Express Engineering Group has appointed Neil Pentland as General Manager and Site Director of its Teesside-based specialist welding and fabrication business,
QA Weld Tech.
Mr Pentland (pictured left) will lead QA Weld Tech’s Middlesbrough site, with responsibility for overseeing complex fabrication projects, strengthening customer relationships and the continued development of the business. As the senior on-site lead, he will work closely with the established Middlesbrough team and the wider Express Engineering Group to maintain quality, enhance project delivery and support long-term growth. He will be supported by an experienced on-site senior management team.
Mr Pentland brings a powerful combination of technical metallurgical expertise and commercial leadership experience, with a career spanning more than three decades. Originally from Teesside, his background includes serving as managing director of LFF Glamal for a decade, technical director for LFF’s Subsea Division, and, most recently, divisional director for tube and piping at voestalpine Speciality Performance Metals UK.
Early in his career, he also held roles as a senior engineer for an international oil and gas EPC company and as group quality director.
Mr Pentland said: "I am incredibly excited to be joining QA Weld Tech at such an exciting moment in its history. Having worked closely with the energy and subsea supply chains throughout my career, I know firsthand the stellar reputation it holds for complex fabrications and welding technologies. I look forward to working alongside our talented Middlesbrough team and the wider Express Engineering Group to deliver exceptional quality, predictability, and service to our global customer base."
Widely respected across the industry, Mr Pentland has extensive expertise supporting complex global supply chains across the subsea, oil and gas, and wider energy sectors. Working alongside the experienced local leadership team, he will play a key role in supporting workforce development, expanding capabilities and unlocking new opportunities in existing and emerging markets, while ensuring QA Weld Tech continues to showcase Teesside's engineering excellence on a global stage.
Craig Swinhoe, chief executive officer of Express Engineering Group, (pictured right) commented: "Securing a leader of Neil’s calibre is a testament to our ongoing ambitions for the Middlesbrough site. This appointment comes at an exciting time for our business, following the Group being honoured with The King’s Award for Enterprise for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in International Trade. Neil’s technical background in metallurgy, combined with outstanding commercial leadership, will be invaluable as we look to scale our capacity at Middlesbrough by 40% over the next three years, increase our service offering, enhance our client relationships and seamlessly integrate our Group capabilities."
QA Weld Tech was founded in 1980 on the then newly-developed Riverside Park Industrial Estate in Middlesbrough. Today the company employs around 60 people and combines over four decades of engineering heritage with modern manufacturing capabilities. The company supplies high-integrity engineered products and services, supporting customers operating in some of the world's most challenging environments through specialist welding engineering, precision fabrication and fully managed turnkey projects.