Group Rhodes, one of Europe’s largest original equipment manufacturers, has further strengthened its hydraulic design engineering capabilities by appointing Lead Hydraulic Engineer, Paul Williamson.
With over 24 years’ experience in hydraulic systems design and engineering leadership, Paul has built his career delivering high-performance, safety-focused solutions across a wide range of industries. This includes offshore, bridges, automotive, recycling, and heavy industrial machinery.
Paul’s experience spans the full lifecycle of hydraulic systems: sales support, quotation, concept design, detailed engineering, installation, commissioning, fault finding, and ongoing optimisation. He has led multidisciplinary teams covering hydraulic, mechanical and controls engineering, as well as managing projects from initial sales concept through to installation and final documentation.
Paul Williamson explains: “I have a genuine passion for large engineering machinery, powerful systems that demand intelligent design. What particularly excites me about joining Group Rhodes is combining robust hydraulic engineering with modern control technologies to improve safety, reliability, and efficiency. Whether designing ATEX-compliant systems, safety-rated PLd manifolds, or closed-loop control systems for critical infrastructure, my focus is always on building solutions that perform and endure.”
Mark Ridgway, DL, CEO of Group Rhodes, explains: “We are delighted to welcome Paul Williamson to the business. His expertise in hydraulic design engineering will be invaluable, and he will play a key role in contributing to innovative projects and continuing to push the boundaries of what we can achieve with fluid power and smart engineering design.”
Group Rhodes, based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, has a 200-year metalforming specialist machinery history and has manufactured equipment for the forming of composite materials from as early as the 1930s. In addition, the group operates divisions in the heavy ceramics and material handling sectors and has won Queen’s Awards for both Innovation and International Trade in recent years.
The company’s composite machinery is used to produce structural components for production road cars as well as flight-critical components for the aerospace industry. The company also offers a wide range of hot and cold forming press technologies for specialist metalforming applications across several industrial sectors.
All Group Rhodes’ machinery is supported by a comprehensive aftermarket spares and service team by its dedicated team of engineers who maintain the company’s equipment throughout the world.
For more information please visit the website grouprhodes.co.uk