New ‘Rotec Stand’ unveiled at Somerset County Cricket Club

Somerset’s unforgettable triumph in the 2019 Royal London One-Day Cup Final remains a crowning achievement in Somerset County Cricket Club’s long-standing partnership with Rotec Hydraulics Ltd.

With the Rotec brand forever etched into the iconic imagery of Tom Abell lifting the trophy at Lord’s, we are thrilled to announce an exciting new chapter of our shared success.

Having been recognised as “The Best in The Blast” for the past three years, Somerset County Cricket Club are committed to further elevating the atmosphere at the Cooper Associates County Ground.

To achieve this, they’re partnering with Rotec Hydraulics Ltd to introduce a brand-new temporary stand for the 2026 season, positioned between the Marcus Trescothick Pavilion and the Ondaatje Stands. This exciting addition will offer spectators fantastic new viewing angles while enhancing the vibrant, award-winning matchday experience.

Crucially, the new Rotec Stand will increase capacity by more than 400 seats. With demand for tickets consistently high—and Vitality Blast matches regularly selling out—this expansion means more Members and supporters than ever will be able to experience the electric atmosphere and get behind the team.

Somerset CCC Commercial Director, Caroline Herbert, is delighted to see the partnership renewed:

“The One-Day Cup win in 2019 was one of the greatest days in the Club’s history, and it was a pleasure to share that moment with Rotec.

“Rotec’s commitment to investing in the local community is a cornerstone of their ethos, and this latest initiative once again demonstrates that. By helping us increase capacity, they are ensuring that more supporters can be part of the Vitality Blast experience this summer.

“Hopefully, this added backing will help drive the team to become the first side to retain the Vitality Blast title.”

Paul Prouse, Managing Director of Rotec Hydraulics Ltd, commented:

“We’ve shared some incredible moments with Somerset County Cricket Club during our long-standing relationship, most notably the 2019 One-Day Cup win.

“The atmosphere at the Cooper Associates County Ground is second to none, and we are delighted to help meet the incredible demand for the Vitality Blast, ensuring even more fans from our community can experience the best matchday environment in the country.”

Rotec Welcomes Work Experience Student

This week the team at Rotec Hydraulics were pleased to welcome Emily, a 15-year-old student from Bridgwater College Academy, for a three-day work experience placement.

Emily came to us with a passion for art and design, and was curious to explore how her creative skills could align with a future career.

She was hosted by a few departments within the company, including Marketing, Technical Design, Accounts and the Warehouse.

On her first day, Emily worked with Marketing Manager, Rachel, and was shown how marketing works. She was tasked to design two social media posts and we discussed how to get the attention of new and existing customers.

The next day, she spent the day with Richard and John from Rotec’s Technical Design Team. Emily was shown how engineers use software developing and create technical diagrams. She got the chance to design a keychain with a 3D printer and made one. Following lunch, she joined Kelly and Sam in Accounts where she helped check if invoices had been paid.

On her last day Emily rejoined Rachel in Marketing and worked at the warehouse with Olga. Olga showed Emily how we package and deliver parcels. She also saw how engineers construct and how they build different projects which she found cool and fascinating.

Emily commented,

“My favourite part from what I have done in three days is designing and marketing, I really liked how the engineers were designing projects, and how marketing worked. The experience really opened my view on future job options. Based on what I learned so far, my ideas on designing and engineering have expanded quite a lot.

Overall, my three- day work experience went better than I expected. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and working at Rotec has taught me a lot over the three days.”

Rotec’s Marketing Manager and the entire team were impressed by Emily’s willingness to learn and how quickly she picked up new skills.

Rotec supports Poppy of Honour Pavilion in Somerset

Rotec Hydraulics is proud to support The Poppy of Honour Pavilion, a unique National and Commonwealth Memorial dedicated to British and Commonwealth Servicemen and Servicewomen listed as killed or missing in World War 1.

The contribution from Rotec Hydraulics will help ensure the legacy of these brave individuals is appropriately honoured and remembered for generations to come.

The Poppy of Honour encases 1,117,635 individual hand-written remembrance poppies and will be going on its final tour before it is displayed in the new pavilion at Maidenbrook Country Park in Taunton – less than 5 minutes from Rotec’s Headquarters.

