Andy Lomas joined Heaford in 2021 as Operations Manager with a 6 month handover period from Tony Preece who retired recently.

With over 20 years engineering experience and sharing the same core values as Heaford we’re confident he’s the perfect fit, but we wanted to let you know more about him too.

Andy started his career in the aerospace industry making and installing plane assembly jigs for customers  including Airbus & Boeing before moving  into the oil & gas industry where he worked for customers such as BP, Total & Petronash.

He  began in assembly and over a 12-year period moved up through the ranks going from Team Leader to Production Coordinator then on to Production Manager.

During this time, he has worked around the world and has a passion for LEAN manufacturing and supply chain management.

We asked Andy what attracted him to the role at Heaford?

“What really attracted me to Heaford was the family business history, and the ‘family feel’ throughout the business which is very people focused. They’ve an excellent range of products, are well respected in the market and clearly value customer relationships and service as top priorities. Since working at Heaford I have been made to feel very welcome and already feel like valued part of a great team, I just need to ensure I add strength to the team”

During the last 6 months Andy has been working with Tony to ensure a smooth transition when Tony retired after spending 26 years at Heaford.  Andy told us that this extended handover period was hugely beneficial to him in taking on the role as Operations Manager.

Andy commented:  “I am very grateful for the time I got to work with Tony because without this it would have been far more challenging to settle in. I still have plenty to learn with the products but certainly had a great head start thanks to Tony whose ongoing support is invaluable. I’d like to say a huge thank you to Tony for sharing his knowledge and expertise with me. I have a way to go yet until I have his level of knowledge, but I am certainly ahead of the game thanks to him. Tony, I wish you all the very best for you and your family and hopefully we can get a round of golf in sometime.”

David Muncaster, MD, Heaford commented: “We’re all excited to have Andy on board. Having worked in both a small family business and larger organisations we felt he brought a good balance of family values and big company thinking/disciplines which will bring added strength to the team. Already he’s challenging us in a few areas and identifying opportunities for us to  enhance our operations”