Member Article

New managing director takes the helm at buoyant PDS

Specialist engineering company P Ducker Systems has appointed a new managing director from within its ranks to succeed long-serving Mike Rose.

Nathan Lawson has taken the helm of PDS at a buoyant time for the business.

A strong order book means revenues for its next financial year are already on course to be 25 per cent higher than the current year, which ends on March 31.

Mike, who has been managing director since 2012, will remain with the Derby-based company as a consultant until the summer.

Nathan, who has been promoted from services director, joined PDS in 1997 as a maintenance and installation engineer. Chartered engineer Kirk Smith, who joined in 2004 as a graduate support engineer, has been promoted from support development manager to services director.

PDS was founded in 1988 by chairman Paul Ducker. He sits on the board with Nathan, Kirk and operations director Andrew Bramley.

The company, which has 46 staff and is recruiting, operates from 8,000 sq ft premises on Derby’s Wyvern Business Park. Turnover for the current financial year is forecast to be £8.5m.

PDS specialises in the design, development, installation and commissioning of integrated and standalone control systems and sub-systems for the transport infrastructure sector, including roads, tunnels, ports, airports and underground networks.

These include lighting, ventilation, traffic control and monitoring such as CCTV, public address, phones, radio and variable message signage, incident and heat detection, plus fire and security.

PDS also applies its technological expertise in the energy, utilities and infrastructure sectors and has over recent years developed an expanding building management systems offering.

It operates across the UK and Ireland, as well as throughout Western Europe and as far afield as the United States and Australia. Current projects include one at a Gibraltar Airport road tunnel and a ventilation systems upgrade for the Round Hill tunnel on the A20 in Kent.

As well as providing solutions for new-build capital schemes and refurbishments, PDS has a fast-growing systems support division offering routine maintenance and repairs on a 24/7 basis.

The company’s clients include local authorities, government agencies, private owners, civil contractors and consultants.

Mike said: “Having reached the age of 60, the time has come for me to hand over the reins, and Nathan is an excellent choice to take over as managing director.

“He has been at PDS for 24 years, during which time he has shown a fantastic commitment to customer focus while substantially growing our service offering. His promotion is well-deserved and provides for a smooth transition.

“Our team has unrivalled technical knowledge gained through many decades of experience of implementing complex control system projects using the latest technology.

“Covering all aspects of project implementation, from design, development and in-house testing through to site installation and commissioning, training and on-going support, our range of services has grown significantly over the years. I am confident that, under Nathan’s leadership, PDS will go on to reach even greater heights in the future.”

Nathan said: “I am delighted to have been selected to take over from Mike and am excited by the opportunity to build on his achievements. He has led by example over many years and retires as managing director with the business in very good shape.

“My goal is to focus on helping everyone in the team to achieve their full potential so that we continue to exceed client expectations and needs, maintaining our position as a leading player in our sector.

“We have an established reputation for consistently delivering fully integrated, complex systems and projects in a cost-effective, flexible manner through an innovative approach, in-house technical expertise and support, and excellent client service. In that sense, despite the pandemic, it is business as usual.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by P Ducker Systems .