Phil promoted to Steel Benders ’ operations director
ENGINEERING
Phil promoted to Steel Benders ’ operations director
STEEL
RISING
PICTURE : TOM BANKS WORDS : PAUL FRASER
Appointment – Steel Benders ’ new operations director , Phil Anderson .
Phil Anderson feels he “ belongs ” at Steel Benders UK after completing an incredible rise from labourer to operations director inside 11 years at the Cochranes Wharf site .
The Middlesbrough-born father-oftwo even met his wife , Lucy , working for the largest steel bending and profiling specialists in the North-East .
And the 33-year-old , who joined the company in 2012 , is focused on leading Steel Benders into an even brighter future after his promotion to operations director . “ It feels as if hard work has paid off ,” said Phil , as he chatted in the boardroom of the 60,000sq ft headquarters by the River Tees .
“ It is an honour . It feels like the effort you have put in has been rewarded .
“ But I am also grateful to have had the opportunities here to develop and progress . I have been to places where you don ’ t get those opportunities . Here you get those if you are willing to work and commit .”
After leaving Middlesbrough ’ s Newlands Catholic FCJ School , now Trinity , as a teenager and operating in a couple of roles elsewhere , Phil was given a chance at Steel Benders as a labourer .
Since then , his journey has seen him develop to shop floor manager , general manager and , earlier this year , on to operations director .
Managing director Tania Cooper , whose husband Malcolm , the company founder , first appointed Phil , said : “ We have seen Phil move up and up , showing a commitment , drive and willingness to get involved that should inspire others . We are thrilled he has now taken on the role of operations director .
“ Steel Benders actively develops and promotes from within the ranks . The idea is we have a policy for staff to grow where possible , grow them into senior management roles as well as better people .
“ Our technical manager , Lucy Anderson , started as a receptionist and is another example .”
Steel Benders has ambitious plans to keep growing having recently added laser cutting to its services for the first time in its 21-year history .
It boasts the only 8x2m fibre laser bed in the north of England capable of producing unique parts for customers and houses the new CNC fibre laser cutter in a 21,000sq ft shed on the Haverton Hill Base site , ensuring cleaner cuts and no crosscontamination .
Steel Benders has also increased its capacity for press braking with the more efficient Ermaksan machine which can cope with larger plates up to 7100mm x 800 ton of pressure .
Its list of services already include a plasma cutter and HD profile burner .
Steel Benders has seen its workforce double in recent years and profits have grown year-on-year in a wide range of markets including marine , defence , renewable energy , offshore , petrochemical , manufacturing , architectural
For more information and to look at Steel Benders ’ services , visit steelbenders . co . uk and civil engineering .
Phil said : “ It is a privilege to be involved in a company that wants to continually grow .
“ We have worked on submarine parts in the past , blast containers for Hinkley Point , transition pieces for Hornsea Wind Farms – even for beds for the Nightingale Hospitals during Covid .
“ I have changed completely over the years . As a 22-year-old I just thought about the next pay cheque .
“ Tania and Malcolm have been brilliant at their side of things and as the company has got bigger , I feel like I have grown too .”
Steel Benders bend and profile items such as cylinders , concentric and eccentric cones , buckets , lobster backs , stair stringers , parallel flange channel ( PFC ), circular hollow section ( CHS ), rolled steel angle ( RSA ), universal beam ( UB ) and Flat Bar .
From an offshore perspective it has huge experience of items like anode rings and transitional pieces .
Phil said : “ Over the next five years we have exciting plans , we want to continue to grow while offering a quality product , maintaining our customer base and getting new ones .
“ Nobody leaves here . Why would you leave ? You feel like you are respected , you are not treated like an employee .
“ It ’ s run like a family business – and I genuinely feel part of the family .”
76 | Tees Business