PERI UK has announced the appointment of Craig McDonnell as its new engineering director.
He brings more than two-and-a-half decades of mechanical, civil and structural engineering experience to the role and will be based at PERI UK’s Rugby HQ, providing technical leadership to engineering teams, supporting the design and delivery of formwork, scaffolding and temporary works solutions for construction and infrastructure projects.
After studying mechanical engineering at Liverpool John Moores University, Craig joined a business specialising in the design and manufacture of rail freight and rail passenger braking systems. He later moved into civil and structural engineering with Mabey Support Systems, specialising in propping, support and bridging, taking a keen interest in hydraulics and jacking systems.
He subsequently combined his mechanical and structural experience designing movable structures, including passenger access walkway systems for cruise ships and link spans for ferries. Craig went on to develop his knowledge in underground supports and foundation theory at Morgan Sindall before joining J. Murphy & Sons, where he progressed to senior engineering manager and led the company’s temporary works design team across projects such as the early-stage utility diversion works for the new HS2 Curzon Street Station in Birmingham and delivery of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU) between York and Leeds.
“Having such broad engineering experience helps me to see solutions that other people might not initially spot,” Craig said. “I can meet with electrical or control engineers and understand their requirements or go into detail with a structural engineer – the variety in my experience helps me see the bigger picture when considering project delivery.”
PERI revealed that the firm’s ‘engineering-led culture and long-standing customer relationships’ were central to Craig’s decision to join the business. His priorities will be to build on the company’s existing strengths while identifying opportunities to improve the efficiency of its engineering operations and further strengthen customer relationships.
“It’s all about evolution, not revolution,” he added. “PERI UK has been supporting the UK construction industry for well over 35 years and benefits from being part of the wider PERI Group, which has been operating since 1969 and has more than 60 subsidiaries worldwide.
“We have a strong product base, outstanding engineering expertise and long-standing customer relationships. For me, it’s about taking that foundation forward step by step – hitting those incremental gains across several areas, becoming even more efficient while continuing to deliver quality designs, products and services to our customers.”
