Coventry-based
Pailton Engineering, a steering systems manufacturer, has appointed Dave Pound as its new managing director. The family-run business is confident that his vast experience with Tier One automotive suppliers will help Pailton Engineering continue its upward trajectory.
Mr Pound said: “The attraction was a business that is clearly doing well, but wants to do even better. Before taking this role, I had a lot of interaction with people here, from the family to the team members on the shopfloor. It felt like everyone was ready to embrace change and I am convinced that we can make a positive difference.”
After graduating from Loughborough University with an engineering degree, Mr Pound started his career in 1984 as an apprentice with GKN Hardy Spicer. In the early part of his career he undertook roles in production planning and sales and upon joining Dunlop-Topy Wheels in 1995 progressed through management roles in commercial and operations.
Throughout the 2000s and 2010s, he held multiple leadership positions where his challenge was to transform struggling companies into profitable businesses, with notable successes including the transformation of Kautex UK Ltd, Kautex Unipart Ltd and Unipart Powertrain Applications.
Mr Pound is keen to impart his knowledge and understanding to his new colleagues, especially his experience of automation. He continued: “I have got a lot of experience working with automation, collaborative robots (cobots) in particular. With the right plan in place, we can automate many things we do here which will make things safer for our workers and free them up for more skilled tasks.”
He is also keen to retain the focus on customisation that has made Pailton Engineering the leader within its niche. Mr Pound concluded: “Although there are other companies that manufacture steering systems, there is simply no other manufacturer that can offer the level of customisation that we can provide and that will remain at the heart of what we do.”