MAN Group creates 50 new jobs with new recruitment push

The Manufacturing Assembly Network, which is made up of eight sub-contract manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency, has got more than 50 different vacancies currently up for grabs and is urging people to come forward to make the most of the opportunities.

Roles range from SMT quality technicians and casting experts to technical sales and CNC machine setters, with firms also placing their faith in the future by investing in a host of interns and apprentices.

Peter Davies, chief executive of James Lister & Sons, Telford, and co-chairman of the MAN group, said: “Despite all of the economic challenges out of our control, UK manufacturing is really buoyant at the moment and there are lots of opportunities out there for firms who are delivering new innovations and world class performance.

“We need extra resource and across the nine companies we’ve got more than 50 live vacancies – the issue is trying to find people in a shrinking labour pool that hasn’t been helped by Brexit.”

He continued: “This means all our firms have to be more creative in the way we look to attract staff, and this has seen us offer new incentives, detailed progression paths and working closer with schools to try to build the pipeline of new talent coming through.

“The Design & Make Challenge we recently held is a prime example, where we put on a special engineering day for over 40 pupils, many of whom are now in talks with our companies about future work placements and even jobs.”

Employing more than 1,750 people across 13 different factories, the Manufacturing Assembly Network can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including aluminium casting, automation and control systems, forging, plastic injection moulding, contract electronics manufacturing, precision machining, high-volume pressing, tube manipulation and welded assemblies.

Its membership includes Alucast, Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, Kimbermills International, Muller Holdings, Nemco and PP Control & Automation.

Mr Davies added: “Nemco’s anticipated growth means it has 13 different positions available, whilst Birmingham’s Brandauer has 11 and Black-Country-based Alucast has seven.

“Grove Design, a specialist engineering design agency based in Leominster, also has two roles up for grabs in product visualisation and electronic design. It’s not just shopfloor jobs either, there’s also admin, sales and marketing positions vacant at present.

“Engineering is a great career to be involved in, offers above average levels of pay and you can be responsible for producing parts that make the world go round every day.”