Dick Thurbon Retires and Ian Wilcock Secures Top Service Job |
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| 22.08.2005 |
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| Dick Thurbon, Service Director |
Dick Thurbon, Service Director of Heidelberg UK, will retire on 9 September one day after his 60th birthday.
Taking on the leading service role will be Ian Wilcock who becomes service development manager. Ian has been with the company for five years.
Dick Thurbon joined Heidelberg in 1986 as general service manager, gaining his directorship a year later. He has seen the company transform from a press supplier to a fully integrated systems, equipment and consumables supplier but much more than that has changed in this time.
“When I joined engineers were predominantly mechanical with electricians looking after motors, relays etc. In those days there was a man with a van culture and some of the engineers even had dogs who travelled with them. When we developed CPTronic in the late 80s their role became far more complex. Today the range of vehicles used is more comprehensive and laptops and PDAs are the travelling companions. Technology, and particularly the world wide web, have opened the way to more modern servicing with web based spare parts information, advice and remote service. This is the future.”
Bernhard Schreier, Chief Executive of Heidelberg, dubbed Dick Thurbon “The Father of the PDA” because he was instrumental in the adoption of this web-connected hand held technology which engineers now carry to customers, enabling them to have instant access to service records and other technical data.
He also played an important role in the HQM programme, an upgrade to the Speedmaster SM 74 when early models hit problems in the field ten years ago.
And he has been a zealot in the promotion of systemservice, a group strategy for linking up all aspects of customer support in a seamless closed loop so that customers get optimum service response.
As he retires he looks forward to enjoying the Huf-Haus he and his wife Jan have had built, to playing tennis and taking up bowls as well as some part time consultancy and travel.
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| Ian Wilcock, Service Development Manager |
George Clarke, Managing Director, says: “Dick Thurbon will be missed. He is calm, ever courteous and extremely hard working. He has played an important part in the transformation of service, work which Ian Wilcock will now take forward from firm foundations.”
Ian Wilcock will be responsible for co-ordinating all service and technical activities within Heidelberg UK, reporting directly to George Clarke. He says: “My role will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary. Dick Thurbon has already put Heidelberg in the number one position for service and it will be my job, through innovation and enterprise, to keep us at the forefront.”
Ian Wilcock joined Heidelberg in October 2000 from the BPIF as process improvement manager.
This role will now be filled by Kim Shotton who joined Heidelberg as an administration trainee but has been a management accountant for the company for the last four years. The management accountant position will be filled by new recruit Basil Isaac.
August 2005
For further information please contact:
Diana Thompson, Plus Point PR Ltd, on 01494 817178
or
Irene Duffy, Heidelberg UK, on 020 8490 3500
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