Employee Spotlight: Ollie Windle - DCI's New Director of US Customer Support
DCI is excited to welcome our new Director of US Customer Support, Ollie Windle to the team. As we get to know him, we also want our extended community to as well, so we sat down with Ollie to learn a little more about him and his experiences throughout his career. Here's what he had to say.
After 27 years in the heavy equipment industry, what are a couple of things you’ve learned along the way?
Thinking about this question, I wanted to answer from two different perspectives. The first thing would be to take care of the team. The team is taking care of our customers each and every day, hearing the good and the bad and if they are taken care of, the customers will be taken care of as well. The second thing is to expect and embrace change. If we were still doing things the same way we did them 27 years ago, 15 years ago , or even 5 years ago… we are getting left behind. Business and technology are moving quickly so we need to adapt and overcome and ensure we understand and are able to explain those changes confidently to our customers so they can grow as well.
What have been your observations about the HDD industry? What are you most excited about in the world of HDD right now?
The HDD industry continues to advance and grow with the demands of the public and with that growth of business, comes the growing demand for technology, additional support, training, and product. The service after the sale has and continues to differentiate the competitors out there in the HDD market. What excites me the most is the pace at which technology is adapting to the HDD business. The HDD industry continues to struggle with recruiting and retaining qualified employees so whatever we can do to help them do more with less will provide an advantage to both them and us.
It’s early days, but what are you looking to focus on during your first year at DCI?
During my first year here at DCI, there will be a lot of learning from a manufacturing perspective and balancing a nationwide team along with the internal team that supports our vast customer base. The teams that are in place are the best in the business so my mission will be to interact with all of them, support them in their efforts, tackle any roadblocks for them, and help grow our business.
What do you think is the toughest part of drilling?
There are a lot of things that are the “toughest part of drilling” that I can think of. Ground conditions, having the right crews, maximizing the uptime and minimizing the downtime of your equipment, and the overall cost of running your business.
How do you try to help drillers through it?
By partnering with them and being a resource, not just a supplier. Our customers expect that we, the professionals, have the answers… we need to provide those answers and help them get their bore completed as best we can.
What’s the craziest bore you’ve ever been a part of?
The maxirig bores are some of the most memorable to me. There was a shot out on the coast that was for a large fiber project. The shot was from the beach out roughly a mile into the ocean to connect fiber. The ocean, sand, weather, and difficulty in finishing and welding up the pipe at the end was super interesting, challenging, and satisfying to see completed.
That does sound...difficult. Thanks for the time Ollie!