The restructure at the Bromsgrove company has now seen three new field sales engineers employed to strengthen the existing sales structure and deliver enhanced customer service and support as the company continues its growth trajectory.
The three new Field Sales Engineers, John Rutherford (main picture), Ian Hill (pictured below) and John Hawkins (bottom picture) have been appointed to further develop sales and customer support, and their extensive customer experience demonstrates Walter’s ongoing commitment to its customer base.
John Rutherford has been appointed to support customers in the North West area that is witnessing an unprecedented surge in sales for Walter. With more than 20 years in the industry, John started his career as a telecoms specialist in the military before spending almost 10 years working for a well-known UK cutting tool distributor. John then moved to an industry-leading cutting tool manufacturer continuing in a similar field sales role as before. With extensive industry experience and intimate knowledge of the North West region, John will be tasked with supporting existing Walter customers and also targeting new business opportunities.
The M1 corridor and motorsport valley around Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire is another region that is witnessing significant growth for Walter. To support this, Ian Hill has been appointed to work with existing customers that are increasing their demand for Walter products whilst also targeting new business opportunities in the area.
Based in Nuneaton, Ian is perfectly positioned to work with engineers in this rapidly expanding area. Leaving school at 16 to undertake a toolmaking apprenticeship, Ian’s career has progressed naturally through manual to 5-axis CNC machining, CAM programming and product design with a string of leading subcontract manufacturers in the F1, automotive, offshore and power generation sectors. Ian has spent the most recent part of his 25 year engineering career in cutting tool sales. Appointed in June, Ian’s proximity and motorsport experience will strengthen Walter’s footprint in this area.
To bolster growth in the South East Midlands and East Anglia regions, John Hawkins has also joined Walter during this period of phenomenal growth. John started his engineering career more than 25 years ago as an apprentice machinist and has since worked as an applications engineer, sales and application engineer, regional business manager and UK sales manager with several prestigious cutting tool, machine tool and subcontract manufacturing businesses.
Commenting upon the appointments at Walter Tools, managing director Ashley Battison said: “The technology and innovation offered by Walter Tools has long-been the benchmark of the industry. However, the transition from a pandemic depressed market to relentless growth in many industry sectors like aerospace, EVs and automotive has seen more companies than ever looking for innovative new solutions.
"As Walter increasingly demonstrates its industry-leading innovations, we’ve needed to restructure our business model to support customers as they grow and explore innovative new methods of manufacturing. With three vastly experienced engineers joining our team, we are demonstrating both our service, support and commitment to existing customers as well as our ambitions for continued business growth.”
