John McMahon retires after 19 years at Joseph Ash

After 19 years working at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, the company said farewell to John McMahon on the 30^th of June.

To say goodbye, staff at Head Office arranged a buffet lunch and a gift collection pot. Neil Kanagaratnam presented a bottle of bubbly, and delivered a farewell speech.

John has had a number of different jobs outside of the company over his lifetime, including a job as a magistrate! But his longest role has been at Joseph Ash Galvanizing.

John McMahon left parting words for his colleagues.

“I would like to thank you all for your professionalism and support over those years and I have enjoyed working with you all.”

“Like Spock says, live long and prosper!”

We wish you all the best for the future, John!

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The year 2023 has been full of long services at Joseph Ash Galvanizing, and June 6th means that Jeannette Dixon has been with the Company for 40 years!

Jeannette has had a fantastic journey though the Company. She started back in 1983, just before her 18th birthday, shortly after finishing secretarial college. There were only two plants back then – one in Birmingham and one in Telford. She was secretary to the Galvanizing Director at the time, working for him for several years before he retired.

The company expanded, and Jeannette became secretary to the Managing Director. She left after some years to have her child and worked part-time on her return, working for the Sales Manager. After another few years she went to work within Transport department before finally relocating with other colleagues to our current Head Office in Halesowen.

In her speech, she commented: “I’ve seen lots of changes, met lots of great people, seen the company develop, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it.”

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Jeannette was gifted with a lovely bouquet of flowers as well as £500 which she towards a brand new laptop. She and her colleagues at Head Office will also be going out for a celebratory meal at Miller & Carter.

Congratulations Jeannette!

View the video on our TikTok page.

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Just days after our Meet the Team interview with him, we’re proud to announce that David Hull has been promoted to UK Head of Health and Safety for Hill & Smith PLC (Joseph Ash Group’s parent company).

Before, David was Head of Health and Safety for the Joseph Ash Group, operating from our Head Office. David’s promotion means he will now work directly for Hill & Smith PLC. He will be looking after the health and safety for Hill & Smith’s UK companies (as well as in India and Australia). Therefore, David will still play a large role in Joseph Ash Group’s health and safety management.

David has significant experience in Health and Safety leadership in a variety of sectors. Needless to say, this promotion is well-deserved.

David begins the transition into his new role from June 1st 2023.

Congratulations David!

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Looking for the widest galvanizing bath in the UK? Look no further than Joseph Ash Telford!

When it comes to looking for the perfect galvanizing service provider, bath size matters. The right size galvanizing bath will ensure your steel fabrications are evenly and sufficiently coated in zinc.

At two meters wide, the UK’s widest galvanizing bath can handle bigger and more complex projects than our competitors. Joseph Ash Telford is the ideal place to galvanize your fencing, structural steel, trailers, sculptures, or any other wide metal fabrications.

Why a wider galvanizing bath is better

There are numerous reasons why the width of our Telford bath makes it the ideal place to hot dip galvanize your metal fabrications.

Increased Capacity: A wider galvanizing bath can handle larger and more complex items. This allows you to protect bigger projects without needing to downsize them, saving you time and money. We can also process more of your items at once, reducing the overall turnaround time for projects. This allows us to meet tighter deadlines so you get your projects back quicker.

The bath’s dipping dimensions are also 7.3 meters long and 3.1 meters deep, with a volume capacity of 5 tonnes. These dimensions make it capable of containing almost any large metal fabrication.

Contact our Telford site today to get a quote on your wide steel fabrications.

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Liam Houghton, Assistant Divisional Manager at Premier Galvanizing Corby will be completing a 72-hole golf marathon in aid of the charity TOFS – a charity that supported his son through his difficult start to life.

Liam commented on the charity:

“TOFS not only supported my son through the difficult start to his life, but also supported me and my fiancée through the struggling times by giving us incredible information and guidance to prepare us for the road ahead. This is my way of giving back to TOFS, so that they may continue to help future children and families in need.”

The fundraising event will take place at Market Harborough Golf Course on Thursday 29th June 2023, so there’s still plenty of time to donate.

You can show your support for Liam and the charity by donating to the cause here. Every donation will help the charity continue to help those with OA/TOF.

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About the charity

TOFS was set up in 1982 by parents of children born with OA/TOF (some of whom are still associated with the charity). They became a registered charity in 1987. 

Forty years on, they are still helping families through the challenges of bringing up a child with OA/TOF, VACTERL and associated conditions. Now, there is an increased focus on support for the cohort of adults who live with the consequences of being born with OA/TOF. 

They are now the world’s largest English-speaking support group for those born unable to swallow. They have members in over 60 countries, and whilst they receive no government funding, they are a small charity with big aims. The charity is dedicated towards a world where those born with these conditions live long and healthy lives.

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Joseph Ash Galvanizing takes health and safety seriously; we hold numerous policies dedicated to health and safety compliance. To make sure we maintain these regulations, we need someone in charge of our Health and Safety department. This is where David Hull, Head of Health and Safety comes in!

We interviewed David Hull and found out a bit about him and his role at Joseph Ash.

Meet David Hull:

I am Head of Health and Safety, reporting to the Managing Director. As part of my role, I provide strategic guidance and direction for the Company, and hands-on support for our 10 locations across the UK. I’m responsible for the development and support of 12 Health and Safety practitioners of various levels.

