A Lifetime of Precision: The Story of Michael Rix at HY-TEK

For over five decades, Michael Rix, known fondly by colleagues as ‘Rixy’ has walked the shop floors of HY-TEK with a quiet confidence earned through years of hands-on experience and dedication to his craft. Starting as an EITB (Engineering Industry Training Board) apprentice when the company still bore the name Telecommunications Engineering Ltd, Michael has become not only a cornerstone of HY-TEK’s engineering team but also a living archive of its history.

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Michael began his journey in the 1970s, when the company was transitioning from its origins in Engineering into broader fields of precision engineering. “Back then, everything was drawn by hand and machined manually,” he recalls. “Now, it’s a different world, but the principles of good engineering haven’t changed.”

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Throughout his career, Michael has been instrumental in training new generations of engineers. His mentorship has been patient, thorough, and always grounded in the practical realities of the shop floor. “There’s no shortcut for experience,” he often tells younger team members. “But I can give you a head start.”

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Michael witnessed first-hand the transformation of HY-TEK from a division within the OSEL Group which followed the Telecommunications name, renowned in its own right and honoured in 1982 with the Queen’s Award for Technological Achievement, to the independent, stand-alone business it became in 1992. “That was a pivotal moment,” he says. “We weren’t just part of something bigger, we were building something of our own.”

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Today, HY-TEK continues to uphold the values that have defined it for decades: quality, precision, and a commitment to its people. As the company embraces modern manufacturing technologies and global competition, it does so on a foundation built by craftsmen like Michael Rix.

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Now in his late 60’s, Michael still arrives early each morning, but on 3 days instead of the 5 or 6 he once did, ready to machine, offer guidance, and share a story or two from a time when the machines were louder but the tolerances just as tight. To those around him, Michael is more than an engineer, he’s a reminder of how far HY-TEK has come, and a testament to the enduring spirit of excellence that will carry it forward.