ConstructionWorX Member Profile Team Webster in Germany
Webster
– The Rise of the Rockwheel Sheffield-based design engineering business, Webster Technologies are the original designers of Rockwheel cutting attachments. The awardwinning company design and hire cutting equipment for construction, civil engineering and tunnelling projects... Construction Worx talks to Webster Technologies, business development manager, Belinda Naylor about her role in the company and the rise of the Rockwheel!
attachments and grow the business worldwide through designing and developing a range of Rockwheels for use in a variety of applications and industries.
Q: When was Webster Technologies founded and what was the company's vision?
Q: When did you join the company, and can you tell us more about your role at Webster Technologies?
A: The story began in the 1960s when the Webster family began designing, manufacturing and selling mining equipment globally. The first to use hydraulics for cutting, the Webster Roadheaders quickly became a well-known, respected brand. The decline of the UK mining industry brought some challenging times, but Ian Webster turned the challenge into an opportunity to diversify and came up with an innovative cutting attachment that was a tool somewhere between a bucket and a hammer. The Rockwheel really started to take off and in 2000 Ian formed Webster Technologies. The journey continued and in 2005 Ian was joined in the business by his sister in law and business partner Angela Naylor. The vision for the company was to bring innovation to the world of cutting
A: I joined the business in 2014 following a long career with BT. Working for a large company enabled me to develop a broad set of skills and experience including project management, stakeholder engagement and effective relationship building. Skills transferable to a smaller business and different industry. Since joining Webster my role has evolved and includes developing new business, marketing and playing a lead role in the project to develop, test and launch our new breaker – the Rockhit. The transition from being part of a blue-chip organisation to an SME can be challenging, added to the fact we are a family business, means things aren’t always plain sailing. However, as a business it does mean we are more agile and flexible which is good for our customers. Working
Belinda Naylor, business development manager, Webster Technologies in a family business also means I am more invested in growing the business and have the opportunity to get involved in a range of activities from bidding for grants, sourcing suppliers, product testing and building relationships with clients.
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