Following his appointment as the new chairman, Don Neville conveys his eagerness in discovering the ways IWMA can help to maintain its members’ expertise and inspire to prioritise the wire and cable industry.
March 2, 2022
Don Neville, Managing Director of RichardsApex Europe Ltd, the UK subsidiary of RichardsApex Inc., USA – was named chairman of the International Wire and Machinery Association (IWMA) at its Annual General Meeting on February 9, 2022.
The pandemic, he says, has helped IWMA’s board think about what the association does and in which direction it should be heading. Helping the recruitment and education of the next generation of engineers could be one of the most important jobs of his three-year term.
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“One big focus for us has to be education,” he explained. “Most company bosses are desperate to provide continuity. Where do we go for new recruits, and how do we train them?
“It’s not as if you can go to a specific school to study the intricacies of cable-making. There’s nothing that will take a youngster from machine fundamentals to the mind-boggling science behind some of our members’ work.”
He also expresses his keenness in discovering the ways IWMA can help to maintain its members’ expertise and pay it forward to newcomers and even encourage the brightest of them to consider wire and cable first. The industry should be prioritised first in order to find innovative ways to improve the way people are hired and trained.
“We believe it could be a few years before we get back to pre-COVID funding levels, but in fact, the devastation of the pandemic has presented opportunities for us to serve our international membership better,” he explained.
“Leaner work practices, new ways of working and online meetings all mean we are quicker to respond to queries, and now our meetings can be truly global and more inclusive. Participants can take part from their offices, not after flying thousands of miles and spending a huge amount of money.”
Exhibitions are a different matter, he adds. “There is really no online substitute for the international shows – we’re all missing them a lot. Hopefully, wire Düsseldorf will happen this year and things will start to get closer to normality.”
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He further explains, “We have fifty years of industry experience and a huge body of knowledge, with some of the world’s leading companies in their field among our membership. Many of them are pushing back the boundaries in green energy and sustainable manufacturing, for example, and we intend to draw the world’s attention to their achievements.”
As Don spends his first few weeks as chairman, he sees an IWMA continuing to evolve and developing new, more innovative ways to stay in touch with its members.
