Ken Eckley, former Managing Director of Sakurai Machinery (Europe) died last Wednesday (2 August) at his home in Sutton, aged 71.
"Everyone remembers him as a gentleman" said former colleague Ian Jones, who succeeded Eckley as Managing Director of Sakurai UK, and now occupies the same role at Busch Graphic Machinery. "Eckley didn't use written contracts," said Jones. "He was a good judge of character and being a man of his word, people respected his honesty and integrity."
Eckley attended Drupa in the mid-seventies and saw an opportunity to bring Sakurai printing presses into the UK. He therefore had a meeting with Japanese principals and his company LEJ was given agency by Sakurai Machinery to import their presses, the first of which Eckley brought into Britain at the end of 1977.
Subsequently, due to Eckley's success, Yoshinori Sakurai himself, the company's president, asked him to head operations in the UK and in 1984 the UK branch was inaugurated, and subsequently became part of the Association of Printing Machinery Importers (APMI).
After a fruitful career, Eckley retired in 1994. "He started from nothing and one can't help but admire him for his perseverance," said Jones. Yoshinori Sakurai said that he would "remember Ken with great fondness and gratitude.
His funeral will take place at Sutton Crematorium on 14 August at 3.30pm. The Eckley family have asked that no flowers be sent, but would welcome donations to the Cancer Relief Macmillan Fund, in memory of Ken's late wife Joan.