James joined the business in 1991 as an Electronics Technician. Back then, James and Adam built transponders in a converted goat shed after Adam saw a gap in the market.

I caught up with James on his anniversary;

“It really doesn’t feel like I’ve been working for aae for 30 years, time has flown. So much has changed over the years but it still feels like a family. We have a lot of long term staff here and it’s not often someone leaves, it’s a friendly and nice place to work.

I previously worked with Adam at Ferranti ORE after I left school as a Trainee Technician, so I jumped at the opportunity to work for him when circumstances allowed this.“

As the orders grew the business moved into new commercial premises, with James progressing to Electronics Engineer, Production Supervisor, and then onto Production Manager. 12 years ago, there was an opportunity for the business to have a dedicated Health and Safety Manager, seeing the link between his skills and expertise, James was the perfect candidate:

“As I had gained a broad range of skills and operational experience from having performed most of the jobs within the company over the years, I was a good choice for this role with QA, Environmental and Logistics too.

It’s never a dull day here especially with the current challenges the pandemic has presented us with. It’s satisfying to know that our customers are happy with our products and the services and support we offer. I’m glad to be part of the team and look forward to continuing this within our group of companies into the future.”

Adam comments;

“James was our first employee and has supported the business for a long time. When he first started, we sent him offshore and he had a job operating some equipment for us on Gardline’s Resolution. Unfortunately, he was so ill that he had to be taken off the vessel! As a result, his career changed tack and was responsible for writing the code for some early products before moving to Production and now he heads up our QHSE and Logistics departments.”

Thank you for all your support and dedication to the business James.