A Good Fit For Houghton

Former fitter named new head of sales and marketing

Houghton International, the electromechanical services provider based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England, has appointed a new sales and marketing director. Chris Robson began his career with the company as a fitter in its electromechanical services division. From there, he ascended to the rank of manager in that same department and ultimately joined the sales team in 2014. In a press release Tuesday April 19, Houghton described Robson as having “a wealth of experience in both engineering and sales”. Most recently, he took charge of sales in the Rail services division of the company and presided over a 20% growth and “a number of multi million pound projects”.

Chris Robson, who has experience in electromechanics as a fitter, has been appointed head of sales and marketing at Houghton International.

“Having managed a repair shop myself, I think it gives me a more rounded appreciation of what our customers need, the tight turnaround times, the pressures of an emergency repair and how vital it is that the coils fit,” Robson told EA. “As motor repairers ourselves we have designed our coils with this in mind. Based on my own experience, that of our winders and feedback from our customers we know that this flexibility can help speed up the repair process, improve the fit and reduce the risk of damage to the coils.”

Robson also detailed some of his upcoming plans to EA. “My first stop is the EASA convention in Toronto – I’m looking forward to getting to know our North American and Canadian customers and finding out more about their businesses and the projects they are working on. Product development is also high on my agenda, innovation is key in our business and we are always looking to develop new solutions and coil specifications to meet the demands of the industry.”

Michael Mitten, CEO of Houghton International, commented: “Chris has been an integral part of the business for several years. Since taking on the Rail sales role, Chris has consistently delivered results and has earned the respect of our customers.”

“I’m confident Chris will drive the sales team forward and support Houghton International’s continued growth. I’m equally proud that all three of our executive directors started out on our shop floor and have risen through the ranks to become leaders in the business. This is a fundamental element of our culture and gives customers the confidence that we fully understand their needs, are capable of solving their problems and have the experience to be a truly innovative company.”

On the back of consistent double-digit growth over the last two years, the company feels it’s on track to deliver sales of £20million by 2020. As Sales and Marketing Director Chris will strive to lead the team to grow sales both with existing customers and by expanding in to new markets and new sectors.