Team talk with Robbie Rix

This month, we speak to Robbie Rix – one of our 3D CAD Engineers and board member of the Rix Group, our parent company. He joined Victory fresh out of school with no experience in 3D CAD but has since become a highly valued member of the drawing team. Here we find out what he loves about CAD, what he’s looking forward to about the future of Victory, and what he gets up to in his free time…

What brought you to Victory?

I had my eyes set on university to study business or product design but then the pandemic struck. I decided to join the family business but wasn’t sure which department would suit me. I’ve always been interested in product design so jumped at the opportunity to join the Computer-Aided Design team (CAD) at Victory and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made!

What made you choose to get into CAD and why?

Joining the CAD team at Victory was perfect for me because of my interests in product design and manufacturing, but also because I wanted to push myself and try something new. When I started, I didn’t know anything about 3D CAD, which was also new to Victory but with the help of the supportive team I got up to speed pretty quickly. I knew that CAD is used widely throughout many industries, so I gained the qualifications to become a fully-fledged CAD engineer within six months to stay ahead of the game.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

As soon as I arrive, I get straight into new product development and review our progress for the coming months. I’m lucky because I get to draw every part of our homes and have no specific role within the CAD team which I love because no two days are the same. Working on new product development is exciting and I’m really looking forward to seeing what we have in the pipeline come to life! Watch this space…

What do you love most about working for Victory?

It has to be the people (and the football banter) and the four-day working week. Everyone is friendly, gets along, and if you ever have a problem a solution is always found quickly. That’s the beauty of Victory – we’re agile, entrepreneurial and are never afraid to get to the heart of an issue before it’s too late. The production teams are also really supportive in helping us understand how our designs translate in a production environment.  

Which is your favourite Victory home and why?

I’d have to say the Lakewood – it’s what I call our ‘GOAT’ (Greatest of all Time) home because it was where it all started for our industry-leading Novus technology. It was also the first product we drew in 3D using Solidworks, a game-changing piece of software for our industry. I’m also very excited about what’s coming for the 2024 season too – I may have a new favourite soon…

What are you looking forward to most about the future of Victory?

For me I’m excited about seeing how far we can push the boundaries and set new benchmarks in the industry. In the CAD team, we’re always looking at new ways of creating holiday homes and lodges, using innovative techniques and technology that will change the game entirely.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?

My favourite quote that I live by, both at work and in my personal life, is “winners never quit, and quitters never win”.  Quitting is not in my nature and if I’m having a bad day, the team at Victory is always here to pick me back up.

What do you do in your spare time?

I’m a keen rugby union player and play for Driffield RUFC. We’ve just recently played at Twickenham in the Papa John’s Community Cup final, and we won it which was an amazing experience. I’m also a keen golfer and you’ll regularly find me on the local East Yorkshire golf courses in the summer months. When I get chance to put my feet up, I like to play a bit of PlayStation and watch most sports on TV with my friends too.

If you could learn any new skill instantly, what would it be and why?

I’d love to be able to know how to sail a super yacht or large vessel – I think that would be super cool. It might happen one day, who knows?

If you could be with a celebrity for a day, what would you do with them?

It would have to be spending the day with golfs’ GOAT, Tiger Woods, and get him to give me a few tips and tricks to improve my game.