About Us
History
David (Dave) Roy Bennett started out as an apprentice tool and die maker at BorgWarner. He became a talented machinist and moved from the shop floor in Hertfordshire into a sales role in Manchester. He was offered a directorship but instead chose to set up his own engineering firm in Chester’s Newry Park, and that’s how, in 1976, DRB Power and Transmissions was born.
In 1984, we became one of the first companies to call Deeside Industrial Park our home and remain here to this day. We’ve grown to a 6.5-acre site. Matt Bennett, Dave’s son, was the company secretary from 2008, becoming more involved in the day-to-day running of the business as Vice Chairman and then Chairman, until he took over as CEO in 2015.
ACQUISITIONS
- 2001 Metic Engineering Co. Limited
- 2003 C.L.J. Fabrications Limited
- 2007 Prime Engineering Services Limited
- 2009 Fletcher Langley Limited
The Senior Team
Matt Bennett
CEO
Matt, son of Founder David Roy Bennett, had been involved in DRB as the company secretary since 2008, becoming more involved in the day-to-day running of the business as Vice Chairman and then Chairman, until he took over as CEO in 2015.
ADAM HUGHES
Engineering & Operations Director
Adam trained as an apprentice before joining DRB in 2005 as a mechanical fitter. He’s also worked in the project estimation team, and now manages all aspects of manufacturing. He now runs our engineering and operations teams.
Alison Dunbar
Head of Administration
Ali joined us in 2005 as an adminisration assistant, since then she has worked her way up in nearly every department and knows the business inside and out. She is now our Head of Administration, which covers our admin, procurement, sales and logistics teams.
Julie Grant
Head of Customer Relations
Julie joined DRB as an administration assistant for the electrical team, and quickly progressed as her technical knowledge and interest in motors developed. After managing our sales team and growing strong relationships with our customers, she is now head of customer relations.
MIKE HALLIDAY
Head of Engineering
Mike joined DRB straight from school as a Mechanical Manufacturing apprentice in 2011 and is currently studying for an MSc in Engineering Management. He is the head of our engineering team you’ll see below.
WILL PERCIVAL
Head of Manufacturing
Will has more than 13 years’ experience in engineering environments, working as a CNC milling programmer for 10 years before joining DRB in 2015. He is the head of our workshop and manufacturing team.
DRAGOS CIORDAS
Head of Design
Dragos joined in 2018 with 6 years’ experience as a design engineer and drawing office manager, and now manages our team of in-house designers. He holds an MEng in Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering.
Jordan Owen-Jones
Business Development Manager
Jordan joined DRB in 2012, bringing with him more than 10 years’ engineering industry experience, having previously worked as a supervisor for a hydraulic and pneumatic contractor based at Airbus, Broughton. After building up strong customer relations as an account manager, he is now our business development manager.
ENGINEERING & DESIGN
Jonathan Elliott
Production Engineer
Jonathan joined the DRB family in 2010 as an apprentice in our Electrical Department. He worked his way through the ranks and is now a Production Engineer specialising in all things Pumps and Motors.
Matt Allt
Production Engineer
Matt is a graduate of our Apprentice scheme, training as a competent CNC machinist and mechanical fitter. His technical background gives him a solid grounding now that he has moved into an account management role.
Nathan Atkins
Production Engineer
Nathan joined the DRB family in 2012 as a hydraulic apprentice. He’s now a production engineer having gained further experience with our fluid power and valves solutions. Nathan’s studying for a BEng in Industrial Engineering.
Chris Clark
Production Engineer
Chris joined DRB in 2016 after serving as a CNC engineering machinist. He’s now an experienced Production Engineer providing high-level technical expertise to plan, design, modify, optimise and monitor manufacturing processes.
Tony Kennedy
Production Engineer
Tony started working for DRB in 1978 as a machinist. This developed into a more customer-facing role and he now helps customers with their production and processing challenges.
Martin Fisher
Production Engineer
Martin is a time-served multi-skilled fitter and machinist. He spent five years in Europe installing and commissioning robot assembly lines for car manufacturers, as well as making and repairing armoured vehicles.
Stew Cobden
Production Engineer
Stew has more than 30 years’ experience supporting our clients’ mechanical, production and maintenance engineering teams. He has extensive knowledge in the specialist area for cereal roll manufacturing.
Barry Dixon
Production Engineer
Barry has more than 40 years’ experience of manufacturing, precision engineering, and design improvements. He’s been part of the DRB family for seven years, helping customers solve their manufacturing challenges.
John Noble
Design Team Leader
John has more than 13 years’ experience in design engineering from mass production vacuum cleaner cyclone packs through to bespoke OEB level 5 pharmaceutical machines. He holds an Industrial Design degree from Loughborough University.
Iwan Williams
Design Engineer
Iwan has four years’ experience in the oil and gas industry designing mechanical and structural systems for industrial gas turbine acoustic packages. He joined us in 2016 and holds an MSc in Aeronautical Engineering.
Jake Davies
Design Engineer
Jake joined the DRB family in 2017, having spent four years working for Ifor Williams Trailers as a robotic welding fixture designer. He graduated from Liverpool John Moors University with a BEng in Mechanical Engineering.
