Keighley man Steve Hart has been appointed to the board of Airedale Springs.

And his promotion from technical manager to production director at the Haworth firm virtually mirrors the career of his late father John, who also worked for the company and became technical director.

Steve joined Haworth Springs as an operative in December, 1993.

After soon demonstrating his technical abilities, he was appointed an auto setter in the spring-making department and continued to progress through the ranks.

He played a key technical role in the firm’s move in 2012 to its new £3.5 million factory and office premises, off Bridgehouse Lane, which replaced the firm’s Ebor Mills premises destroyed in a blaze two years earlier.

Airedale Springs chairman, Tim Parkinson, said: “Steve has been right at the forefront of the new machinery and technology we have introduced into the business and is held in high regard by colleagues and customers alike for his expertise.

“He is integral to the success of the business and will continue to be a great asset.”

Last year the company was runner-up in the environmental efficiency category of the EEF Future Manufacturing Awards.