Dawson was appointed to the role in April and heads a 50-strong production team at Duraweld’s Scarborough facility, which produces environmentally-friendly stationery and retail packaging.

He said the team has been focusing on excelling in customer service and improving efficiency through lean manufacturing techniques inherited from his past career. The perfect delivery score has now been maintained for four weeks.

Dawson is also tasked with extending Duraweld’s industry accreditations to include Quality Management Standard ISO9001 as he joins the company fresh from an associate consultancy role with the Manufacturing Advisory Service.

Dawson set up his own management consultancy business, KASL, in 2010 and has 20 years’ experience in the manufacturing industry across the food, automotive and engineering sectors.

He said: "There are lots of opportunities at Duraweld and I hope to make a significant contribution to the company’s success.

"For now, we are working on embedding the Duraweld culture into our team and ensuring that employees are receiving appropriate training.

Duraweld director Mark Yeung said: "Keith brings with him the experience and ability to take our manufacturing to the next level of quality and efficiency, which will enable us to provide our customers with quick response times and continued value for money."