Kevin Manning

My name is Kevin, and I joined Hydroworks in January after being made redundant from my previous job. I came from an agricultural and forestry background, but I was ready for a change of career and wanted the opportunity to learn something completely new.

I originally joined Hydroworks in a service and logistics role, looking after salt deliveries and filter changes. Since then, my role has developed enormously. I’ve trained as an engineer and now install, service and maintain water softeners and other water treatment equipment, while also working directly with customers to understand what they need and help find the right solution for them.

That customer side of the role is something I particularly enjoy. Every job and every customer can be different, and I like being able to solve problems, explain the options and help people find the solution that works best for them.

I’m really grateful to Hydroworks for seeing the potential in me and giving me the opportunity to develop beyond the role I originally joined for. My aim now is simply to keep learning, developing my skills and becoming the best engineer I can be.

Outside of work, I enjoy fishing and, most importantly, spending time with my family.

From Laurence:

Kevin is one of those people who makes an impression very quickly. His work ethic, sense of responsibility and willingness to learn are exceptional. But perhaps the quality I admire most in Kevin is that when he doesn’t know how to do something, he doesn’t see that as a limitation — he sees it as something he hasn’t learned yet. He’ll keep going until he understands it and can do it properly.

There is actually a story behind how Kevin became an engineer.

Kevin originally joined us to look after salt deliveries, filter changes and servicing. Some time later, when we advertised for another engineer to join Hydroworks, Kevin casually told me that he’d applied for a new job.

I was gutted.

I genuinely didn’t want to lose him.

Then he revealed that the job he’d applied for was ours.

What made it even better was that this wasn’t an advertised junior or trainee position. Kevin had seen our vacancy for an experienced engineer and decided that was where he wanted his career to go.

Once I realised how serious he was, the question wasn’t whether Kevin already ticked every box on the job description. It was whether we could see the ability, attitude and potential in the person standing in front of us.

We could.

So rather than lose a brilliant member of our team, we decided to invest in him.

Since then, Kevin has demonstrated that his abilities extend well beyond engineering. He’s naturally good with customers, has become an excellent salesperson and, importantly, he doesn’t sell for the sake of selling. He listens, understands what someone is trying to achieve and works out the right solution for them.

That’s really why Service & Solutions Engineer describes Kevin so well. Whether he’s servicing equipment, installing a new system, helping a customer choose the right solution or tackling something he’s never encountered before, Kevin brings the same determination.

Watching him develop from the person who joined us in a service and logistics role into the engineer and customer-focused problem solver he is today has been one of the genuinely rewarding parts of running Hydroworks.

He’s earned every opportunity we’ve given him — and I’m incredibly proud to have him as part of the Hydroworks team.