FEATURE
Here at Katmex , if someone is keen to learn and develop , we will help them .”
there from 1999 , said : “ As owner , we kept the business going through some good and difficult times but we never really looked at the succession side of the business until more recently .
“ The Covid period in 2020 gave us a shock to the system . We had to look at what we were doing when people left the business , including management .
“ Lee was in the business then and we started to take it forward from there , by looking at how we do things , looking at the people we had on site and who we could develop .
“ Now we have a senior management team , supporting Lee . You can see it all falling into place and it is allowing me to step back more and more .
“ We are where we are , I am not retiring , but evolving . The business is the baby and the baby is growing up . You must release it at some point and between Lee and the management team , they are doing a good job .
“ We need to look at where we invest . We have everything in place to get where we need to be .”
Katmex – which sits on an 80-yearold site that used to be the home of
Whaley Engineering – has recently promoted a number of operators into team leader positions following impressive personal growth and development , as well as two team leaders to supervisory roles .
Engineering and maintenance manager John Donaldson is one of many examples of how staff progress , having started working life at Katmex as an apprentice machine operator .
And while Katmex wants to develop the employees it has , it is also looking externally to strengthen its team .
Lee said : “ We have gone through a restructure of management in recent years . It is all part of the bigger strategy which we talk about .
“ I joined the company five and a half years ago . My background was predominantly finance and my previous role here was as finance and commercial director , having started out as an apprentice in different sectors .
“ I know the benefits of studying and learning while working because of my earlier years . I was getting the best of both worlds . The 16-year-old me was getting a wage and learning at the same time , while some of my friends from school were off to university , not getting paid and weren ’ t getting that life experience . “ Obviously the theory aspect is important , but because I also got the practical side of things early on it has made me realise how important it is for people to develop in the areas they want to . Here at Katmex , if someone is keen to learn and develop , we will help them .”
Katmex – which has a satellite site at Seaham in County Durham – is keen to see employees follow that training route , with outside lecturers invited in to use the on-site training room and facilities that have been created .
David said : “ We have been going more than 20 years and we are now planning for the next 20 years . I can ’ t say it has always been like that . We need that succession in place to ensure we stay strong as a business .
“ We have several trainees and apprentices within the business now , whether those are in production , engineering , quality , maintenance or administration . We work with NC Group , who carry out on-site NVQ level 2 and 3 training , as well as specific training relating to roles within the business . It ’ s hugely important to us now and for the business long term to invest in our employees .”
Check out katmex . co . uk for career opportunities or for further information .
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