Paul Craddock, the Managing Director of Sencon’s UK operations, will be stepping back after 38 years of service. Although Paul will continue to be actively involved with the company, the day-to-day leadership of Sencon UK has now transitioned to his son, Richard Craddock, who brings more than two decades of experience with the company.

Paul established Sencon’s UK operations in 1987, creating a hub to support sales, service, and technical expertise for Sencon products across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Oceania. Before founding the UK arm of the business, Paul built his career in the canmaking industry gaining valuable international experience with Metal Box, including stints in the USA, South Africa and Singapore.

Upon leaving Metal Box he laid the foundation for what has become a world-class manufacturing facility—producing Sencon’s highly successful range of canmaking gauges and serving as a critical base for the company’s global customer network.

“As we look to the future, I’m excited to bring fresh ideas and renewed ambition to expand our products and services,” says Richard Craddock. “What will never change is our commitment to the metal packaging sector and the values that define Sencon—our reputation for quality, innovation, and dedicated customer support.

This leadership transition comes at a milestone moment for the group, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2026. Founded in Illinois in 1976 by Winston Shields, Sencon Inc. is now led by his son, Eric Shields, who proudly continues his father’s engineering legacy and vision.

As the company looks toward this anniversary, it is preparing for a dynamic year ahead with major product launches, fresh innovations, and global celebrations—culminating in Sencon’s presence at Metpack 2026, the world’s leading trade fair for the metal packaging industry, in Essen, Germany.