Kevan Kane – who has more than 43 years of sub-contractor manufacturing experience, has been appointed as Business Development Manager at Lawton Engineering, which becomes only the third company that the 60-year-old has worked for in a distinguished career in the SME manufacturing sector.
This included 26 years at aerospace precision engineering firm, Technoset, where he was managing director for 16-plus years, before becoming Group Managing Director of Techno Group – all after beginning his career as a shop floor quality inspector at engineering firm A Blundell & Company in 1982.
Kevan’s appointment comes two years after specialist manufacturer and supplier, Wardtec, was acquired by copper tube and fittings supplier Lawton Tubes, which has an annual turnover of more than £230 million and exports to 40-plus countries, and was integrated into the Lawton Tubes group’s precision engineering division, Lawton Engineering.
The engineering side of Lawton Tubes has two bases in Redditch and Poole, in addition to Lawton Tubes’ HQ and manufacturing facility in Coventry – with an additional £20 million facility set to be built next to Lawton Tubes’ existing Coventry base in 2026.
Lawton Tubes was formed in 1918 and has grown into a global business that now exports to more than 40 countries, turns over £230 million and employs 150 staff.
“This is an exciting opportunity to help one of the world’s leading suppliers of copper tube and fittings grow its precision engineering arm across a range of sectors. We are set up not just to be a subcontract provider, but a solutions provider for copper-based infrastructure – whether that is in medical, plumbing and heating, air conditioning and refrigeration, or general industry. We are already helping a medical customer to overcome a supply chain issue relating to the infrastructure needed to supply oxygen and anaesthetic to patients – all by our ability to braze, clean and test our parts to meet the highest standards possible to avoid contamination. The customer has gone from needing to source different parts of their pipe infrastructure from several providers to channelling all of their needs via Lawton Engineering – and this is the long-term blueprint we are aiming to achieve.”
Kevan Kane, Business Development Manager
Patrick Lawton is the General Manager at Lawton Engineering and a fifth-generation member of the Lawton family.
“Kevan has an exceptional track record in overseeing the growth of other precision engineering and manufacturing businesses – and he is perfectly placed to help us support a range of industries with a solution-first approach for a plethora of supply chains, both domestically and overseas. As Lawton Engineering continues to grow within the wider Lawton Tubes group, the business is looking forward to the fresh opportunities that Kevan’s expertise and leadership will bring in the years to come.”
Patrick Lawton, General Manager – Lawton Tubes – Redditch Site
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