Inlex stalwart Wayne Murphy celebrates 35 years of service

Operations manager Wayne Murphy is celebrating 35 years with leading threadlocking and sealing specialist Inlex. He joined the business on a part-time casual contract in 1991 — fast-forward 35 years he is now one of the most senior members of the Inlex team, responsible for 38 people on the shopfloor.

Inlex provides a comprehensive range of threadlocking and sealant products for today’s high-tech fastening applications, serving a variety of sectors including automotive, off-highway and construction.

Mr Murphy said: “I walked through the door on a causal contract working two days a week. If you had told me then I would still be here after all this time, I wouldn’t have believed it. I had an engineering background and as a result was able to help people run their machines. I think management noticed and thought I would be useful to have around.”

A passion for manufacturing
He continued: “I have worked in every position in the company up to operations manager and I think that has really helped, enabling me to relate to the operatives and gives me the passion to make it a better place for them to work.”

Around 10 years ago, with the arrival of Kev Walton as group thread locking, sealing and purchasing director, Mr Murphy was persuaded to take the leap into management. He said: “It was not something I really wanted to do and it look some arm-twisting, but on reflection I am glad I went for it. Kev has guided me all the way and I have discovered management skills I never knew I had. It has not always been plain sailing, but the last 10 years have certainly been the best and most successful. Inlex, part of the Anochrome Group, is a fantastic place to work and I have enjoyed almost all of it!”

Mr Murphy has recently been joined at Inlex by his daughter Rebecca, who is the receptionist at the business. Mr Walton presented Wayne with a bottle of champagne to mark the 35th work anniversary. 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 is hard to imagine an Inlex without Wayne at the centre.”