21.11.2013

New director for Certex UK

Lifting and safety equipment supplier Certex UK has appointed Kevin Smith as its new operations director, taking over from Tony Stringer who has become group projects director.

Both Stringer and Smith played significant roles in purchasing Certex from Bridon International in 2005 along with former director Charles Gillespie. In 2008 they sold the company to the Foranka division of Axel Johnson International – which already owned Certex companies in northern Europe.

Stringer said: “I have no doubt that Certex UK will be in very capable hands under Kevin’s leadership and I wish him all the very best in his new role. In my new capacity as group projects director we will continue to work together and I look forward to involving Kevin and his team in joint ventures to improve customer service across Scandinavia, Europe and further afield.”
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Kevin Smith and Tony Stringer

Smith added: “We are now in a profitable situation and can be clear about where to focus our resources. With this in mind, I am restructuring the business to ensure that we have the right people in the right position to meet the challenges that lie ahead. It will mean a more concentrated management structure with myself and finance director, Adrian Tomkinson, as the company’s only two directors supported by a smaller, proactive senior management board.”

Certex says that it is planning on moving to larger premises in Scotland as well as investing in more products and machinery, as part of a £2 million investment. The company has also recently gained accreditation from the Lifting Engineers Equipment Association for its courses covering lifting gear examination, knowledge of LOLER and PUWER regulations, and wire rope socketing.