Tiger Trailers has bolstered its executive team with the appointment of Rich Anderson as business development director, bringing a wealth of experience from a lengthy career in the industry to the Winsford-based trailer and body manufacturer. Anderson, 52, joins Tiger Trailers from the Cartwright Group, where he held the position of sales and marketing director for just over three years. Prior to that, he spent more than 12 years at Montracon, working as a national account manager with responsibility for high-profile fleets including Sainsbury’s and Morrisons. Explaining what attracted him to the role, Anderson says: “In three years Tiger Trailers has quickly established itself as a leading supplier in the industry and to be given the opportunity to join them is fantastic. There is a real ‘team spirit’ throughout the business, alongside some highly experienced people – not just at a senior management level, but in areas like procurement, design, manufacturing and sales. Tiger’s plans to move into a brand new and much larger factory next year have sent a very clear signal to the market about its growth ambitions, and I wanted to be part of this exciting journey. I’m also really looking forward to getting out there and engaging with customers face to face.”
IVECO has appointed Emmet Wrafter as light business line director, with responsibility for its Daily light commercial range in the UK and Ireland. Wrafter, 39, grew up watching his father run a haulage company, before entering the automotive industry himself with dealer sales roles at Citroën in 2003, and Audi in 2004. A year later he set-up his own dealership, Wrafter Motors, which he ran successfully for six years before joining the Ford Motor Company’s European commercial vehicle product marketing team in 2011. During his five years at Ford, Wrafter took on roles including direct fleet sales manager, national account manager and dealership zone manager. He left Ford in February 2016 to become director of tactical sales & stock at LeasePlan, before accepting the position with IVECO. Wrafter says: “After roles in retail, fleet and leasing, it’s the perfect chance to bring all of my skills and experience together with a brand and a model range which offers significant growth potential. The UK is moving more freight on small to medium sized vans than ever before; the dynamic of the market is changing, and I don’t believe there’s another manufacturer as best placed to respond.” He will be based at IVECO’s UK headquarters in Basildon and will report to Stuart Webster, IVECO UK & Ireland business director.
Truck manufacturer MAN Truck & Bus UK has also appointed Russell Stevenson as special products manager. Stevenson, who has worked for the company for 14 years, says he is looking forward to the challenges of the new role. He says: “It means I can see a project through from start to finish and call on my engineering knowledge to help meet customers’ requirements. Essentially the job involves understanding MAN’s products and what is available in its fantastic portfolio and how can that be applied to the special products market. I will be dealing with anything from exports, emergency services and airport vehicles.” Stevenson, 36, also spent two years in Camp Bastion in Afghanistan capitalising on his MAN product knowledge. He explains: “I volunteered for a placement there and was working for Rheinmetall Defence UK looking after the MAN vehicles in the field as a field service representative. We were looking after the MAN vehicles out there and it was good to see them in operation and offering such strong protection to the military personnel. They offered a superb level of occupant protection.”
MAN Truck & Bus UK has also appointed a new salesman to its team in Northern Ireland. Jordan Willis, 31, has joined the sales team lead by Brian Beattie and will cover Co Antrim and part of Co Londonderry/ Derry. The areas were previously covered by his colleague Mark Lennox, who will now be responsible for Armagh, Fermanagh and Tyrone. Willis says: “This is my first experience of selling within the commercial vehicle sector, but it is something I have always had the ambition to do. I have worked in finance and also selling cars, buut I have family connected with the haulage industry and knew that is where I wanted to work.”
Schmitz Cargobull UK and Ireland has appointed Steve Vincent as its head of aftermarket; his role will be to develop the trailer manufacturer’s skilled service partner network. In his new role, he will expand the UK and Irish section of Schmitz Cargobull’s pan-European network of more than 1,300 service partners, ensuring operators have easy access to repair and maintenance for their equipment by approved technicians. Vincent brings to the role more than 30 years of experience within the vehicle industry, most recently as operations director for Manheim Aftersales Solutions. He has previously worked for a variety of major manufacturers in the UK, including Renault Trucks, Hyundai and Volkswagen, as well as supporting the growth of the RAC’s service patrol network.
