Starrag UK has appointed Ian Morton as its new UK Sales Manager, with responsibility for the company’s full machine tool portfolio across the UK, Ireland and Northern Ireland in all sectors outside aerospace. He succeeds Paul Zajac, who retired at MACH 2026 after 50 years in the industry.
Reporting into the Starrag UK leadership team and working alongside aerospace lead Simon Dutton, Ian’s remit covers the Starrag Group’s full premium brand line-up, spanning the compact Bumotec brand through SIP, Starrag and Heckert to the larger Dörries and Droop+Rein range. This remarkable breadth of technology and scale will see Ian supporting manufacturers across sectors from medical, dental and micro-mechanics through to automotive, oil and gas, defence, marine and nuclear.
“Anything that doesn’t fly will be my responsibility,” Ian explains. He brings more than three decades of hands-on engineering, CNC programming and technical sales experience, including the past 13 years spent representing premium European tooling and precision-engineering brands. His career began with a 1991 apprenticeship in manual machining, followed by CNC machining, CAD/CAM programming and works management, before he moved into technical sales.
That blend of shop-floor and sales experience made the move to Starrag a natural one. “It was an evolutionary step. I know the product well, and my experience in Ireland will also pay dividends. The step from peripheral products behind the spindle, to the spindle and the machine tool itself, just fitted perfectly.”
Five weeks into the role, Ian is already on the road for product training across the Starrag Group’s manufacturing centres in Switzerland and Germany, with recent visits to Rorschacherberg and Vuadens, plus upcoming visits to Chemnitz and Bielefeld for the Heckert and Droop+Rein platforms. He sees significant scope to broaden the brand’s UK profile. “Starrag has always been synonymous with the aerospace industry, but there’s so much more to offer,” he says. “There are plenty of businesses out there who probably aren’t aware of what Starrag can do for them. There’s a real buzz in the market at the moment — MACH was a success, with customers who were genuinely interested. I’m really looking forward to engaging that audience and delivering genuine quality for manufacturers.”
Commenting on Ian’s appointment, Starrag UK’s Sales Director, Lee Scott, says: “Losing someone of Paul Zajac’s calibre to retirement would typically be a blow to any business, but we have been fortunate to find an outstanding replacement in Ian. The Starrag brand is the epitome of quality – a truly marquee brand. This is what attracted Ian to Starrag; but his pedigree, manufacturing expertise and understanding of selling high-end technology also make Ian a perfect fit for our team.”
