An engineer is hanging up his micrometre after spending more than five decades on the shopfloor.
Gerry Dunne, who started his working career as an apprentice toolmaker with Brandauer in Birmingham in 1976, will retire as Operations Director of Pre-Met in Redditch at the end of this month.
He has spent the last seven years supporting the growth of the metal stampings and pressing specialist, upgrading its manufacturing operations and integrating the recent acquisition of Quality Springs and Pressings.
The industry veteran has used his hand-on leadership style to champion lean manufacturing and just-in-time processes, helping the firm achieve more than £3m of new orders across automotive, rail and, more recently, defence.
“I’ve seen and lived through a lot of changes in industry over the last fifty years,” explained Gerry, who was named as Midlands Champion Toolmaker by the Engineering Industry Training Board in 1979.
“We’ve had the move to the internet, the great global crash, Brexit and the pandemic – all presenting their own challenges and all underlining the resilience that makes UK manufacturing so special.
I’m a firm believer that we have some of the best engineering talent in the world and I’m as passionate about the sector today as I was when I first started back in 1976, leaving school with no qualifications but a desire to do something practical.
Gerry Dunne, Operations Director of Pre-Met
He continued: “It has been a fantastic 50 years. I’ve made so many lifelong friends and been involved in manufacturing businesses that make products we use in everyday life.
“Pre-Met has been a fantastic way to sign-off. Working with the senior management team, we’ve modernised processes, invested in new capacity and developed the workforce so we are in an excellent position to push forward and grow.”
Gerry started his industrial career in 1976 as an apprentice toolmaker at Brandauer, spending nine years learning his trade and honing his skills, including designing a multi-stage progression tool capable of operating at 1000 strokes per minute!
From there, he took a trip a few miles up the road in Birmingham to join the tooling division of Westley Richards & Co, working his way to Managing Director of Westley Engineering by 2008.
This involved the relocation of the business to a state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Newtown and involvement in the Manufacturing Assembly Network, a role that saw him become Chairman for two years and a passionate advocate for industry through numerous national media opportunities.
His final role before Pre-Met was at Kienle & Spiess, where he oversaw expansion to £20m and a host of successful collaborative projects across sites in Germany and Hungary.
Gerry, who received a special gift to mark his 50 years in the sector, added: “Industry has given me a fantastic career, and I want to get that message out loud and clear, especially to young people who are considering what to do next after school or college.
“There’s not many jobs you can travel the world making products that boost mobility, save lives and power new renewable energy sources.”
Pre-Met Managing Director James Leng concluded: “Gerry has been a fantastic addition to our business and has helped us create a factory that is now fit for purpose and with the additional capacity required to go after many new opportunities.
“He has also been a brilliant ambassador for industry, giving his time to speak on important issues affecting our sector and, importantly, going out his way to mentor the next generation. 50 years on the shopfloor is some achievement, now time to relax in the garden!”
For further information, please visit www.metalpressingsandstampings.co.uk or follow the company across its social media channels.
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