The team at the Trussed Rafter Association spent 5 Minutes With Scott McAndrew, Technical Director of BPC Building Products. While sharing some of his career highlights, he recalls how fixing up cars with his dad first sparked his interest in technical matters.
Read on to hear about the moments that shaped his journey, his love of Glasgow Rangers, and the advice he’d give to anyone starting out in the world of trussed rafters…
What first brought your attention to a career in timber engineering?
I never really set out to have a career in the timber industry. But at school I was always interested in technical subjects. I left school when I was 15 as I’d been accepted at the local technical college for a two-year diploma in building. I wanted to do mechanical engineering as I spent a lot of time with my dad fixing cars – although he told me to do this as a hobby and not a career.
I was hoping to go down the route of architectural technician but after college I applied for a job at Donaldson Timber Engineering as a design technician. Back then, they only had one branch in Buckhaven and only one other design technician. After that I continued my career path into timber frame and timber connectors.
What has been your proudest moment in your career to date?
It’s probably achieving my Masters in Timber Engineering at Edinburgh Napier University. Even though I didn’t have a degree I was accepted based on my industry experience. Back when I started working at Cullen Building Products, all the product engineering and development was then outsourced to Timbersolve – and upon meeting them, I realised it was Luke, Julian and Alan who had all worked at Gang-Nail and given me truss training 15 years earlier.
While working with them I was doing more testing, calculations and report-writing. They would check over my work, and they encouraged me to do the timber Masters. The whole degree was difficult as I had never written reports, essays or a dissertation to that sort of level before. In my first year I won the award for Best Timber Engineering student. I was in fact the only timber engineering student!
What advice would you give someone who is starting out in your profession?
Don’t be scared to try different things and push your limits and challenge yourself and others but listen to the people around you with experience and don’t be scared to ask questions. When it comes to the development of new products, success doesn’t happen first time. So don’t be scared to fail. You have just learned a new insight from the way something doesn’t work.
When it comes to product development you learn more by watching the tests than looking at a spreadsheet of results – whether it is testing connectors or witnessing fire tests. I have been in this industry for over 35 years and continue to learn new information and skills.
If you could change just one thing about the construction industry, what would it be and why?
Bring in more skills-based training! when I started in the industry, I was sent to college day-release to do an HNC (Higher National Certificate) and took beginner, intermediate and advanced training courses; I understood what was happening below the wallplate. But now it just seems to be just “here’s the software, off you go!” without any understanding behind the computer’s answer. When I started as a truss designer I spent a week in the factory, cutting and pressing trusses. This gave me a broad understanding, which I don’t think happens anymore.
If you could have dinner with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be and why?
I have several passions in life, and one is football. I still play weekly and, being a Glasgow Rangers fan, my first pick would be Alistair McCoist – just to hear some of the stories from when he played. Today, his commentary is the only thing that makes some games on TV bearable.
I would also invite Sir Jackie Stewart, who is one of the greatest racing drivers of all time and the person who fought to bring a lot of safety measures into Formula 1. It would also save me from reading his biography which I got years ago but haven’t got round to reading.
I love movies and TV shows so I think I’d have to invite Harrison Ford, as Star Wars is one of the first films I can remember going to see at the cinema back in the 70s. Or perhaps the king of cool, Steve McQueen, as The Magnificent Seven is one of my favourite films – plus I could talk motor racing with him. Then again, Harrison Ford was in fact once a joiner by trade, so he could maybe give some input into the truss industry!