Express is picking up speed again
After experiencing the toughest trading conditions in its 36 year history - without making a single person redundant - a Tyneside company is recruiting again as business improves.
Through a new framework agreement, Express Engineering will supply up to £15 million worth of specialist wellhead tools to the offshore industry over the next three years. As well as making all the components for running the tools, the company will also assemble and test the apparatus.
The upturn coincides with the completion of a £4.5 million capital investment by Express Engineering in a plant extension and new equipment, which will enable the Team Valley operation to manufacture and test bigger and more complex precision engineered components.
Said managing director, Nigel Davison: “It’s fair to say we have gone through the toughest trading conditions we’ve ever experienced but things are improving quickly now and we want to be ready to take advantage of a growing market.
“That’s why, with the co-operation and support of all the people here, we managed to get through the recession without any compulsory redundancies and also why we are recruiting again now.
“We wanted to keep as many people and skills in the business as possible to be ready for the upturn and to take advantage of our improved facilities. We had 120 staff in 2008/9 and that’s up now by about 15 with more to come.
“We have an order book worth around £9 million – similar to what it was 2 years ago – which means we have work programmed in for six months ahead – particularly for the offshore industry.”
To meet this demand Express Engineering has placed an order for a long bed turning machine, which will be the first of its kind to operate in the UK. That is on its way from Korea whilst the installation of two new vertical borers was completed last week.
“Although we’ve faced some tough challenges we are convinced that our strategy to invest capital and hang on to our people has proved the correct one,” added Mr. Davison: “We are extremely well placed to meet growing demand and in return, offer job security and opportunity.”
One of the people taking advantage of that job security is former postie Paul Hooper, who has been given the stamp of approval to resume his engineering career. Having been made redundant in 2009 after seven years in the trade, he joined Express Engineering three weeks ago.
Now undergoing a refresher course to brush up his CNC programming skills, he said: “It is great to be back doing something I really like. I was grateful for the post office job; it kept the wolf from the door but this is what I was trained to do and I’m thoroughly enjoying it.”
Paul, 25 and from Festival Park in Gateshead is one of several new faces at the company which is seeking programmers, setters and operators of CNC turning and milling machines.
