Joining the GM Group to drive sales of the Victor CNC range of high quality machine tools, Mathew Bates has been appointed to the role of regional sales manager for the North West and Wales regions.
He joins the Oldham-based machine tool specialist, and is a seasoned engineer with more than 30 years of industry experience. The appointment of Mathew is aimed at targeting sales of the Victor CNC portfolio and building brand and market awareness in Wales and the North West.
As the UK’s exclusive distributor for the Victor CNC machine tools, the GM Group has witnessed significant growth, which more than justifies both the company’s recruitment drive and the investment in a new facility that will open imminently. The company is investing heavily in its factory expansion, new staff and infrastructure to enhance customer service, support and sales.
Beginning his career as a machine shop apprentice at the age of 16, Mathew spent 16 years with his first employer – evolving from apprentice to machinist and onward to programming.
Moving from his first employer, Mathew worked for a Tier 1 supplier to Rolls-Royce as a machinist and programmer before moving to Sheffield Forgemasters as an applications engineer. Mathew built his skillset by adding 12 years as both a cutting tool sales engineer and machine tool investment specialist between Seco and parent company Sandvik.
The roles have given Mathew the rounded skillset, niche areas of expertise and an overall industry knowledge and contact base to drive the brand awareness of the Victor CNC range of machine tools.
Discussing why he joined the GM Group, Mathew said: “Machine tool sales was a natural progression from cutting tool sales, and I couldn’t imagine a better company than the GM Group. The managerial team have boundless enthusiasm, commitment and faith in the Victor CNC brand. This is epitomised by the significant investment in the new facility. It is also fully justified when you witness the build-quality, market reputation and remarkable diversity of the Victor CNC brand.”
GM Group director Nicola Howard added: “The Victor brand of machine tools is renowned for its build quality, performance, longevity and also the remarkable diversity that caters for all applications, industry sectors and machine shops. We are confident that Mathew will bring his industry expertise to the area and accelerate and build upon our already impressive market penetration in the area.”
