March 2019

NEW FACES 56 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS March 2019 www.hpmag.co.uk Pneumatic Components (PCL), the designer, manufacturer and distributor of pneumatic and tyre inflation systems, has appointed Lee Wright as sales director to drive growth within its distribution business. Wright brings over 25 years’ experience to PCL, having held director-level positions across sales, marketing and commercial functions within B2B industrial businesses, and building up a significant amount of export expertise. Wright will spearhead the growth and development of the distribution arm of PCL introducing an e-commerce platform for distributors that will bring substantial benefits including real-time stock availability and pricing information as well as other initiatives. Simon Shorter, sales director at PCL, said: “We are very pleased to announce this strategic appointment as PCL enters an exciting period of growth. Lee’s proven track record, strong understanding of our markets, and invaluable export experience means he is well placed to deliver growth in this pivotal role.” Wright said: “PCL has an unparalleled reputation for manufacturing and distributing the most innovative and high-quality tyre inflation and related products available in the world today. I’m delighted to be joining at this exciting time and look forward to further enhancing and developing PCL’s market-leading position, with a strong emphasis on making it even easier for distributors to do business with us.” Founded in 1938, and celebrating its 80th anniversary until June 2019, PCL maintains a firm commitment to its roots and still manufactures from its 12,000m 2 production facility in Sheffield – the home of engineering excellence. The business is proud to display the city’s prestigious mark of quality and excellence on its ‘Made in Sheffield’ products. PCL makes pivotal appointment Lee Wright. Thorite recruitment and promotion drive Phillip Wright has joined the Thorite Bradford Sales & Service Centre as the key account manager. Wright will not only be responsible for sales to existing major accounts but also for developing sales strategies with new customers. He is well qualified for the task having spent considerable time as an area sales manager with a company specialising in materials handling, industrial spraying systems and filtration. Employing the best people possible as key account managers has always been the policy at Thorite and we are delighted to welcome Wright to the team. Wright lives in Leeds and divides his leisure time between his children and restoring classic cars. Thorite has also welcomed Steve Hurn as key account manager. Hurn will be based at the Huddersfield Sales & Service Centre and will cover an area consisting of Huddersfield, Halifax and parts of Bradford. Hurn served his apprenticeship in electro-mechanical engineering with The Royal Ordnance Factory and also has an HNC in Robotics. He has extensive knowledge of the automotive, food and packaging industries. In his leisure time, Hurn mountain-bikes in the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District and spends his holidays camping and caravanning in Wales, Cornwall and Devon. Additionally, Stewart Metcalf has been appointed as a Thorite installation sales engineer. It has always been the policy at Thorite to promote from within the company and back in April 2018, Metcalf joined the Bradford Sales and Service Centre as a capital sales engineer. At that point, he had spent the previous eight years installing pneumatic systems, latterly in a supervisory capacity. Metcalf was offered the job and is already making a success of it. He lives in Halifax and enjoys most sports. Phillip Wright. Steve Hurn. Stewart Metcalf.