Mar 10, 2008
Phil McMillan, General Manager, The Airlec Group of Companies
A tradesman by background, Phil McMillan has been involved in the
building and maintenance industry for many years. And now
he’s helping to build something different — a new group of
companies.
The Airlec Group of Companies is a unique kind of building and
maintenance company servicing the building and maintenance needs
for the mining, education, real estate, hospitality and commercial
sectors.
As General Manager of The Airlec Group, Phil oversees the daily
operations of all four divisions of Airlec with a current focus on
electrical and air conditioning maintenance and repairs and
property management services for the Perth metro area.
Through his business development experience, (and in conjunction
with Robert Hewer, Airlec’s Director of Marketing) Phil is also
charged with building the new Xpanda business division, providing a
full range of accommodation units for almost any situation or
location, including mine site camps, holiday and tourist parks and
schools.
Road to Airlec
Having lived in WA for 26 years, Phil completed his trade
apprenticeship as an upholsterer and all additional training in
Perth, and successfully built and operated his own furniture
upholstery business for many years.
Phil then applied his trade knowledge and experience to the
commercial furniture and fit out market for several years, while a
partner managed the daily operations of the upholstery business.
“I enjoyed expanding my experience to related industries, and I
later began seeking another challenge in the trades and building
industries. So I joined the Arrix Group in 2002 as Business
Manager, looking after the building repair, maintenance and
registered building divisions,” explained Phil.
“The role with Arrix was great and helped expand my management
skills, however when my business partner took ill, I returned to
manage the upholstery company for a year,” said Phil. “Once
everything was sorted out, I realised I was longing to get back
into the corporate side of things. So when the opportunity
arose with The Airlec Group, it was just the role and company I was
looking for.”
Having the right mix of building, maintenance and trades experience
coupled with his project management, business development and
leadership skills, Phil was a good fit for the Airlec team, and he
joined the Group in June, 2007.
Business challenges
While Phil enjoys the opportunity to help build a new group of
companies from the ground up, he acknowledges that the job comes
with some challenges.
Being in charge of the daily operations of the business includes
management of the qualified tradespeople employed by Airlec.
And in today’s market where there is an overwhelming demand and
short supply for tradespeople, this is no easy task.
“The labour shortage in Western Australia is my biggest challenge
at the moment and probably also for the company as a whole,” said
Phil. “But we’re always working on ways to hold onto our
precious tradespeople and attract others into the
company.”
2-4 year outlook
When asked where he sees The Airlec Group in the next two to four
years, Phil says there are numerous areas where the Group will
likely grow in the near future.
“As the current mine site camps get older, there should be plenty
of business for us in mine site accommodation refurbishment and
maintenance. Also I expect the Xpanda business will have
developed quickly, especially in the mining sector, as our units
are cost effective, flexible and have a much shorter lead time than
current providers can deliver.”
In regards to general expansion for the company, Phil feels that
expansion in WA’s North, perhaps with an office in a location such
as Karratha, along with a branch in the State’s South West could be
possible in the coming years.