Giti Tire has promoted Craig Tominey to senior regional sales manager for its UK truck and bus (TBR) operations, a role he will undertake while maintaining his position as area sales manager (ASM) for Scotland. Tominey, who joined the business in April 2013 from BSUK Limited, will support the company’s five ASMs around the country while having greater input into strategy with senior management and the office-based sales team. He will report directly to Tony McHugh, TBR Sales and Marketing Director UK at Giti Tire. McHugh says: “Over four years Craig has proven himself to be an excellent ambassador for the company, constantly surpassing sales targets while earning the greatest respect of his colleagues. This promotion is deserved and will give him the remit to become much more influential in our market approach.”
Ralph Heuwing is to join Knorr-Bremse on 1 November 2017 and will take over the responsibilities of chief financial officer Dr. Lorenz Zwingmann on 1 January 2018. From May 2007 to May 2017, Ralph Heuwing (51) was CFO of technology company Dürr, where he was responsible for the commercial activities of the group, for IT and global sourcing, as well as for two of Dürr’s five divisions. His performance there won him the 2016 “CFO of the Year” award.
Bartec Auto ID Limited (Bartec), the British manufacturer of tyre pressure monitoring systems (TPMS), announces the appointment of David Jones as its new UK and Irish salesperson. David brings a wealth of diagnostic experience to the Barnsley-based, family-run company, following established roles with Nebula Systems and Euro Car Parts. He joins the TPMS experts at a crucial time, as this year marks the first when vehicles, due their first MOT test, will be entering workshops with TPMS installed as mandatory.
Dr. Chris Davies, Head of Technical Superiority for Belron, the parent company of Autoglass, has been awarded the title of Honorary Professor in Practice from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David (UWTSD). Davies, who joined Belron in 2003, leads a dedicated research and development centre. In recent years, his team has focused on Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS), which are increasingly common in new vehicles; and support many potentially life-saving safety features such as autonomous emergency braking. In 2015, Autoglass was the first vehicle glass specialist to launch a customer solution for ADAS calibration, which has since been rolled out across the UK. Many systems require calibration to ensure they are working properly following a windscreen replacement. He and his team wrote the body of work that ultimately became the Thatcham Code of Practice for ADAS and automotive glazing.
r2c Online have made four new managerial appointments as part of a major investment in its customer service department. Karen Shaw joins r2c Online as customer experience manager, heading up customer support and satisfaction teams. She has over 14 years’ experience developing customer-centric operations for Direct Line. Heather Mortimer and Sarah Kennel both join as project managers. As part of further investment in product innovation, Chris Fearn has joined r2c Online as product manager. He brings over 30 years’ experience in software development and product management and will head up r2c Online’s team of product specialists. Managing director of r2c Online Nick Walls comments: “This is an exciting time for r2c Online as we are looking to double our workforce over the next 12 months. Our new managerial appointments allow us to restructure our department to truly focus on customer service levels.”
HELLA’s paint brand, Sonne, has grown exponentially in the past year, which is why the team behind the brand is introducing Colin Thompson into the group as its new business development manager. Thompson has a wealth of knowledge and experience that has been accrued in successful roles within the automotive industry. He specialises in refinishing, tools and equipment and service segments.
Fleet Operations, an independent provider of outsourced fleet management services, has strengthened its sales team with the appointment of new Business Development Manager Kris Howarth. Previously employed by Inchcape, Howarth brings more than 15 years’ experience in the fleet automotive sector, including business development roles with Activa Contracts, Koelliker UK and Corporate Motor Finance.
In its fourth consecutive annual charity cycle ride, TIP Trailer Services' team of 42 cyclists from key industry customers and suppliers have successfully completed the event, breaking all previous records for the amount of money raised. More than £57,000 has been raised as a result of this three-day event. All funds raised are going to The Donna Louise Trust and The North West Air Ambulance. With an average age approaching 50 years, the TIP cycling team flew to Bergamo to tackle a gruelling three day, 320km cycle ride to Venice. Over its history, TIP’s Fat Bottomed Boys & Girls annual bike ride has raised more than £155,000 for charity.