'If you had told me then I’d still be here after all this time, I wouldn’t have believed you' says Inlex Locking stalwart after 35 years of service
Operations manager Wayne Murphy has celebrated three and a half decades with leading thread-locking and sealing specialist Inlex Locking.
Wayne, aged 58, joined the metal finishing business in Wolverhampton on a part-time casual contract in 1991, in the same week Silence of the Lambs was released in cinemas.
Some 35 years later, Wayne is one of the most senior members of the Inlex team - responsible for 38 people on the shopfloor.
He said: “I walked through the door on a causal contract working two days a week. If you had told me then I’d still be here after all this time, I wouldn’t have believed you.
“Two days became a few weeks and it escalated from there. I had an engineering background so I was helping people run their machines. I think management noticed and thought I’d be useful to have around.
“I have worked in every position in the company up to operations manager and I think that has really helped. It helps me to relate to the operatives and gives me the passion to make it a better place to work for them.”
Around 10 years ago, with the arrival of Kev Walton as group thread-locking, sealing and purchasing director, Wayne was persuaded to take the leap into management.
“It’s not something I really wanted to do and it look some arm-twisting,” Wayne said.
“I am glad I went for it, though. Kev has guided me all the way and I’ve discovered management skills I never knew I had.
“It’s not always been plain sailing, but the last 10 years have certainly been the best and most successful.
“Inlex and the Anochrome Group is a fantastic place to work and I have enjoyed almost all of it.”
Wayne is now joined at Inlex by his daughter Rebecca, who is the receptionist at the business.
Kev presented Wayne with a bottle of champagne to mark the milestone work anniversary - and he said: “Wayne is an invaluable member of the team. Having worked in every position and on every machine on the shopfloor, he has a unique perspective of how the business operates.
“It was clear to me that Wayne was well respected and had managerial skills. With some persuasion, he took the role and flourished. It’s hard to imagine an Inlex without Wayne at the centre.”
Part of the Anochrome Group, Inlex provides a comprehensive range of thread-locking and sealant products for high-tech fastening applications, serving a variety of sectors including automotive, off-highway and construction.
