Richard Smith appointed managing director UK & Ireland sales division at Mazak

He will have responsibility for sales and customer support for Mazak's extensive range of metal cutting machine tools and laser processing machines and will report to group managing director Europe Marcus Burton. Mr Smith (picture, left) joined Mazak in 1987 as a graduate production engineer. Over the last 25 years, he has fulfilled a number of key roles in manufacturing, purchasing, customer service and applications, and has been closely involved in many of Mazak's most significant developments in the UK. As product director, he was involved in the development and marketing of the highly successful UK-manufactured VTC 800 series of machines. His current role is European group product director, working directly with the European sales companies on business development, marketing and sales. He lives in Worcester and has an MBA from Warwick University. Marcus Burton, group managing director Europe for Yamazaki Mazak commented: "Tony Saunders (picture, right) has made an enormous contribution to developing Mazak's current position in the UK market. He has been a very high profile and popular figure amongst Mazak UK employees and our customers, who have relied on his knowledge and technical expertise for many years. "Richard's appointment will ensure a smooth transition, following Tony's retirement. His experience and knowledge of the Mazak range will enable him to maintain and develop strong customer relationships amongst those who value Mazak machines and our ability to deliver close application support."