Meet the Team – Steve Clayton, Operations Director

• News
• 16 August 2024

Earlier this year we were thrilled to welcome Steve Clayton into the Operations Director role at Robust UK. It’s safe to say that Steve has hit the ground running, and now we’ve finally managed to catch up with him to learn more about his journey and vision for the company.

“I joined Robust in late March, at an exciting and critical time as the company was in the midst of relocating from it’s Longton site to a fantastic new facility in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

“The opportunities and potential this significant investment - £6million - offered were certainly appealing, but it was clear from the outset that there were also challenges to address. As a pragmatic problem solver, I embraced the critical task of defining the direction for business improvement.”

Steve brings with him a wealth of manufacturing experience, having held key roles in Supply Chain, Operations and Manufacturing at both Manager and Director levels with industry leaders such as Perkins, Caterpillar and Unipart. His career began with a rigorous apprenticeship in mechanical engineering and manufacturing at Dorman Diesels, where he gained invaluable hands-on experience. "This provided me with a solid foundation in technical skills, and an appreciation for quality and precision in production processes," he says.

Fast-forward 30 years and Steve’s knowledge of manufacturing, combined with his experience in managing both departmental and cross-functional teams, means that he’s already made a significant impact at Robust, with more improvements on the horizon.  He says, “In my first six weeks at Robust, my focus was on transferring our existing equipment to the new facility and overseeing the effectiveness of the new machinery, all whilst ensuring we continued to fulfil orders daily. We’ve also reorganised our Production, Materials, Logistics and Planning departments, along with the Engineering and Production teams, specifically to support both product development and production engineering. This involved bringing in new leadership and making key appointments both internally and externally.”

Outside of work, Steve leads a busy life. He and Tracey have been together for nearly 20 years, and they have two grown-up sons as well as a lively household with dogs and horses – though he notes it’s only the dogs that are allowed inside! Steve enjoys mountain biking as a way to unwind and socialise, and he occasionally participates in mountain bike races. He also spends some of his free time supporting Tracey at equestrian events.

Looking ahead, Steve has a clear vision for the future of Robust UK. "Production efficiency starts with design," he says. "This means fostering extensive collaboration between our engineering and manufacturing teams. By aligning these critical functions and investing in further automation, we can optimise our processes, enhance operational efficiency, and continue delivering high-quality products to our customers."

Reflecting on his first few months with business, Steve says “I’d like to thank everyone for their warm welcome, openness, and engaging discussions. It's clear that we all share a strong commitment to improving our production processes in both the short and long term, and it’s inspiring to see such passion for our safety and security products."

“I’m incredibly confident that with the changes already made and those still to come, we will continue to enhance our production and performance and achieve key milestones in operational efficiency; all for the benefit of our valued customers.”