Members’ News

25 Jul 2019

Industrial Ancillaries celebrates 50^th anniversary

Our congratulations go to BFPDA member Industrial Ancillaries Limited who are celebrating their 50^th anniversary in 2019.

Founded in 1969, Industrial Ancillaries has grown into one of the UK’s leading distributors of superior-quality hydraulic, pneumatic, instrumentation and process products. The company has built on five decades of industry expertise which has allowed them to expand their product and services offerings, which now include: hose assembly, logistic services, e-commerce, CAD Drawings along with system design consultancy.

In 2014, the company launched the IA Academy, a BFPA-approved training centre and more recently opened branches in Scotland Ireland, and in 2016 they significantly expanded their Markham Vale Headquarters in Chesterfield – with a new and improved workshop, increased office space, new meeting rooms, stylish staff relaxation space and fully refurbished Trade Counter.

Managing Director Jamie Dennis views staff training as a major focus for the business, and is an area he is keen to develop further. The Academy is also targeted towards clients, with a focus on working safely.   Jamie said: “As a leading supplier of these products we believe it’s vital to encourage a high standard of health and safety.”

Industrial Ancillaries has been a valued and active distributor member over the years, with Sales Director Nigel Thomason becoming BFPDA Council Chairman in May 2019 (for the second time!). A few weeks ago Nigel accepted a commemorative plaque from the BFPA to acknowledge and congratulate the company on reaching its 50^th anniversary year.

www.indanc.com

 

Brennan Industries – latest news

Brennan Industries to acquire Miric Engineering

On July 10, 2019 the parent company of Walsall based BFPDA member Brennan Industries announced the acquisition of Miric Engineering, Nottingham, UK, a manufacturer of standard and special fittings & adapters for the material handling industry, tube manipulators, off shore market, OEMs, and other end users. The acquisition of Miric expands Brennan’s global manufacturing footprint to five manufacturing centers worldwide. Brennan’s manufactured product range includes Flare JIC adapters with O-Ring seals, a proprietary range of thrust wire BSP adapters, and JIC, ORFS, BSP and specials in stainless, brass and aluminum. David Yates, former owner of Miric Engineering Ltd. said, “Becoming part of the Brennan team enables Miric to offer superior products and service to our existing customers, while presenting greater opportunities and resources to secure new customers. Joining Brennan will also provide excellent opportunities for our current employees as we increase our production capabilities with new products and services. We are all very excited about what the future may bring for Miric as part of the Brennan family.”

“Miric’s advanced manufacturing capabilities will significantly improve our offering to customers in the UK and Europe,” said Dave Carr, President of Brennan Industries. “As our company grows globally, the ability to carefully control all aspects of manufacturing and quality is critical to successfully serving our valued customers. The opportunities ahead of us continue to be tremendously encouraging, which will greatly benefit the associates and customers of both Miric and Brennan.”

Brennan Industries Inc.’s President David Carr awarded 50 Honoree recognition

Brennan Inc.’s President and Founder David Carr was recently among 50 top executives to receive recognition in the Northeast Ohio’s Smart 50 Awards list. His most recent improvement is the expansion of the company’s Solon corporate facility, built with employees in mind — employees whom Carr considers to be Brennan Industries’ greatest assets. The building will have state-of-the art technology in the warehouse and front office, with collaborative spaces, a dedicated training center and customizable workstations that can be used at standing or seated levels. Carr will continue his open-door policy, encouraging innovative thinking and problem solving.

https://brennaninc.com/birmingham-united-kingdom/

 

Webtec – latest news

Webtec Opens German Office to Develop New Business Opportunities Inside Europe

BFPA members Webtec has announced the formation of Webtec (Europe) GmbH, a new company located in Leverkusen, near Düsseldorf. The strategic focus of the new company is to help improve the productivity of heavy machinery by assisting European manufacturers and associated supporting companies deliver a better service with Webtec’s high-pressure hydraulic measurement and control solutions.

Webtec (Europe) GmbH will service customers throughout Europe in conjunction with Webtec’s regional office in Northern France and will operate in a similar way to Webtec’s other territory subsidiaries in the USA, Asia and the UK. The team, who will be fully operational in the last quarter of 2019, will be looking to support and grow the European distributor network as well as working more closely with OEM’s in the fluid power, construction, mining and agricultural machinery sectors.

On announcing the new company, Martin Cuthbert, Webtec’s Managing Director commented, “We spoke to a many key customers throughout Europe and there was an overwhelming positive response to having a company registered in Germany. Not only will this make future trading seamless but means we are ideally placed to offer customers local support and creates great opportunities for business growth.”

Webtec Appoints New UK Sales Engineer

BFPA member Webtec has appointed Matthew Woodhead as UK Sales Engineer to cover the South East and West, West Midlands, Wales and parts of the North West. Matthew has worked in the hydraulics industry for over 23 years and brings with him a wealth of experience having worked in a number of roles including service and repair engineer to key account management and sales in the service and repair sectors of the industry.

In his new role he will be working closely with Webtec’s UK Sales team to support customers and grow sales from existing OEMs, distributors and resellers and will also be looking to develop opportunities with potential new customers. On joining Webtec, Matthew commented, “This is a great opportunity for me and I am pleased to be joining Webtec as it has great products and vision and I feel that I can make a real contribution to the company’s growth and continue to develop my own knowledge and career within the hydraulics industry”.

www.webtec.com

 

HydraForce wins Large Employer of the Year & Apprentice Ritik Sharma crowned Outstanding Apprentice of the Year at Ladder Awards 2019

BFPA member HydraForce Hydraulics Ltd has won awards in two categories at the July 2019 Ladder for Birmingham Apprenticeship award ceremony held at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. The company won Large Employer of the Year and their third-year apprentice, Ritik Sharma, was winner of Outstanding Apprentice of the Year for 2019.

The event, held on Thursday 4th July, saw Ritik Sharma triumph in the Engineering and Manufacturing apprentice category, sponsored by The Ladder Apprenticeship Foundation:

“Winning the Outstanding Apprentice of the Year for Engineering and Manufacturing award is an absolute honour” said Ritik, who studies Mechanical Engineering. “It truly highlights the limitless possibilities available through the apprenticeship scheme offered by HydraForce. The support and training provided by the company has allowed me to continually grow as a professional and individual; and this award reinforces the idea that doing an apprenticeship is the best route to a successfully career in engineering”

The company, which produces hydraulic valves and manifold systems, also won the award for Large Employer of the Year for apprenticeships, sponsored by the West Midlands Apprenticeship Ambassador Network.

Christine Tolley, Head of Human Resources accepted the award on behalf of the company:

“HydraForce is thrilled that another of our apprentices has won an award – Ritik’s hard work and commitment is testament to his success. Better still, the business has also been recognised by Ladder for Birmingham for its Apprenticeship Scheme. We firmly believe that apprenticeship programmes add a great deal to any business and are pressing forward with our plans to expand beyond engineering into other areas to develop our workforce and help us remain competitive in the industry” said Christine upon receiving the award.

HydraForce has taken apprentices since 2004 and was against three other employers from the Greater Birmingham region within its category, including West Midlands Ambulance Service and Sandwell & West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust.

The Ladder awards attracted over 100 applications this year and is part of the wider Ladder for Greater Birmingham campaign launched in 2018 to create 1,000 new apprenticeships across Birmingham and Solihull.

Photos courtesy of BirminghamLive/Ladder for Birmingham Apprenticeship Awards

Keith Dickinson appointed FTUK Managing Director as John Farmer takes on a new role with Flowtech Fluidpower plc

Following 20 years of exemplary service with Flowtechnology UK John Farmer, Managing Director, has agreed to take on a new role of Group Commercial Director with Flowtech Fluidpower PLC. Following John’s move, Keith Dickinson, FTUK’s Business Development Director, will become Managing Director of Flowtechnology UK.

John joined FTUK as a sales representative for the Midland, Norwich and London areas in 1999 before bringing his engineering and customer focussed expertise to a new role as a Product Development Manager, where he travelled the world to bring FTUK customers the best and widest range of fluid power products from a global network of manufacturers. In 2004 John was appointed as Product Development Director, where he oversaw further developments in the range, ensuring that FTUK’s customers have access to the products they need to meet their customers’ requirements.

John continued in this role until in 2015 when he became FTUK Managing Director. Over the last four years John has led FTUK to great success, built a real family atmosphere across the business and a team fully committed to maintaining FTUK’s position as the leading fluid power distributor in the UK. John commented “I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our customers, suppliers and of course staff for all of their help and support over the last 20 years. It has been a privilege to have worked in such a great business and I have enjoyed it immensely. Although I am moving onto the new role of Group Commercial Director and my responsibilities will be different, I will continue supporting the FTUK business and their customers, which will always have a special place in my heart. However, I have worked closely with Keith for many years and I leave the business in very capable hands. I know he will be a huge success as he leads FTUK into a new era.”

Keith Dickinson joined the sales team in 1994 where he quickly established a fantastic rapport with customers – something which is just as true 25 years later. Keith became Business Development Director in 2004 and has been an integral part of FTUK’s success, developing and leading the business development and commercial teams to build close relationships with customers and support their businesses.

Providing customers with the services they need to succeed has always been one of Keith’s primary motivations and over the years he’s played a central role in the development of FTUK’s services including the Distributor programme, Ecommerce, 24/7 Out of Hours Service and Hose Builder. Keith commented: “I have worked closely with John for 20 years and over that time we have formed a special working relationship, built on each other’s strengths. It will feel a little strange not having him ‘next door’, but I wish him every success in his new role with the Group. On a personal note, I’m delighted to take on this new challenge and I plan to build on John’s foundations and continue his great work in establishing FTUK as the biggest and best distributor in the UK. Our team of staff are the best in the industry and I look forward to leading and supporting them to further enhance the market leading service we offer the fluid power market”.

www.flowtechnologyuk.com

Do you have a company news story we could feature?

BFPA would like to help publicise our BFPA and BFPDA members’ company news (free of charge to members) in our newsletter and / or on our website news page and want to feature more news stories from our BFPA and BFPDA members. Each news item will be set alongside a photo / logo / image (which you would ideally supply) and archived by date. We may also be able to publish on our news pages or send out to a wider media list as well on your behalf.

We would love to hear from you if you have any suitable UK fluid power industry news stories such as:

• Senior staff appointments
• New buildings being opened
• Awards being won / presented
• New industry sales partners announced
• New acquisitions / alliances etc.
• Innovative or unusual projects or case studies

Please send any news items to Sarah Gardner sarah@bfpa.co.uk – we look forward to hearing from you soon!