New Company Director

In just over a year of joining specialist subcontract machinist Kenard Engineering of Dartford, Kent as northern area sales manager, Neil Ransom has introduced the company to new customers in the oil and gas industry and created additional sales worth over GBP2 million. His reward for this success is the position of sales director taking control of UK business for the two production sites of Kenard in Dartford and Tewkesbury and the responsibility of setting up a customer support office in Newcastle.

This new office will provide direct service to the North of England and Scotland to ensure projects in this very demanding sector are under close control. Neil Ransom, a time served engineer, now 40, has previous experience with a Tier 1 subcontracting and machining company as commercial and contracts manger providing day-to-day customer support and trouble shooting problems.

He also has extensive experience in the aerospace and defence sector which will pay dividends to the Kenard Engineering operation that has a growing turnover and customer base producing high value components for aerospace, telecommunications, mining and the rail industry. In the first nine months of 2006 sales in the aerospace sector have also grown 25 per cent.

Part of Neil Ransom’s brief is to further develop Kenard’s supply chain management expertise into the oil and gas sector using the dedicated team of project managers that specialises in each area of the business. An important advantage Kenard has in the market is an enviable multi-million investment record to improve its machining facilities that include a four machine flexible manufacturing system and the latest high capacity turn mill centres providing single hit cycles on parts up to 1 m diameter by 2.5 m long.

Neil Ransom will also be advising on future investment plans at board level to ensure Kenard can continue to provide a high technology solution to customer requirements and maintain the strict quality and delivery schedules demanded.