Boss steps down from engineer after sale

one of South Yorkshire’s best-known businessmen is to stand down from his role as managing director at a heavy engineering firm next week.

Kevin Parkin leaves DavyMarkham after five years, and one year after the business was bought by an Indian conglomerate.

Mr Parkin told the Yorkshire Post: “When we sold the business I said I would stay on for 12 months. That 12 months is up next week.”

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He added: “I am looking for turnaround and acquisition opportunities again and I am looking at start-up activity too.”

The announcement came as DavyMarkham won recognition for its dedication to training, skills and apprentices. The Engineering Employers Federation presented the company with a national skills award.

DavyMarkham said it has invested heavily over the last five years in the training of apprentices “to ensure that there was a sustainable workforce to take the business forward in the future”.

Now 25 per cent of the shop-floor employees are aged under 21 and part of the apprentice training scheme.

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Mr Parkin said: “This award is a national recognition of the efforts that everyone at DavyMarkham has contributed to by making apprentice training a key business priority.”

He added: “The future of manufacturing is dependant upon a constant supply of well-trained, motivated and highly skilled people. We all have a duty to make sure that we impart the knowledge we have all learned onto these young people.

“Encouraging young people to consider a career in manufacturing must be driven by industrialists because there are few people involved in education who have any experience of working outside academia”

DavyMarkham will open its doors to schools during the Global Manufacturing Festival, which takes place between March 14 and 24.

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The business designs and manufactures complex heavy engineering components and was founded more than 180 years ago.

It was taken over by turnaround specialist Endless in 2007 and sold to Hindustan Dorr Oliver, a subsidiary of IVRCL Infrastructures and Projects, in February 2010.

Mr Parkin specialises in turning around underperforming manufacturing companies.