Tony Steelhas been appointed the new Technical Director of Cobble Blackburn.

Tony Steel


Tony Steelhas been appointed the new Technical Director of Cobble Blackburn. He joins from a special purpose design company in South Wales and takes up this board level position as Cobble is growing its global business by offering customers new and more efficient ways of making carpet products, according to the company.

Steel will be responsible for the design and development of new tufting machines and ancillary equipment as well as the continuing development of legacy products. Working closely with the manufacturing and marketing departments, he will spearhead the push for new products and technology to help customers compete more effectively.

“We have to take the company forward with technical developments across a broad front,” Steel noted. “Cobble’s track record for innovation and quality engineering has established the company as an industry leader. My role is to build on this and harness the undoubted talent we have at Cobble to deliver precision engineered solutions that will make a real difference to our customers.”

Paul Winstanley

Paul Winstanleyhas joined Cobble Blackburn as Sales Manager. Reporting to Cobble Group Marketing Director Ian Lavin, he will be responsible for developing machinery sales worldwide with the exception of China and the USA. Winstanley has a background in engineering and joins Cobble with more than 30 years’ experience of working for major international companies in the sale of capital equipment. He has already visited Cobble customers in mainland Europe and the UK and believes one of his first tasks is to strengthen communication links with past and present customers while continuing to establish new contacts.

“It’s important to have an on-going dialogue so that we can understand manufacturers’ needs and respond effectively. It also helps us to anticipate future trends within the industry so that we shape our product development to ensure the right machines are always available at the right time. Our role is to provide carpet manufacturers with the best equipment available so that they can improve efficiency and exploit new opportunities to grow their business.” 

Kevin Wu

Kevin Wujoins Cobble Machinery Suzhou, as Regional Sales Executive for Southern China. He will be based at the Cobble Group’s purpose-built factory in Suzhou, near Shanghai in Eastern China. Wu was previously working in China for the textile division of a major European machinery manufacturer. His technical background and experience of business in China will help strengthen links with the country’s carpet manufacturers and increase Cobble’s presence in the market.

Cobble has been selling carpet machinery and ancillary equipment to customers in China for more than 40 years. The opening of a purpose-built factory in Suzhou confirms Cobble’s commitment to business in China and its growing importance as a supplier of high quality tufting machines to carpet manufacturers across the Far East.