ENGINEERING
Winners – TMD Friction won two international Kaizen awards for continuous improvement in 2021 .
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STOPPING US
How TMD Friction has grown , nurtured talent and invested in its Tees plant in 2021
It ’ s been a challenging 12 months for the region ’ s business community . But global automotive manufacturer TMD Friction is ending it in a strong position , boosted by significant investment across its plant …
I nvestment is certainly the buzzword at TMD Friction .
Like so many businesses , the global automotive manufacturer has faced its fair share of challenges presented by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic .
But thanks to multi-million-pound investment committed by the Hartlepoolbased company ’ s parent group , the year is ending on a high , with TMD Friction looking ahead to a new year of stability , growth , and continued recruitment to support the large-scale production of brake pads .
Tom Russell , UK operations manager at TMD Friction , said : “ There ’ s no doubt it ’ s been a year of highs and lows , with many of the lows the result of circumstances beyond our control .
“ The coronavirus pandemic had a massive impact on our business in 2021 , mainly because of the number of staff who were forced to isolate . At one point we were around 25 per cent down on numbers which , for a business like ours which relies on shift outputs to maintain production levels , has a huge knock-on effect .
“ However , the changes to isolation rules , which brought an end to the ‘ pingdemic ’, was a game-changer for us , and really did help us get back on track in terms if staffing numbers and results .
“ Now , as we head towards the end of the year , we ’ re in a strong position to maintain global growth and are looking ahead to 2022 with renewed optimism .”
TMD Friction , which is based at Oakesway Trading Estate and employs more than 450 people , manufactures brake pads for 95 per cent of the
76 | Tees Business