the pond we have in our garden, I’m often outside maintaining the pond and its filter system. I have a number of pond fish and goldfish in there. I also like to go for meals out with my wife, steak restaurants are our favourite. Also our photo shows us dressed up and ready for a fancy dress party we went to as Danny and Sandy!
Tuesday 8th November 2016
Meet The Team