Our Story
Meet Robert
Twenty-five years behind the welding torch, three countries, and one workshop in Ballynure. Here's how RK Welding came to be, in Robert's own words.
A childhood spent under a bonnet
Robert was born in 1981 in Bratislava, Slovakia, and has been hooked on cars for as long as he can remember, off-roaders, 4x4s and rally cars especially. After school he trained as a vehicle technician, then did his national service in the Slovak Army, where he was trained up as a military vehicle technician.
Škoda, Volkswagen, and a welding licence
His first job after national service was at the Škoda Auto factory in Mladá Boleslav, in what's now Czechia. Nine months later, an offer from the Volkswagen factory back in Bratislava brought him home. It was at VW that Robert passed his welding licence, and by the time he left in 2006 he'd worked his way up to a team leader position.
A new start in Northern Ireland
In 2006, Robert left Volkswagen and followed his brother to Northern Ireland. His young wife and newborn son followed a few months later, and Northern Ireland has been home ever since.
Twenty-five years, and almost everything with a chassis
Over his welding career, Robert has built and repaired a genuinely wide range of things: agricultural trailers, screeners and crushers, dump trailers, forklifts, even toys. He moved between a few different jobs along the way, always on his own terms, before deciding it was time to go out on his own.
Trevor Cuthbert, Land Rovers, and RK Welding
That decision owes a lot to Trevor Cuthbert of Trevor Cuthbert Land Rovers. The two became friends in 2015, and Trevor introduced Robert to the world of Land Rovers, they've worked on plenty of projects together since. It was Trevor who first suggested Robert should build his own business, and who helped him get it off the ground. They're still close, with more projects planned together.
"I do what I do because I love cars."
What's next
Robert's plans for the future are exactly what you'd expect from someone who's spent 25 years getting better at his trade: keep providing the best possible service, keep improving, and take on more restoration projects as they come along.
The one that got away
As a younger man, Robert always hoped he'd find his way into motorsport. It never quite happened, though he got close, marshalling at local events including the Ulster Rally and the Circuit of Ireland.