The grandson of a former Tufnol Composites employee has returned to the UK from Australia for a period of work experience with the Birmingham-based composites specialist. Christopher Matthews, grandson of well-known previous employee Gerry Matthew, is from Adelaide, South Australia, and works for CE&A Pty, the distributors for Tufnol products in Australia today.
Matthews said: “I was keen to gain the experience of working for a larger, manufacturing organisation and to get more knowledge about the processes and composition of composite material. I believe this will be a huge advantage for me when I return to work for CE&A back home and will benefit my understanding of the product’s potential applications. My time here with Tufnol will go a long way to achieving these goals.
Managing director Roy Thomason said: “This is a great story of a former Tufnol employee who not only made a significant contribution to our organisation here in the UK, but also was instrumental in establishing our company’s products in the Australian market. CE&A is a highly respected name, not only in the marine industry, but in the defence and mining sectors of Australia.
“It’s very sad that Gerry is no longer with us having passed away in 2014, as he had so many great stories to tell about our company and its influence on the burgeoning high tech world of the 1950s and 60s. However, it is great to have the latest generation of the Matthews family with us for some experience of a UK manufacturing company.
“It is also really good to know that Phillip and Chris are committed to continuing the tradition of close association with Tufnol, which we hope will remain for many years to come.”
