HAP 0921

At its recent AGM, the Association for Electrical and Mechanical Trades (AEMT) announced the appointment of Shaun Sutton as its new honorary president. The organisation’s AGM was its first hybrid event, with members given the option of attending the event in person at the iconic Silverstone Circuit or joining remotely. Shaun Sutton, who is a director at rotating machinery repair specialist, Central Group, took the position of president after spending the previous two years as vice president. He comments: “I feel honoured to be representing all the AEMT members. I truly believe that it is our responsibility to represent every single person in the association. That includes the members and their employees. In addition to the appointment of a new president, James Stephens, global sales & marketing director at Preformed Windings, a manufacturer of high voltage motor coils, took over the role of vice president having previously held the treasurer’s position. Outgoing president, ABB’s David Hawley, was also thanked for his valuable contribution to the association. Commenting on his achievements, Thomas Marks, general manager and secretary of the AEMT, said: “I’d like to thank David for the considerable time and effort he has put into modernising the association’s structure and steering us through an extremely challenging period. David leaves the association well positioned to make further positive strides in the coming years. This is something which will benefit both our members and the customers they serve.” Bürkert has boosted service for customers in Scotland with a new account manager. Chris Hughes has taken on the role to support distributors, end users and OEMs for liquid and gas measurement and control systems in Scotland. Hughes joins Bürkert with experience in practical valve applications from his background as a field service engineer. Based in East Kilbride, Hughes brings to the role more than 20 years’ experience as an electrical service engineer. Hughes’ technical knowledge will help provide Bürkert’s customers in Scotland with application support based on his practical experience installing and maintaining electrical valve systems. In Chris’ most recent position, he provided nationwide field support for valve actuation systems, including customer account management. Hughes will provide account management for Burkert’s OEM customers and a key role will be supporting Scotland’s distributors. The remit will also include customer service for end-users. Many industries in Scotland can benefit from Bürkert’s products and expertise, including distilleries and breweries, agriculture and food production, as well as utilities including water treatment. Sectors such as clean energy and data centres also form a growing part of Burkert’s support expertise. Hughes comments: “As Covid restrictions continue to ease, I look forward to meeting Bürkert’s customers throughout Scotland. As well as supporting the company’s customers in markets where Bürkert has traditionally provided strong service, we’re looking to expand the technology into sectors like renewable energy, which continues to grow. I’m keen to put my practical experience to use to best serve our customers across the country.” Neil Saunders, Bürkert general manager, UK & Ireland, adds: “A primary reason we asked Chris to join us to support our customers in Scotland was on the basis of his technical knowledge. With a great deal of experience as a field service engineer, Chris will quickly understand our customers’ needs to help them improve the performance and efficiency of their fluid and gas applications.” Previous account manager for Scotland, Craig Kerr, now becomes Bürkert’s UK sales manager. MHI Compressor International Corporation (MCO-I) has appointed Jun Fukuda as its new president and CEO. He succeeds Manabu Saga, who has returned to Hiroshima as an advisor for MCO. Fukuda joined Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd (MHI) in 1987 and has served in various management roles for both MHI and MCO. In 2014, he was appointed deputy general manager, global marketing and sales division, where he was in charge of the Hiroshima division in Japan. From 2017, he served as executive vice president, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries America, Inc, before returning to Hiroshima as director of MCO since 2018. Fukuda comments: “At MCO-I, our daily work ethic is grounded on honesty and integrity. Our goal is to be instrumental to our customers’ success by delivering state-of-the-art compression systems that safeguard plant reliability and availability. The pride that we take in our work comes from continually meeting that goal, and from the trust we earn from our customers as a result of delivering valuable solutions time and time again.” AEMT announces new president 52 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS September 2021 www.hpmag.co.uk Bürkert appoints account manager for Scotland NEW FACES New president and CEO for MHI Chris Hughes. Shaun Sutton. Jun Fukuda.