Ketan Swali

[Bill DawesParticipant @billdawes]

Only just read this posting, what a shock, I visited Ketan some years ago when I bought my milling machine off him, Arc staff and Ketan himself were very friendly and helpful and indeed to any future queries I had.

My condolences to all the family

Bill D.

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

eaga,

I believe that bthe business was started by ketan’s father, to supply bearings.

Probably Ketan saw the potential of the model engineering market at the time and expanded the business.

Because of the fair, honest and pleasant way in which Ketan and his staff dealt with customers it grew.

Arc Euro became my almost exclusive supplier, because of this.

A sad loss

Howard

[egaParticipant @ega]

Howard Lewis:

Thank you for that bit of background. “Going into the family business” seems less usual today. I recall that initially the firm offered to replace the Sieg’s spindle bearings in newly-supplied machines.

It looks from other posts that Arc Euro’s closure may prove a problem for Sieg users. Did Ketan have a stock of spares at the time and, if so, who acquired them?

[Howard LewisParticipant @howardlewis46836]

Other Sieg importers were Axminster, Chester and Machine Mart, althiugh Arc Euro ran down their stocks, what was left may have gone to Axminster or Chester.

If the worst comes to the worst, UK users may be able to obtain spares from Germany, where there is a Sieg subsidiary, I think.

Howard

[Tony JeffreeParticipant @tonyjeffree56510]

I’ve only just heard of this tragic accident, through reading the latest ME&W. To say I am shocked is an understatement – he had called me just a few weeks before, which was a pleasant surprise not having been in contact for a few years. It was great to catch up and have a natter. Of course, he and John Stevenson were great friends, and Ketan commented that losing John had taken the fun out of the business for him, and that was one contributary reason for him closing Arc.

Ketan was such a great guy, as many have already said, and a great loss to the model engineering community.

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