James King, who has become well-known in the stone industry during the past four years he has spent selling Bavelloni CNC workcentres, has joined Bishop Auckland machinery, tools and consumables suppliers Harbro as area sales manager covering the south of the UK.

Before joining Italian company Z Bavelloni as branch manager for the UK, James had been a senior manager in a company making capital equipment for the metal industry. He has a degree in mechanical engineering and an MBA.

He joined Bavelloni as they were being bought by another Italian company, Kyro, who own Tamglass. Last year they decided to relocate Bavelloni, then in Rugby, to the Tamglass premises at Derby. Bavelloni also got a new managing director, Paolo Sandri, who decided to follow other CNC workcentre producers down the route of appointing agents to sell their machines. Many of Bavelloni\'s sales force were made redundant.

Last year Harbro became UK agents for Brembana workcentres and James says: "Now I\'m enjoying competing with Bavelloni."