The role involves driving continuous improvements through regular engagement with General Managers and the Health and Safety team, conducting a variety of subject matter inspections, audits, assessments and reviews of incident investigations, trend analysis and action plan reviews. I also assess and review business risks and challenges, and offer pragmatic solutions to ensure the business keeps moving effectively and efficiently.

Can you give us some history on your career?

I’ve been in Health and Safety for 28 years, working across a variety of industries from logistics, FMCG, mining and oil and gas. I have worked in Jordan, Germany, Belgium and Oman. 

What drew you to the company?

The industry has always attracted me, and with a success story dating back over 165 years I thought I’d look into what the Company does. When I saw how seriously you take health and safety, I figured this could be a good business to be a part of.   

What are your health and safety goals for the plants?

I want to take the plants from reactive-based safety to behavioural-based; this not only reduces incidents but can improve operational efficiencies.

What types of health and safety projects are on the horizon that you can talk about?

There are lots of changes to make to the management system. These include simplifying risk assessments and safe systems of work, creating dynamic risk assessment, and improving our control of contractors.

Tell us something that people might find surprising about you.

I have run several Ultra Marathons around the world. My wife and I love to travel but I usually try to plan a sneaky race while we are away. The races can take anywhere from 6 hours to 24 hours.

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Widnes Galvanising, a leading provider of galvanizing services within the Joseph Ash Group, can now bring shot blasting and powder coating services to their customers. These new offerings bring Widnes Galvanising, which was acquired by the Joseph Ash Group in 2022, up to speed with other plants within the Group. Customers in the North West now have access to a wider range of finishing options, and can expect to save time and money on transportation and service fees.

Shot blasting is a highly effective process for removing rust, paint, and other contaminants from metal surfaces. It is essential for maximising the effectiveness of galvanizing and powder coating. Widnes’ other new offering, powder coating is a popular coating technique that provides a durable finish. It allows metal to be coated in a range of colours and textures while retaining the strength of galvanizing. Widnes Galvanising’s new offerings are perfect for making their customers’ steel fabrications stand out from the crowd.

Widnes Galvanising is committed to delivering the highest quality steel treatment services. With their new shot blasting and powder coating capabilities, the company is well-positioned to maintain its reputation as a leading service provider within the Joseph Ash Group. If you’re near the North West area, Widnes Galvanising is ready to strengthen your steel.

For more information about Widnes Galvanising and its services, please visit the company’s website at www.widnesgalvanising.co.uk or contact Gavin Jones at gavinj@widnesgalvanising.co.uk.

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Another new face to the Joseph Ash Group, keen to introduce themselves! Paul Williams has joined our team at Widnes Galvanising as Maintenance Manager for the branch. We took the chance to speak with Paul in our latest ‘Meet the Team’ and find out all about him and his new role.

Meet Paul Williams:

Can you give a brief overview of your role?

My role as Maintenance Manager is to keep production running smoothly. I liaise with contractors, management, and staff to keep the daily operations of the plant working as they should. Basically, if it breaks, it’s my job to fix it.

Can you give us some history on your career?

My previous job was as an electrical contractor working on all manner of sites, from hospitals to petrochemical sites. This came to an end in 2009 when I took up a maintenance role for another galvanizing company, which was my introduction to the galvanizing industry.

What drew you to the company?

I saw the job advertised at Joseph Ash and saw there was potential to grow, improve and challenge myself in my first management role. I love a challenge and felt that my skillset very much matched the job advertised, and I wanted to progress.

What is your favourite/most memorable project to date?

Being so new to the company I’m just starting to get my teeth into our first round of improvement works over Easter. I actually enjoy the planning stages and seeing the various works come together to reach the common goal.

What projects are you looking forward to in the coming year?

I’m generally looking forward to improving the site, how we operate, working as part of a larger team and increasing production.

Tell us something that people might find surprising about you.

People normally double take when I tell them I’m a professional wrestler (WWE style) and have worked on shows up and down the country. I have also been lucky enough to wrestle internationally in Belgium, Australia and the United States. I even had a small part in the Hollywood movie “Fighting With My Family”, starring The Rock.

I’ve also completed a few marathons – one ultra marathon and a century bike ride (not on the same day though!). I also help coach a local football under 16 team (Cromwell Thunderbolts) which my son plays for too, so I’m quite busy generally.

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2023 is the year of incredible long service milestones, as Dalit Singh recently celebrated 45 years at the Company! It was only last month on Valentine’s Day that Mick Jackson celebrated 40 years at Joseph Ash Galvanizing. Now, Dalit from Joseph Ash Walsall has his long service recognised.

Dalit started working for Joseph Ash in March 1978. He has worked through every role in the Walsall galvanizing plant, including Shift Supervisor for over 12 years.

Dalit first started his job with a company called Walker Brothers Galvanizing. The company was later taken over by Hill & Smith, Joseph Ash Galvanizing’s parent company. His first job was in Jigging Materials, and he then moved to become a Pot Man before his aforementioned Shift Supervisor role.

Amy Leachman from Joseph Ash Walsall commented on Dalit’s 45 years:

“Through his time, he has been a fantastic employee, with vast experience in our industry and someone that the division has been able to rely on. I personally have learned from Dalit’s expertise during my time spent with the production team and can see just how important a role he has played!”

Thank you for all your years of service, Dalit!

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