Mazak creates new North-South sales structure for the UK

(Left to right) Alan Reeve, Jason Butler and Brian Edmondson of Yamazaki Mazak

Worcester-based Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd is implementing a new sales structure to support the growing market demand for British-built manufacturing machinery and bring the team even closer to its customer base. The structure, which includes the promotion of several highly experienced employees, will comprise of two dedicated sales teams for the North and South of England under newly appointed general sales managers. Brian Edmondson becomes the new general sales manager for the North of England with Alan Reeve taking the equivalent role in the South — both will report into UK sales director Jason Butler.

The new structure is being implemented in advance of the impending retirement at the end of April of long-serving UK general sales manager, Tony Creamer, a well-known figure in the machine tool industry having worked for the past 19 years at Mazak.

In the North of England, Mr Edmondson will be supported by Karl Hargreaves, Mark Ireland, Joe Trozzo and Stephen Bower, with newly appointed Liam Slack in an area sales engineer role. In the South of England, Mr Reeve will be supported by Neil Coggins, Tim Ponter and John McNally, with Steve Livett being promoted to area sales manager.

Jason Butler, UK sales director at Yamazaki Mazak, said: “We have an exceptionally loyal, long-serving and knowledgeable sales force that is committed to the highest standards of customer service and it is being rewarded with new opportunities and promotions. Brian and Alan are being given enhanced roles in a new structure that will increase our customer focus in the North and South of England.

“The objective is to bring our sales team even closer to our customers, improve the frequency of customer visits and ensure the highest quality of service. Most importantly, we have a great story to tell with the introduction of our new UK-built machines – such as the CV5-500 five-axis machining centre and VCE-600 vertical machining centre – that have a highly competitive price point capable of bringing the benefits of our technology to non-Mazak machine users.”

He concluded: “It is also important to pay tribute to the contribution that Tony Creamer has made to the success of Yamazaki Mazak in the UK over nearly 20 years. In a variety of roles, most recently as general sales manager for the whole of the UK, he has developed a strong and devoted customer base that reflects Tony’s own loyalty to Mazak. We wish him all the best in his retirement.”