A lifetime in Industry
Celebrating Ron Snape’s Retirement
There are very few people who can say they have spent their entire working life with one company.
Even fewer can say they spent 54 years doing it.
It truly is the end of an era at Fletcher Moorland as we say a very fond farewell to Ron Snape, who retires after an extraordinary 54 years with the business.
Ron joined Fletcher Moorland back in 1972, beginning his career in the winding shop before moving into HGV driving and, eventually, returning to the trade that had become his speciality: electro-mechanical motor winding.
Over more than five decades, Ron has seen almost every side of engineering life at Fletcher Moorland.
He has worked nights, weekends and demanding 14-hour continental shifts. He has balanced long working hours with raising a family of six. He has worked on everything from traditional motor repairs to some of the increasingly complex and specialised equipment that has come through our doors over the years.
And throughout it all, his approach has remained remarkably consistent.
Do the job properly. Take pride in your work. And get on with it.
A CAREER BUILT ON CRAFTMANSHIP
Ron has always placed enormous importance on getting things right.
One of the pieces of advice he has passed on throughout his career is simple:
“Don't worry how long the job takes. Make sure it's right.”
That attitude is perhaps the best description of Ron's approach to engineering.
His knowledge wasn't simply about knowing how to wind a motor. It was about understanding the job, taking responsibility for the result and maintaining the standards expected of a skilled craftsman.
That commitment was recognised throughout his career.
One of Ron's proudest memories came while working alongside Ken Jones on a major 900kW motor project.
Having been called into Malcolm Fletcher's office, Ron expected to be questioned about the job. Instead, he received one of the highest compliments of his career:
“I'd be proud to let this job go from here. It's the best job I've ever seen done.”
It was praise Ron never forgot.
And it says something about the standards he set for himself.
54 years of change
When Ron joined Fletcher Moorland in 1972, the business looked very different to the one we know today.
Over the course of his career, he has witnessed enormous changes in engineering, manufacturing and motor technology.
Equipment has become more sophisticated. Manufacturing processes have evolved. Automation has transformed industrial environments. The motors and specialist equipment arriving in the workshop today can be vastly different from those Ron worked on at the beginning of his career.
Some things haven't changed:
- The importance of experience.
- The value of practical knowledge.
- The need for people who understand that quality matters.
Ron's career is a reminder that engineering knowledge isn't something that can simply be downloaded from a manual. Some of it comes from years spent handling equipment, solving problems, learning from mistakes and understanding what 'right' looks like.
HANDING OVER THE BATON
Perhaps one of the most important parts of Ron's legacy is the knowledge he has passed to the next generation.
Throughout his career, he has taken pride in mentoring younger engineers and helping them develop their own skills and standards.
That legacy is particularly personal at Fletcher Moorland.
Ron's son, Marcus, now works here too, having been trained by Ron in the same trade.
More than 50 years of knowledge, experience and craftsmanship has therefore been passed directly from one generation to the next.
It is difficult to put a value on that.
For a business built around repairing and maintaining critical industrial equipment, experience matters. The ability to recognise a problem, understand why something has failed and know how it should be repaired comes from both training and time.
Ron has provided plenty of both.
A two-way Relationship
When Ron talks about his career at Fletcher Moorland, one thing comes through particularly strongly: his belief that loyalty works both ways.
He puts it simply:
“They've always supported me, so I support them.”
And later:
“It's a two-way thing. You can't just give, give, give and take, take, take.”
That philosophy has shaped his relationship with the business.
Over decades at the company the workplace became more than the job itself. A relationship formed between the people and the business.
Ron has never been someone who needed to look elsewhere.
When asked why he stayed with Fletcher Moorland for so long, his answer is characteristically straightforward:
“Job satisfaction, really. I didn't want to go anywhere else.”
His father had given him some simple advice when he was younger:
“If you've got a job, stay with it.”
Ron certainly took that advice to heart.
Fifty-four years later, it is difficult to think of anyone who has embodied it more completely.
While Ron's time on the workshop floor may be coming to an end, the impact of those 54 years will remain.
- It lives on in the people he has trained.
- It lives on in the standards he has set.
- It lives on in the jobs he has completed
- It lives on in the knowledge that has been passed from one generation of engineers to another.
His story is about much more than length of service. It is about taking pride in doing a job properly, even when nobody is watching and it is about understanding that good engineering is ultimately about people as much as it is about machinery.
Very few people can say they have dedicated their entire working career to one company. Fewer still can say they have spent 54 years helping shape the business they work for. Ron has been a huge part of Fletcher Moorland's story, and his knowledge, experience and presence will be greatly missed. His contribution will remain with us for many years to come.
From everyone at Fletcher Moorland: Thank you, Ron, for 54 incredible years. We wish you a very long, happy and thoroughly well-deserved retirement.
Perhaps the best way to sum up Ron's career is in his own words: “A very enjoyable fifty-four years.”