Matthew Brock, Commodity Buyer, was set the challenge by Dave Steggles, Group Managing Director, to arrange for a new fleet of company pool cars but there were rules…

• The new cars had to be British made which narrows the choice significantly and also had to mimic our company colours, black and silver…

Well done to Matthew and the Purchasing team who have outdone themselves and sorted out 14 Mini Clubmans.

They are fantastic little cars – perfect for running around in but also eco-efficient for the environment. Thank you to Listers Mini who have gone above and beyond.

This announcement is to confirm that Stephen is leaving the business as of 31st July 2018.

Stephen has been with Sertec since 1996 and has occupied several key positions over the years up to the present day, including being a Director in Engineering, Operations and New Projects. Most recently Stephen has been directly involved in the project management and development of the 540 and 590 JLR programmes in our Hungarian facility, which included extensive links to the UK and China Offices to ensure effective introduction of the new vehicle build plans in Austria.

As part of new Engineering developments within the automotive sector Stephen was also a key player in the introduction of pressed and welded Aluminium products for Sertec, that now feature on multiple JLR vehicles. This technology will form part of the short, medium and long term plans for Sertec as the business continues to progress in the future.

Stephen’s contribution to the sustained growth of Sertec is greatly appreciated by the main Board of Directors and Company Shareholders and we extend our sincere thanks to him for his services over the years.

Stephen has a considerable portfolio of Managerial, Engineering and Project experience in the automotive sector both in the UK and now in mainland Europe and we are sure that he will be able to utilise these valuable skills either within the automotive industry or in another market depending on personal choices.

Finally on behalf of all Sertec employees both in the UK and European operations we wish Stephen good luck for the future in the pursuit of a new career challenge.

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We are extremely pleased to welcome Andrew Rigg into the position of Plant Manager responsible for Sertec Aluminium Structures in Tyseley.

Andrew has an extensive 1^st Tier Automotive background of over 30 years, starting off as a Technical Apprentice, followed by Production Engineering and then progressing to management level. Over the years Andrew has achieved many awards during his career, such as, MX Award Finalist for World Class Manufacturing and Six Sigma Black Belt.

Andrew joins us from ZF Lemforder where he has worked as a Production Manager for the last 5 years. His key skills include organising, planning, coaching and supporting teams, teaching and implementing lean practices and systems of work.

Over the next few weeks Andrew will be shadowing Richard Sadler whilst getting to know the team and our different sites.

Richard Sadler, Operations Director, stated: “Andrew is going to be a great asset to Sertec and more significantly to SAST with his knowledge and experience I’m sure he will settle right in and move the plant forward.”

I know you will join us in congratulating Andrew and welcoming him to the Sertec Team.

Joining the Sertec Group at the end of September 2017, has been another positive step to my career path in procurement management. Having started out as an expeditor many years ago and working my way up through the ranks of Buyer, Procurement Manager, Purchasing Director, always in a manufacturing environment and predominantly in the Automotive Industry. The knowledge and experience I bring to Sertec is a perfect alignment with the Sertec vision and as part of the improvement and development strategy for the Purchasing Department, there are a number of changes that I would like to make you aware of.

I’ve reviewed the purchase structure which is now concluded and I have completed the strategy to develop the department into a commodity/category management style of purchasing where each manager and buyer is given a number of commodities to manage and effectively becomes the expert in the end to end procurement process for their chosen commodities. Focusing on the pre-award process, NPI, category analysis, demand management, supply market characteristics, sourcing, price negotiations, contract management, performance management and aftermarket.

I attach a copy of the new Purchase Structure for your perusal and it is my intention over the coming weeks to attend each of our sites to formally present the structure, discuss the changes and identify what impact these changes may have in your areas.

To enable the purchasing vision to come to fruition, specialist recruitment has taken place and an internal promotion. To this effect I am extremely pleased to announce the promotion of Bryn Steggles to Group Commodity Manager and I am delighted to welcome Alison Shingles, Group Commodity Manager and Ian Marley, Group Commodity Buyer into the Sertec Group.

Bryn joined Sertec in 2009 as a spot weld engineer before progressing in to a buying role. Bryn found his vocation within the Purchasing department and his career took off leading him to a management secondment at our plant in Estonia for 3 years, where he played a vital role in the day to day management of the plant until its sale in 2014. Bryn’s knowledge and experience in purchasing has enabled him to become the right fit for this promotion and it is thoroughly deserved.

Alison brings to Sertec a wealth of knowledge and experience from her many years in Purchasing; she has spent the past 12 years at Aston Martin at a senior level advancing in Total Delivered Cost, Total Value Management and Powertrain. With her strong automotive background and working within a commodity management structure, Alison has the key attributes which will help her to quickly establish her role in the organisation and she will become a key driver in Sertec’s future.

Ian also has an extensive automotive background, spending his career in the Purchasing function in Buying and Purchasing Management roles for Tier 1 suppliers. He has spent the last 10 years at UYT (CPA), a supplier partially owned by Honda, this means he is fully conversant with the protocols and procedures of a Japanese OEM. Ian’s comprehensive knowledge in BIW, BOP, raw material purchasing and NPI are important skills required to enhance our new purchasing structure.

On behalf of the Sertec Group I would like to congratulate Bryn on his new position and I am delighted to welcome new faces into the Group – wishing you all the very best of luck.

Alison Shingles

Bryn Steggles

Ian Marley

It gives me great pleasure to welcome Matthew Oakley to the team who joins as ‘Head of Logistics’. Matt is a highly regarded senior logistics professional with expertise in delivering green-field logistics operations and delivering continuous improvement through an operational excellence approach.

Matt will be working closely with Scott Taylor and the rest of the Team to drive operational efficiencies, cost control, and support the continued growth of Sertec.

Matt brings over 15 years of logistics leadership experience to Sertec, having previously worked as a senior manager for Grupo Antolin, Jaguar Land Rover, Royal Mail, and in Logistics consultancy roles.

I am sure that you will all join me in congratulating Matt on his appointment and as ‘one group’ we will work together to make the business even more successful in the future.

The Sertec Learning Academy are Proud to be investing in apprenticeships to support the development of existing employees, across a number of business functions including; Finance, Quality and Engineering.

In May, Sertec hosted the launch of the Improvement Practitioner Apprenticeship in partnership with Capella associates, to support members of our Quality and Systems teams in attaining further knowledge and Qualifications.

Over the next 17 months, Elizabeth Lippett, Chris Stains and Lee Chatfield will be supported by Peter Pugh and Martyn Hughes as they work towards completing a number of improvement projects; using a blend of Lean,  Six Sigma and change management tools. This apprenticeship combines world- class “thinking” with tools in problem solving and process improvement, providing them with knowledge, skills and professional behaviours to support them in the work place.

The programme includes 16 delegates from 5 companies giving the team a real opportunity to share best practice and learn from their peers as they put the learning into action in the work place. We look forward to supporting this programme over the coming months and seeing the results of the improvement projects.

Do you know someone who is considering an engineering apprenticeship? If so, join us this Saturday at the EEF Open Day. This is a great way to see and hear first-hand what life is really like as an engineering apprentice. Click here to find out more.