Brandauer appoints Crabtree as its next Chairman

Published by Russ Cockburn for Danks Cockburn Public Relations Ltd in Bill Payments and also in Central Government, Local Government

A leading Birmingham precision pressings and stampings specialist has appointed one of the West Midlands’ senior business figures as its new Chairman.

Brandauer has moved quickly to welcome John Crabtree OBE to the Board, as part of ongoing expansion plans that will see it target the £10m sales milestone in 2012.

The experienced corporate lawyer replaces John Berkeley OBE, who retires as Chairman after 18 years on the Board that has seen him and current MD David Spears help the company withstand two recessions and become an international force in the production of complex components for the automotive, electronics, renewables and security detection markets.

It will be only the second time in its 150-year history that a non-family Chairman leads the family-owned business.

“I am delighted to be appointed as the next Chairman of Brandauer in what is a very special year for the business,” explained John Crabtree, who played a fundamental role in transforming Wragge & Co from a provincial law firm into a top national practice.

“Manufacturing and Birmingham are two things I’m very passionate about and I’ve been very impressed with how the company has evolved in recent years and continues to be at the forefront of new innovation and technology.”

He continued: “The 150^th anniversary is a wonderful opportunity to both celebrate Brandauer’s history and tradition and to build on those foundations for the years ahead.

“One of my roles will be to use my experience in corporate finance to identify possible acquisitions that will fit perfectly with the current business model. This could be an ideal way to accelerate penetration into new markets.”

Trained as a corporate lawyer, John Crabtree has become one of the West Midlands’ most influential business figures after a career that has taken in Wragge & Co, Staffline Group Plc, Glenn Howells Associates and technology law firm White & Black LLP.

He was a Director of Advantage West Midlands for six years, in that role being responsible for the launch and development of Investbx (now Finance Birmingham), has been President of Birmingham Chamber of Commerce and Industry and, for many years, has been Chairman of Birmingham’s Hippodrome Theatre.

Manufacturing and industry have also been a big part of his recent life with experience gained as Chairman at Metalrax Group Plc, Claimar Group Plc, Real Estate Investors Plc, SLR Holdings and Truck East.

“This is a very exciting time for Brandauer and the fact we have been able to attract a business leader like John Crabtree illustrates how much potential there is,” explained John Berkeley, whose last official engagement as Chairman was to host a royal visit by HRH Princess Anne.

“His knowledge of industry, managing rapid business growth and his network of contacts will all be invaluable in helping us achieve our objectives for the next ten years and I and the other family directors look forward to working with him.”

Brandauer – one of ten companies that make up MAN (Midlands Assembly Network) - produces in excess of 4 million parts every week for customers across the globe, with 75% heading overseas to China and the US.

It offers the complete range of services required for the supply of pressed metal components, from prototyping, design and in-house tool production through to high-quality manufacturing of difficult materials.

The company has also seen significant demand for its low-risk tool transfer service, which includes QA approval and component verification process with a free 15-hour tool inspection and status report and all defective-tooling components repaired.

In addition to the Royal visit, the company is marking its 150^th anniversary by taking a major presence at Subcon 2012 (Hall 3, Stand G45).

For further information, please contact 0121 359 2822 or visit www.brandauer.co.uk. You can also follow @cbrandauer on twitter.