Telford company set for 'major international expansion' with appointment of new global development manager

In support of the move, Stafford Park based Filtermist Limited, which employs over 150 people, has appointed Graeme Bell as its new Global Business Development Manager.

The filtration expert will be responsible for driving new opportunities in the APAC region – particularly in India and China.

His role will involve increasing sales of the firm’s latest oil mist collectors and ancillary equipment in the countries it already serves in this area, developing new products specifically for these markets, and recruiting new distributors to the Filtermist network.

Graeme has already spent time visiting customers in China, Korea and India, before being part of the Filtermist delegation that exhibited at the IMTEX exhibition - organised by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA) in Bangalore.

“There is massive untapped potential in the APAC region, and this is something I have been brought in to explore,” explained Graeme, who has more than 30 years’ experience working in mist extraction and air pollution control.

“The market is going to expand dramatically over the next five years. We’re seeing a lot of opportunities in automotive, aerospace and electronics - India, in particular, is becoming a really important manufacturing hub for the Asia Pacific region.

“Demand for our products and solutions is growing rapidly in this region, and we need additional resources on the ground to help educate and showcase some of our latest oil mist filtration technologies to new clients.

“As well as opportunities with local manufacturers, Western companies and blue-chip businesses all have health and safety protocols which they need to follow globally.”

“Our established sales teams are doing a great job. My role is to support them in their ongoing activity, whilst adding the right new distributors to our network.”

Established in 1969, Filtermist has sold its UK manufactured oil mist collectors into the APAC region for over 35 years.

Customers include precision engineers working in automotive and aerospace, medical device manufacture and electronics, as well as companies that produce food and drink.

Johanna Morris, Filtermist’s Global Commercial Sales Director, said: “Graeme is an important hire for our business and brings with him extensive industry experience at a senior level.

“This is the first time that we have had a dedicated Global Business Development Manager looking after the whole APAC region and demonstrates both our commitment to existing customers and to increasing our market share in this part of the world.”