Suzie’s Return: A Boomerang Tale

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Guess who’s back? The prodigal team member, known fondly as “Boomerang Birch,” has returned to the fold at Warren – and there’s a lot to catch up on!

Here’s a message from Suzie…

Uh Oh! Boomerang Birch is back…
After almost 14 years of service to Warren, working my way up from the bottom, I decided I needed to try something new…

I left Warren 18 months ago to try a different company and a different role… Whilst I did learn a lot about myself there, gained some other new skills and found another great bunch of people to work with, the role really wasn’t for me. What else have I been up to in the meantime?

To de-stress myself, I turned my baking hobby into a small business! Some of the Brandon dwellers of Warren have popped in to see me (Baker 39); I have a little stall at The Original Factory Shop in Brandon as part of their scheme to promote small businesses. I am also lucky enough to supply a lovely tearoom in Brandon with delicious baked goods too! I also try to get myself to local community fairs/fetes as well. It’s really helped me be part of my local community and I LOVE chatting the day away with people at my stall!

A big thanks to those that support me 🙂

So here I am again! This time I’m in a different role, supporting Sophie and the team with all things Tech Grocer, and I’m sure there will be other things along the way. It’s great to see so many familiar faces again – I have missed you! Also spotted some new faces, and I look forward to getting to know you too.

– Suzie

Danny Goodman – 10 Year Anniversary

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Here’s a big shoutout to Danny Goodman, for reaching an incredible milestone of 10 years of dedicated service! Danny has been a rockstar over the past decade, consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to quality and continuous improvement. We’re thrilled to announce that he has recently taken on the role of leading our Quality department, in addition to heading up our Turning department.

Danny’s journey with us began on what was the old night shift, working from 6pm until 6am on a 4-on-4-off pattern as a skilled machinist. It didn’t take long for his exceptional problem-solving and people skills to shine through, earning him a promotion to shift manager and later to running the day shift turning department.

We extend our heartfelt gratitude to Danny for his unwavering loyalty throughout the years. We eagerly anticipate celebrating many more milestones and achievements together in the future. And who knows, if you’re lucky enough Danny, we might buy you a pint down the pub to celebrate – which will be an achievement itself! Cheers, Danny!

Danny Goodman with Lee Charlton, our Operations Director

Allen Towler’s Retirement

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Allen Towler retires, after 23 years service.

Allen started with us back in the Old School at Feltwell. Allen is traditionally a turner; mostly manual, but he moved over to CNC on the small Haas machine later. It’s only at times like this that you reflect on the past.

Founder and Owner of Warren, Richard Bridgen said, “After we started doing the winch drums, they were getting bigger and bigger in diameter, as well as longer. I can remember taking Allen to a machine tool dealer in Newmarket, to look at a long bed lathe that we bought. Once installed, that was the beginning of our journey into the really big drums.

“I can still see Allen wearing a pair of metal studded gauntlets (a bit like chainmail) pulling the swarf away in long lengths when scrolling the grooves; this was highly dangerous work.

“To mark Allen’s retirement after 23 years, Sharon and I wanted to take him and his wife Val out for a meal. As Squeak is a good friend of Alan’s we invited him as well. After a lot of thought, we all decided on Valley Connection an Indian restaurant in Bury. Alan does a bit of Indian cooking so he knows all the spices and dishes. I agreed to act as chauffeur so they could all have a drink. The food was wonderful and was enjoyed by all. We had a good chat about the old days and how Warren has changed over the years. It’s always great to get together and reflect on the past. Currently, Allen was still working through his job list. I suggested he might need to get back to his fishing. After leaving the restaurant, we all enjoyed a walk around the town, as it was such a lovely warm evening.

“Everyone at Warren wishes Allen well and here is a very personal ‘thank you’ from Sharon and I, for those 23 years (what a journey!).”

Allen Towler retired from Warren on Friday 19th May. We wish him all the best for his retirement.

Roy recently retired in late 2022

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Roy is one of the real oldies, he started with us at the old School in Feltwell in 1994. As far as I can remember, he has only ever worked on milling machines for us. That might be the case but Roy has always been up for a challenge and nothing really fazes him. To this day, he has only worked on the smaller sized mills, originally manual and later the small toolroom type from Haas.

He has undertaken some of the longest jobs we have ever done, lots of times we have had to move his mill around so the long jobs can go along the gangway.

Many of the milling staff supported Roy in coming to grips with the CNC programming and in turn, Roy has supported and helped many apprentices over the years with his experience.

He is quite a character and will be missed by everyone who has worked with him. Roy has been wholly reliable – his attention to detail, work rate and attendance is exemplary.

All of us will miss him but we hope he enjoys retirement with his wife Carol, whom we have gotten to know over the years.

So Roy, you’ll have lots more opportunities for walking with Carol and the dog now. Do drop back in sometime to say hello.

A broader role for Kieran

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It gives us great pleasure to announce that Kieran Stewart will be taking over the management of the Laser / Waterjet / Kitting / Saws and Dispatch areas, in addition to the welding and fabrication function that he currently oversees.

Kieran joined us straight from a Thetford school in July 2011. He began his time at Warren as a Welding and Fabrication Apprentice. Then after 8 years, he moved into a management role. With his solid engineering knowledge and as an experienced member of the Warren team, he is well-situated to expand his responsibilities and take up this broader role.

Kieran is very much looking forward to the challenge!