A NEW man is in charge at one of Bolton's biggest factories.

Mr Peter Carr, aged 41, is managing director at Beloit Walmsley Ltd.

He has arrived during the American company's current global re-organisation exercise which is likely to include a change of name at the Crompton Way factory - to Beloit UK (Bolton).

Rotherham-born Mr Carr is keen to emphasise the value of the company involving itself in the town through organisations such as Bolton and Bury Chamber of Commerce.

"One of the things I think we can do is to participate actively in the community," he said. "We are part of the everyday life of Bolton."

He is particularly interested in exploring opportunities for mutual benefits with other businesses.

Beloit Corporation is a leading international manufacturer of pulp and papermaking equipment, employing 7,500 people at facilities all over the world.

A wholly-owned subsidiary of Harnischfeger Industries Inc, Beloit is the only company in the world devoted exclusively to the manufacture of pulp and papermaking machines and systems.

Mr Carr, who lives in Worcester, has moved within Beloit from sister company Joy Mining Machinery, where he was most recently Director of Operations for the United Kingdom, Poland and associated markets.

Previously he had worked with British Coal, MS International, Dowty and as Managing Director of Longwall AFC Ltd.

In his new position he will be responsible for the Bolton site - which employs 800 people - and for co-ordinating operations strategy implementation for Europe.

He said the new global strategy was aimed at creating "One Beloit" rather than five autonomous groups within the company.

Bolton, which has been identified as an important part of the global operation, acts as a centre of excellence.

About £20 million has been invested on the site in recent years and there are currently orders worth £75 million on the book in Europe, the USA, Indonesia, Australia and Russia.

Mr Carr said the company was a major presence in Bolton.

"We should be looking at that for years to come," he said.

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