Racking, storage and display equipment supplier Filstorage has appointed industry expert Richard Johnson as managing director.
Richard, who can count Chartered Quantity Surveyor, Chartered Construction Manager and Executive MBA among his qualifications, brings 35 years’ experience in the construction and storage sectors to the Yorkshire-based business, along with other allied industries.
The move sees founder Paul Taylor take a back seat in the business for the first time since establishing Filplastic (UK) Limited, trading as Filstorage, more than 30 years ago.
Paul, who over the past three decades has grown Filstorage into a multimillion-pound turnover business, will remain an active member of the team despite handing over the reins.
He said he was delighted to have appointed Richard to the top role. Paul said: “Richard is highly respected in the construction and storage industries and was once a direct competitor of ours who we took very seriously.
“As a result of this, and his broader sector experience, he is extremely well placed to take Filstorage forward into its next phase of growth. I’m very confident we have found the right person to succeed me, and I look forward to supporting Richard in his new role going forward.”
Richard qualified as a Chartered Quantity Surveyor in the early 2000s and amassed more than 20 years’ experience in the industrial manufacturing, shop fit-out, and construction sectors, before moving into the storage industry.
Career highlights include working with one of the UK’s largest retailers during its expansion into the Middle East and Asia and setting up a Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise (WFOE) in China.
In the storage sector, he led a team that helped turn around the distribution arm of the UK’s largest storage manufacturer.
Richard said his focus for Filstorage was growth. “I have developed a growth plan for the business and have started to implement key aspects of this,” he said.
“The key for the business is to enhance our existing customer relationships and develop new markets through a structured and focussed approach. The business is well equipped to achieve this with a knowledgeable team and a business development function that spans the whole of the UK.”
He added: “I have known Filstorage for many years and have seen how successful the business has become, particularly in the builders’ merchant sector. To have the opportunity to build on that great work is a real privilege and a journey I’m very much looking forward to.”
