DavyMarkham - News
Former Lathe Turner, John Watson, Is Appointed Production Director

Sheffield heavy engineering concern, Davy Markham, which markets machinery and equipment across the world, has appointed John Watson as its new Production Director, in which capacity he will manage the firm's programme of continuous manufacturing improvement and assist in implementing strategies for increased productivity. Having joined the company as a lathe turner in 1988, John was transferred temporarily from the shop floor just three years later, in order to gain experience of non-production processes, and never returned to his original job, subsequently rising through the management ranks and in the process gaining an Institute of Management degree.

"John thoroughly deserves this promotion,' says DavyMarkham's MD, Kevin Parkin. "He has excellent man-management skills, earning him tremendous respect from the shop floor, and it was his initiative that led to the recent reinstatement of our apprenticeship scheme, with a fresh intake expected again this year. He has worked alongside the unions and workforce to improve internal communications and has striven to improve health & safety standards in the plant, helping to reduce the number of accidents and maximise staff awareness of hazards.'

47 year-old John Watson, who comes from Worsbrough Bridge in Barnsley, was raised and educated in the Sheffield area, attending Stannington College and Sheffield City Polytechnic, before gaining his apprenticeship as a centre lathe turner and training at a local skills centre in CNC programming and machining. As well as City & Guilds courses in Mechanical Engineering, he studied for an Institute of Management Diploma and Postgraduate Diploma in Strategic Management, whilst working full-time, and has also acquired an impressive array of vocational qualifications.

After transferring from the shop floor, he became a major projects Quality Engineer, which involved managing QA systems and visiting supplier sites, then Production Department Shift Manager, directing skilled technicians within the machining, fabrication and assembly areas. In 2000, he rose to Quality Manager, implementing all aspects of the company's quality management scheme to ensure continued accreditation to ISO2001, and was appointed Production Manager three years ago, assuming full responsibility for all production functions, cost control systems and achieving performance targets.

In his new role as Production Director, John will report directly to the board and work with them on achieving DavyMarkham's strategic objectives in relation to on-time delivery, contract performance and profitable trading. He will also identify and implement appropriate training plans for shop floor staff and help foster a culture of employee collaboration and shared company goals.