Long-serving Talos Automation consultant and Engineering Director Ben Vokes recently flew out to Detroit to catch up with his US clients and contractors. It’s an invaluable opportunity to meet with customers face to face, discussing upcoming projects and digging deep to gain a true understanding of their challenges and opportunities in the current climate.
Of course, it’s not all work… Read on to find out what really happens on a Talos trip to Motor City!
Wednesday 26th March
6am the journey to Heathrow begins, destination, Detroit Michigan! Not the best start with a 90 minute delay on the plane due to 40 passengers showing up at 10 minutes to take off! Nonetheless, the flight was smooth and the service on Delta was just fine. Season 4 of Yellowstone got me through the 8hr flight and (almost literally) made the time fly by!
Touch down in DWT Airport, Michigan at 3pm local time, 7pm back in the UK, so only a -4hrs time difference thanks to daylight savings! I head through USA Boarder control with no issues, grab my bags and head to pick up my car, a rather large Ford F150! When I say large, it absolutely wouldn’t fit on the roads here in the UK!
I finally check into the hotel at 6pm, grab a quick shower and head out in Royal Oak for dinner at a favourite of mine, Ale Marys Beer House, where I devour a smoked brisket burger and beer battered chips!! 20 hrs since leaving the UK and I’m finally in my bed!
Thursday 27th March
Having been awake for the best part of a day you would’ve thought I’d have slept well, but thanks to jet lag I saw every other hour and was wide awake at 4.40am! So I hit the hotel gym and grab an early breakfast before my first client meeting of the day.
First meeting of the day is with an existing client that makes up 50%+ of my billings. I’ve known these guys for 6 years now, we have a lot in common and it’s always great to see them. I was at their office for about 2 hours, seeing 3 different hiring managers and a handful of my contractors that were on site. In addition to making a placement on site, the most interesting piece of information to come out of this meeting was that the new CEO has hired a sales team to diverse into areas that currently aren’t their core strengths. This could be an interesting move for them and open up requirements for the type of engineer they typically take from us.
My second meeting of the day was over lunch with a client at Ford Garage; I’ve been working with them for 3 years now, however this was the first time I’d met them! The food was excellent but the meeting itself was even better, with them offering one of my engineers a job and stating that they are very happy with how Talos supports them and that we are one of their ‘go to’ agencies for contract recruitment. Great to hear!
The third meeting of the day was again with a main stable client of mine located in the famous 8 mile of Detroit! I always feel uneasy around this area, probably due to the 2002 Eminem film, but I’ve never experienced anything shady!
The day ended with a trip to Little Cesars Stadium with a client to watch the Detroit Redwings take on the Ottawa Senators in the NHL. We grabbed some Detroit style pizza and had a few beers while watching a nail-biter of a match, which saw the Redwings lose 4-3!
Friday 28th March
After a great night’s sleep, I woke up just before 6am, hit the gym again and make my way out for my first meeting of the day. A great visit with a new client that resulted in me picking up 2 new jobs for a start in April, working on a BMW project.
The second and third meetings of the day had similar vibes, mainly around President Trump’s new tariffs. There was a lot of uncertainty, with the future of several major projects now in doubt. However, both clients have US-based work that they are going to need extra manpower for in the coming months, so not a complete loss!
Friday ended with me taking 2 new clients out for dinner to a sports bar called Art & Jakes. We have 3 engineers working for one of the clients, and the second is a brand new client, representing a big opportunity for Talos to diverse into a market in which we haven’t historically operated much. I finished the night back in Royal Oak with a Dirty Martini at a bar called Wise Owl with a great live band. Well and truly shattered, I was back in my bed at 10.30pm!
Saturday 29th March
Saturday started with a lay-in and a late breakfast at a local café called Crispellis. However, wanting to maximise on my trip, Saturday was another working day! Along with Gary Cane, I met 2 candidates at a darts bar in downtown. We played some darts and had a few beers before grabbing a late lunch. That evening, Gary and I hosted contractor drinks at a local hunting themed bar called Twin Peaks. The evening started at 7pm and saw 20 of our contractors meet us for wings and beers; it was a brilliant evening with great people that had nothing but good things to say about working for Talos!
Sunday 30th March
Sunday was a full day to myself, but it didn’t go the way I expected! It started pretty normal; I drove to Great Lakes Outlet and did some shopping and had a nice lunch. In the afternoon, I went to a bar to watch the March Madness Basketball playoffs; it was mega busy with a great atmosphere as Michigan state were playing. They lost the game and that was when things got crazy: sirens started going off as a massive storm hit Michigan with 90mph winds, stair rod rain, thunder and lighting! I figured I’d just ride it out in the bar until they announced it was closing, so I had to run past shaking street signs and leap over huge puddles. By the time I got back to the hotel I looked like I’d had a shower in all my clothes!
Monday 31st March
My last full working day saw me visit 3 clients: 2 existing and 1 new. The day flew by and was full of productivity, my first client meeting ended with 2 offers being made, I left the second with 6 new jobs, and I wrapped up the final meeting by discussing how a $2bn investment is going to impact their manpower needs in 2025.
They say time flies when you’re having fun, this was certainly the case during my time in Detroit, Michigan. I always feel very lucky whenever Talos and STR send me to United States. It’s a fantastic personal as well as professional experience that’s made possible by the trust provided by the management team at the STR Group. In my opinion, seeing your clients face to face is one of the most powerful tools in our arsenal, never underestimate it!
Are you a client or contractor in the US automation sector?
Reach out to Talos via the link below and Ben or one of his expert colleagues will be in touch to discuss how we can help you find your next role, or source the manpower you need for your upcoming projects.
