Federation of Engine Remanufacturers marks successful debut Automechanika Birmingham show
1st July 2023
Problem-solving, the Foxwood Diesel way
22nd September 2023
The Journey of Stanwood Engineering began in 1953 and today, under the stewardship of Jonathan Weston-Taylor, there is an air of excitement for the company.
Taking over the reins from his father Chris, Jonathan has successfully reshaped the company to enable it to thrive in its next chapter.
Much of this excitement has been brought about through the acquisition of a new purpose built 1500 sq ft premises in July 2022, which allows Jonathan to work smarter across a number of projects for customers.
Jonathan says: “After moving on from the commercial engine build and parts supply business to Industrial Engines of Grimsby, Stanwood is now concentrating on the sports, performance and race component repair.
“Following the move to CNC machining 7 years ago, most of my work is now alloy block cylinder repair.
Apart from customer supplied liners from Darton or LA sleeve, all my liners are supplied from stock or special made to design by Westwood Cylinders. With headliners like the 1.6 Ford ecoboost and 5 Cyl RS Ford, the list of repairable crank cases is vast. Current projects in the shop include a number of 996 and 997 Porsche, pre-war 4CM Maserati, 1972 Ferrari Daytona to name drop just a few. I give reasonable discounts for other engine reconditioners allowing them to make it worthwhile factoring the Job.”
While also enjoying the Roadsports Series which sees Jonathan racing his Lotus Elise at the weekend, Jonathan is putting Stanwood Engineering on the front foot and is encouraging other FER members to work together more.
Conscious of falling into a trap of being busy but not productive, the move to the new premises has enabled Stanwood Engineering to service customers better than before and work more structured. “FER members are the experts in their field, we need to remember that our knowledge is acquired over many years.”
If a ‘change is as good as a rest’ then Stanwood is in for an exciting future. “It’s taken time to settle with the move but my message to other FER members is to start looking at where we can work smarter and closer together.”