Partner Article

Engineering firm makes major appointment

ONE of the region’s longest established engineering firms has a new man at the helm.

Henry Williams Limited, of Darlington, which has been a major supplier to the UK’s railway network since 1883, has appointed Andrew Nelson as managing director.

“Henry Williams has a long and illustrious history, but more importantly it has an exciting future ahead of it, and I feel privileged to be able to lead the company as it enters this period,” said Mr Nelson, 30, who joined the company as forging and fabrication director in March 2008.

The engineering firm was established in Glasgow by industrial pioneer Henry Williams, inventor of the spring-loaded switch lever for railway points. In 1911, it moved to Darlington, the home of the railways, and became Britain’s biggest supplier of railway switch levers, points, cranks and joints.

Today, as well as control and signalling equipment for the railways, it also supplies forgings and fabrications to a number of sectors and supply chains, including the highways, defence and oil and gas.

Mr. Nelson added: “A lot of our recent successes are largely due to the fact we are getting better at supporting existing customers and developing new customers through production and product innovation. Undoubtedly the great challenge we face is the pursuit of new products in ever changing markets whilst ensuring that we continue to provide an improving service to our longstanding customers.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .