22
Feb 2025
20th Nov 2024
FLYING BY THE SEAT OF MY PANTS
1984 — Nothing to do with George Orwell’s novel, but the year I started Rowan Precision Ltd. The novel is often described as a dystopian cautionary tale, and the company I started in 1984 was just as imaginary until the reality of supporting a family, combined with the spectre of recession, focused minds and made it succeed.
Why Engineering? I often asked myself.
Growing up, I witnessed my father’s success as his engineering business evolved from a hard-won apprenticeship in Birmingham with Joseph Lucas after World War II. I eventually succumbed to my father’s entreaties, after originally choosing a career in the Civil Service and Customs and Excise, where I met my beautiful wife.
Following a character-building apprenticeship under my father’s tutelage, I was rewarded with a directorship and went on to start a subsidiary automatic turned parts company. This challenging venture inspired the creation of my own company in 1982 and the subsequent birth of Rowan Precision Ltd in 1984.
Over the years, consistent investment in the very best CNC machinery led to winning and losing numerous contracts with multinational companies. I helped designer James Dyson with his first DC01 vacuum cleaner, manufacturing crucial parts for the assembly. I also developed and managed a one-million-pound contract that involved designing a range of award-winning lights for John Cullen Lighting — a project that was cancelled overnight after a management buyout. These, and many other opportunities alongside setbacks, cemented a steely resolve to survive, succeed, and strengthen the Rowan Precision brand.
In 2017, the option to buy my partner out presented itself, leading to another period of uncertainty and culminating in the ultimate challenge of the Covid pandemic. Contracts for ventilator parts, government loans, and a bloody determination to pull through ensured our survival once again.
A reminder from my supportive wife that “I wasn’t getting any younger” certainly influenced me to consider retirement and the option of selling my business. Over the horizon, the cavalry arrived in the guise of Glenn Aston and Jaz Khunkun — two entrepreneurs with a desire to purchase the business, which has been successfully completed. I have worked closely with Glenn and Jaz and respect their desire to continue developing this great company brand.
What a proud journey and experience spanning over forty years of endeavour and hard work. I look forward to the enhancement of my legacy by the new owners.