When Kylie Austin moved to Melbourne, she applied for 21 jobs and got five offers. One of those offers was with DEUTZ Australia as a Spare Parts Interpreter and Kylie says it was the obvious choice for her.
“I really wanted to join DEUTZ Australia as I’d had experience with the company in the farming dealership I previously worked for in Albury. My old boss began his dealership in 1972 and owned a few old DEUTZ tractors himself. He was very much a DEUTZ man,” says Kylie.
“When I came for my interview, I knew I wanted to work here and I’ve not been disappointed. Every day is different, every inquiry is a different challenge and I’m learning all the time. That suits me because I like my brain to be busy!”
Kylie’s extensive background working in dealerships supporting the farming industry has been useful. She has worked with Komatsu and Wiesners where the dealership looked after about 20 different franchises.
“Harvest time was particularly busy – I’d be on call 24/7 and if a tractor broke down somewhere, I had to organise the right parts to get it working again. There was a lot of pressure but I loved my work,” says Kylie.
She also spent a number of years working in car dealerships, including as a business manager in a Ford dealership and a Harley Davidson dealership, but parts interpreting became Kylie’s passion.
She is one of a four-member team at DEUTZ Australia who service dealers across the country. In a typical day, Kylie takes inquiries from dealers about parts required for engines, looks up drawings and specifications to find the appropriate parts and then liaises with the customer about price and availability. If the part isn’t in Australia, Kylie liaises with colleagues in Germany to arrange supply.
“The hardest part of the gig is identifying exactly which part the dealer requires because the lingo changes between industries. What a customer calls a part can be different to what that part is actually named – the technical names vary,” says Kylie.
“I’ve had a lot of support from the team and I do ask a lot of questions but everyone has been amazing. This is the best company I’ve ever worked for.”
Outside of work, Kylie is enjoying Melbourne living. She grew up in Sydney but lived in Albury for 30 years and moved to Melbourne with her partner. She says they are both making the most of Melbourne’s concert scene and the beaches.
“Every weekend, we go to the beach for a walk – rain, hail or shine!” says Kylie, who says Waratah Bay, Black Rock and St Kilda are favourite spots.
“I’m also a rugby league fanatic and love going to the games. And I also spend a lot of time in the car driving or flying to see my three children and grandchildren who live in Mildura, Beechworth and Brisbane.”
Kylie also has a bucket list that includes travelling to Western Australia and New Zealand at some point.
“WA is a priority – everyone talks about how beautiful it is and I’d love to see it for myself one day,” she says.