Warwickshire-based Whitehouse Machine Tools has appointed James Fell as its new business development manager (pictured), effective from the start of January, to strengthen the company's back-up and sales operations in the South East of England, including London and East Anglia.

One of his remits is to support existing customers in the region, for example acting as point of contact for applications engineering and service requirements. He will also identify new business opportunities for the sale of the leading machine tool brands for which Whitehouse is sole sales and service agent in the UK and Ireland.

Whitehouse brands include 30-taper vertical machining centres from Japan-based machine tool manufacturer Brother, Taiwanese-built horizontal machining centres from Averex and vertical machining centres, horizontal machining centres and vertical turning lathes from WELE.

The company also supplies CNC turning centres from Italy-based Biglia, CNC lathes and machining centres produced in Germany by Spinner, and large five-axis machining centres manufactured by AXA. Automation options are increasingly supplied with the machines, in line with the general trend throughout manufacturing.

Based in Southampton, Mr Fell is a time-served toolmaking apprentice who gained NVQ Level 3 and then a National Certificate in manufacturing at what is now Havant and South Downs College. He studied on day release while working as a setter-operator on machining centres and CNC lathes at sub-contracting firms in the area — this experience ideally equips him for the new role.

He also has a proven track record in sales, initially in the tooling sector and subsequently working for two machine tool companies selling capital equipment for machining prismatic and rotational parts. Immediately before joining Whitehouse Machine Tools, he specialised in the sales of tool setting equipment.