ACW Technology Ltd., one of Britain’s most successful contract electronics manufacturers (CEM), has strengthened its management team with the appointment of Grant Bennett as Manufacturing Director. Bennett comes to ACW from Toshiba where he reached the position of General Manager, the only non-Japanese person to hold the post. This appointment comes as the company continues to invest in its core business offering and fight off the downturn being experienced by the rest of the UK manufacturing sector.

As Manufacturing Director, Bennett has been tasked with taking an overview of ACW’s processes and looking at its development over the next ten years and beyond.  “It is a very interesting time to be joining ACW,” comments Bennett.  “The company is in a strong position, unlike many other CEMs, and is aggressively looking into the future. When I was with Toshiba, at its TV manufacturing facility in Plymouth, our future was ultimately at the mercy of the Corporation and it is rewarding to feel that I can have a major input into the future development of this company. I am looking forward to taking full ownership and accountability for what I am working on.”

Bennett joined the ACW team in April, having spent 15 years with Toshiba. He started there in 1993 as an assistant buyer and moved through the ranks and departments until he reached the top as General Manager. In 1997 he moved to Spinnaker International as Purchasing Manager for a year but returned to Toshiba to work in stores & logistics management before progressing further through quality,  production and factory planning.

It is a real coup for ACW that Bennett decided to join the company.  “I have been headhunted in the past but ACW’s approach stood out from the rest,” Bennett continues.  “They were genuinely interested in finding out what it was that I brought to the Toshiba role which had enabled us to survive as a consumer products manufacturing facility in the UK, and how I had progressed to become the General Manager.  ACW has a real willingness to embrace change alongside an understanding that personal development and leadership is an important part of a successful business. On a personal note, it was a tough decision to move my family to Southampton from Plymouth but I have been here two months now and I already know it was the right move.”

Owen Reeves, Managing Director at ACW Technology, commented: “I’m very pleased that Grant decided to join ACW and we are looking forward to working with him on our roadmap for the next ten years. He brings with him a wealth of manufacturing experience which will benefit ACW in its push for sustained growth.”

Bennett has been impressed with ACW’s desire to move forward and make the next step in its manufacturing capability.  He will be looking at its growth in all sectors of the company including systems, people, management, leadership and technology across its manufacturing facilities in Southampton, South Wales and mainland China.

With 20 years of expertise in all areas of manufacturing, ACW offers a complete end-to-end service including product manufacturing, global sourcing, logistics and repair.  The company occupies more than 150,000 sq. ft of factory space across its three manufacturing sites in Southampton, South Wales and Southern China all fitted with high-specification PCB assembly machines for lead-free and leaded product supply.  ACW has 460 staff and sales of £44M.  ACW operates a globally integrated manufacturing and IT system throughout its sites ensuring that consistent high-quality standards are met and enabling rapid transfer of manufacturing data.

http://www.acw.co.uk

Keywords : Industry News, Europe, ACW recruits top Manufacturing Director

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