The Poppy of Honour Committee warmly invites the public to visit The Poppy of Honour at the following locations:

DATE

DESTINATION

18-21 APR

MONKTON ELM GARDEN CENTRE

08 MAY

VE DAY  -MAIDENBROOK COUNTRY PARK

24 MAY

FALKLAND DAY – MAIDENBROOK COUNTRY PARK

26 MAY-31 MAY

FLEET AIR ARM MUSEUM MAY HALF TERM

21 JUN

WESTON-SUPER MARE ARMED FORCES DAY tbc

28 JUN

PLYMOUTH ARMED FORCES

05 JUL

SOMERSET ARMED FORCES DAY – TAUNTON

12 JUL

FUNFEST FOR ALL THE FAMILY – MAIDENBROOK COUNTRY PARK

26 JUL

MID DEVON SHOW

01-02 AUG

TAUNTON FLOWER SHOW

10 AUG

ST GILES DOG SHOW – MAIDENBROOK COUNTRY PARK

15 AUG

DUNSTER FAIR

06 SEP

OFFICIAL OPENING MAIDENBROOK COUNTRY PARK

Representatives from the project will be present at various locations to share the compelling story behind this important memorial and answer any questions.

Paul Prouse, Rotec’s Managing Director comments, 

“Having proudly supported numerous Defence sector clients and employed Armed Forces veterans throughout our 45 years in business, we’re honoured to support The Poppy of Honour in finding its permanent home within our community.”

The Poppy of Honour will be officially unveiled at its permanent, free-to-visit, location within Maidenbrook Country Park on 6th September 2025.

Rotec is new shirt sponsor for Plymstock Oaks RFC

Plymstock Albion Oaks RFC has announced Rotec Hydraulics Ltd as the new shirt sponsor for the next three rugby seasons.

The new kit was revealed last Saturday at the rugby club’s Men’s 1sts team’s first home game of the season, where the team put on a strong performance, beating Redruth RFC 2nds  63-17.

The new commercial partnership agreement between Rotec and Plymstock Oaks RFC is a significant step in the club’s ongoing efforts to secure strong commercial partnerships that support both its on-field and off-field activities.

The sponsorship will provide the club with essential resources to maintain and enhance its facilities, as well as to promote rugby at all levels within the local community.

Paul Prouse, Managing Director of Rotec Hydraulics, said,

“It’s great to see the Rotec logo on Plymstock Oaks RFC teams’ shirts. We are delighted to support a club that is close to our Plymouth Service Centre and provides sporting opportunities and events for those in our local community. We can’t wait for the rest of the season and wish every team at the club the best of luck.”

Rotec Hydraulics has a history of supporting local sports clubs, including last year’s Vitality Blast T20 winners, Somerset County Cricket Club. In addition to sponsoring local sports teams, Rotec has a strong business commitment to charitable causes – donating year-on-year to charities such as The Grand Appeal and St Margaret’s Hospice.

1st XV Man of the Match from last Saturday, Ollie White, with Rotec’s Sales Director, Richard Lang.

Inspiring future engineers

During June, we welcomed two Year 10 students from The Castle School, Taunton for a week’s work experience. 

Mason and Charlie, who have recently completed their first year of GCSEs, are both interested in exploring a career in mechanical engineering. Mason commented,

“I’m interested in mechanical engineering because I think I would like an active hands-on job. When I finish school, I want to study Mechnical Engineering at college.”

Both students spent two days with our mechanical engineering team, one day with our technical design and electrical teams respectively, followed by a day split between our warehouse and hose bay. Charlie said,

“My highlight of the week was seeing how the team repair hydraulic cylinders and carry out pressure testing.”

Beverly Chalmers, HR Administrator at Rotec says,

“We were delighted to be able to welcome Mason and Charlie from The Castle School for their Year 10 work experience placement. As a business, we place great importance on inspiring the next generation of engineers by providing valuable, insightful opportunities for students.”

Rotec welcomes work experience student

This week, we were pleased to support local secondary school, Monkton Wood Academy in Taunton, Somerset, by providing a work experience placement for one of their pupils.

Den joined our Taunton Service Centre for a week, to experience first-hand how Rotec operates. Under the direction of Charlie Lewis, Rotec’s Warehouse Supervisor, Den spent time working in the warehouse and goods in department, before being welcomed into our electrical bay, workshops and technical design department.

“My highlight of the week was how welcoming and friendly everyone is at Rotec. I enjoyed my experience within the electrical bay and design office the most,” comments Den.

His first time experiencing a real-world workplace, Den chose to accept the placement at Rotec so that he could gain an insight into electrical and design engineering, alongside experiencing what it is like to work in a business. Den is planning on continuing with either electrical or design engineering after secondary school, with an ambition to become a qualified commercial pilot in the future.

Den ended his week work experience in Rotec’s Technical Design office. Using SolidWorks design programme and the company’s 3D printer, Den designed and printed his own keyring as a memento of his time at Rotec.

Beverly Chalmers, HR Administrator at Rotec says,

“We were delighted to be able to welcome Den to Rotec for his work experience placement.

“We always aim to provide valuable, insightful opportunities for schools and to help inspire the next generation of engineers.”