My Castlet Stories – Ian Fox on Why Specialist Engineering Solutions are Important When Working Globally
Over the last 50 years, Castlet has built up a dedicated team of engineering experts that create solutions for organisations across the world, providing innovative power and control solutions. Our team of experts drive forward relationships and results, sitting at the heart of everything we do.
In this second edition of our blog series, ‘My Castlet Stories’, we sat down with Ian Fox, Industrial Sales Manager, to discuss his career journey over his last 22 years at the business and find out what sets Castlet apart from competitors.
Stay tuned for future blogs, where you can expect us to dive into the experiences of our team members here at Castlet as they share their insights and expertise on the industry, the net zero energy transition and career motivations.
How did you discover Castlet and what has your career journey looked like?
Engineering has always been an interest to me since as far back as I can remember. I joined the company in 2001 and started my journey as an apprentice draughtsman to continue my studies after already studying mechanical and electrical engineering at college.
After a few years I began working within the engineering department working on projects for Electrostatic Precipitator (ESP) and high-power equipment. I also assisted the sales department in this role to provide spares and service quotations. I found a passion for this area of the business and really enjoyed working directly with the clients.
This led to me being given the opportunity to travel the world installing, commissioning and fault finding with a range of Castlet’s equipment, which gave me a deep insight into the technical difficulties that our clients face.
Following this, I moved permanently into a sales role within the ESP business. As a result, I get to travel the world meeting new and existing clients, and I am always around to help in the busier periods with the occasional commissioning visit.
What is your role at Castlet, and what does it involve?
As Industrial Sales Manager, I provide Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) end users and agents across the globe with the support they need across a wide range of industries including power, steel, cement, nuclear and glass. My day-to-day role is focused on providing commercial and technical support to our UK, European and some South American countries.
My job takes me across globe, and I get to visit so many places while working within a team of great engineers. My area of expertise within the team at Castlet is with ESP Power Supplies and their control and auxiliary equipment and the role requires me to provide specialist advice and build strong trust with my clients.
In my role, I am responsible for covering the territories of the UK, Europe, South America, South Korea and Japan, and regularly have the opportunity to travel to these countries to oversee the delivery of our work.
Do you have a most rewarding moment in your career to date?
Visiting sites across the globe is one of the most enjoyable parts of my job, alongside meeting new people.
One particular highlight was joining the team who were touring Japan in 2016. The team and I got to meet various Japanese Blue-chip companies and focused on discussing existing and potential projects. This experience gave me the chance to meet clients face-to-face, and it was great to experience a different culture too.
What sets Castlet apart?
I would say what makes Castlet stand out as industry leaders is our ability to create bespoke engineering solutions specially designed and tailored to our clients.
We take the extra time needed to understand their technical needs and work towards a collective end goal to ensure a future-proof solution.
An example of this would be when I worked on project for a multinational generation company who placed an order from Castlet to replace their high-power transformer rectifiers on a hyperchlorination plant at a UK nuclear power station. This involved many meetings between the team with our client and the power station staff. It was highly important to keep communication clear between us and the client. We added multiple checks and reviewing stages throughout this project to ensure our equipment worked with the existing plant control an instrumentation.
What are your predictions for the future of the industry?
The industry itself since I started my role has changed dramatically due to technology. Platforms such as Microsoft Teams and other apps have helped keep closer contact with clients, we can review projects with ease and resolve any issues quickly, although it doesn’t compare to meeting them face to face.
We can already see governments across the globe decrease emission limits annually and expect this to continue. To stay ahead of these changes, we will continue to work with our clients, ensuring their ESPs are using the correct technology and are optimised to remove as much pollution as possible.
Stay ahead with Castlet’s engineering solutions
At Castlet, we strive to deliver innovative solutions in all areas of our work – whether it be through consultancy, design, engineering, manufacturing, installation or maintenance services.
Our power and control solutions are forward-thinking, future proofing businesses across the globe by using the latest technologies to help them to stay compliant and sustainable.
Discover how we can solve your engineering challenges and get in touch with Ian and the team today. Stay up to date with our News & Insights for more thought leadership from Castlet.
