News

"40 years ago this week I started my journey at Power Capacitors Limited (PCL). My father, having identified that “I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life”, offered me a job in the family business. I turned up on the Monday morning (having graduated from Durham University the Thursday before) and was handed a set of van keys – that first day I spent driving to and from the NSK Bearings factory in Peterlee, delivering a 200kVar Power Factor Correction Cubicle.

That PFC cubicle was replaced 32 years later in October 2017. There was no particular reason why the cubicle needed replacing (it had been serviced regularly by PCL) but a fire, caused by a failed capacitor panel, in an NSK plant elsewhere in the world had prompted the powers-that-be in Japan to take remedial action on all NSK sites.

My parents, Jim & Betty, retired in 1992 having established the business from home in 1974. The Company has been part of my life for over 50 years, and I have been privileged to own and manage the business for the last 33 years. My time at PCL has seen 10 Prime Ministers and 8 US Presidents (Thatcher/Reagan to Starmer/Trump) and, perhaps more importantly, a League Cup (2011), 7 promotions and 7 relegations (Birmingham City FC). The club anthem is very fitting - “As you go through life, it’s a long, long road, there’ll be joys and sorrows too.. “

As in life, there have been good times at PCL and bad, some of which were particularly challenging. I have made mistakes but hopefully not too many. It has been hard work and lonely, very lonely at times. Anybody who thinks building a business is easy, knows absolutely nothing about the reality. The worry about work, people and money never ends, no matter the scale of the business. To my colleagues at PCL, be kind, especially to Harry, your new boss – I guarantee that Harry has worries you know nothing about, worries that are not shared with anyone but his immediate family. The Company is in good hands, the transition is complete, and the future looks incredibly exciting. I am sure that the Moss family values, and legacy will be recognised and honoured moving forward.

I am incredibly grateful for the experiences I have had and the people I have met along the way. 40 years on and, today, my journey at Power Capacitors comes to an end. I am handing back the keys, both literally and metaphorically. Like that NSK PFC cubicle, my time has come (even if certain people don't think I need replacing). For me, it is an appropriate moment to walk away.

In some ways, I still “don’t know what I want to do with my life” but what I do know is that God has never let me down, has always had a plan for my life and has a plan for my remaining days. I feel blessed to have my health, friends and a loving family – what more could I ask for?"