Roy Howell, managing director of Maygay Machines, in the early 2000s running the second-largest of the UK AWP machines manufacturers, died yesterday aged 68.
Roy joined Maygay Machines in the mid-1970s. The company had been founded by his father, Peter, in 1968. Maygay Machines and its operation, Mayfair, was bought by European Leisure in 1988. Roy took over control of the business in 1997 when he led a buy-out team to secure the company from European Leisure. At that time, he was backed by venture capital company 3i.
At that time, Maygay had annual sales of £29m and pre-tax profits of £3m. In 2000, 3i sold its shares in Maygay to Leisure Link for £18.5m. The company was later to disappear after Leisure Link sold the Maygay brands to Barcrest and Roy left the company in 2002.
Roy was a founder of Games Media with Steve Murray in 2003; the company was subsequently sold to Scientific Games in 2006, but Roy maintained his interests in the industry, starting a new games design business in partnership with ex-Maygay Lloyd Butler, named Live 5 Gaming.
Roy was always active in the trade association, BACTA, at one time chairing its Division 4, the manufacturers’ section.
He leaves a wife, Sue, who he married in 1978, and two children, Katie and Nicholas, who are both married with children.
