National Windscreens has strengthened its board of directors with the appointment of John Smallman.

Smallman has more than 27 years’ experience in the auto glazing industry. He started as a technician when he was 17 years old before becoming fitting centre manager and then more recently taking overall responsibility for all of the Shropshire and North Wales fitting centres.

He said: “This industry has been my passion and I am looking forward to sharing my expertise with fellow board members and also learning from their extensive knowledge in the sector.

“This is an exciting time for the industry with Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) bringing new challenges every day for us. We have taken a market leading role in this sector and I look forward to continuing this work, ensuring everyone in the company always has the most up-to-date knowledge so calibration work can be carried out and motorists can drive away after a single visit to any one of our fitting and calibration centres.”

Many ADAS features work through cameras mounted on windscreens so replacement of a windscreen means camera calibration will also be needed to ensure the safety features continue to work as originally intended.

National Windscreens foresight in predicting the increasing use of ADAS equipment, expected to reach 40% of all vehicles by 2020, has already seen £1 million invested in training and equipment together with larger fitting centre premises in some cases to cater for this increased demand.

Managing director Pete Marsden said: “These are incredibly exciting times for National Windscreens and the continued investment in our fitting and calibration centres means we are the UK’s leading provider of calibration services with a motorist being, on average, just 11 miles or 20 minutes away from a technician.

“John’s appointment will ensure that the board continues to have full representation of our organisation and the diverse skills required in order for us to make further progress in our service offering and maintain the company’s industry leading position.”

More articles on: