ENGINEERING
NEW RECRUITS SHOW THEIR METTLE
PICTURES : CHRIS BOOTH WORDS : DAVE ROBSON
Steel firm looks to the future with new arrivals and big investment
At work – Katmex engineering and maintenance manager John Donaldson ( left ) with recent recruit Sam Craddock engineering and maintenance supervisor , working on one of the firm ’ s CNC machines .
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We ’ re not just ticking boxes – we want to be providing opportunities for everyone .” That ’ s the message from steel firm Katmex as its new management team gets to work on a bold new vision for the future .
Originally established in 1999 as a European division of the Katsushiro Matex Group , Katmex is now a solely-owned UK SME , with David Mitchell – who set the firm up in 2010 / 11 – having stepped back from the day-to-day running after 13 years to become chairman .
It provides high-quality steel parts and precision fabrications to the heavy earthmoving and construction equipment industry around the UK and Europe .
Oxy fuel cutting , plasma cutting , CNC machining , rolling , bending and fabrication are all carried out in line with customer specifications and requirements .
Its Stockton site , which processes up to 2,000 tonnes of steel each month , includes an imposing 25,000 sqm factory , which it ’ s occupied since 1999 and is currently having its entire roof and external cladding replaced in a near £ 1m investment . It also has a smaller but strategically important Seaham site .
And across the group as a whole , the post-Covid reassessment has meant a greater emphasis on things like people development , training and inclusivity .
MD Lee Cranston , who joined the company six years ago and who was promoted to MD last September as part of a new senior management team , said : “ We ’ re not here just to tick a box , to say ‘ we ’ ve done that training ’ or ‘ we ’ ve got that policy ’. It ’ s more about how we can be a company that provides opportunities for everyone .
“ For us , it ’ s about showing people what opportunities are in this industry . It ’ s an industry that ’ s sometimes just seen as metal bashing and heavy engineering but as we develop and grow , a lot of the investment we make will be in technologies , automation , and robotics , so that opens up lots of opportunities and career paths for current and new employees .”
As part of the group ’ s strategy going forward , founder David Mitchell has stepped back from day-to-day operations to become chairman .
Katmex now plans to develop this traditional industry in a forward-thinking way , with a strategy focused on its people – and with several key new personnel now in place .
Lee said : “ These new additions to our team will allow the senior management team to work on , not work in , the business – working on the strategy of the business whereas before , we did a lot of the ‘ doing ’ as well as the thinking .”
But who are the new Katmex team members ? Let ’ s meet three …
Vannessa Stott Lee ’ s successor as finance manager , proud Teessider Vannessa has worked in finance for 30 years across various sectors .
And former Dene School pupil Vannessa says her passion for the area means a role at such an established Teesside firm as Katmex is ideal .
She said : “ We ’ re losing skills and trades in this area , but I ’ m all about developing and growing . It ’ s a really exciting time to come into this business , with lots of investment in people and machinery .
“ For any business , it ’ s a difficult balance between investing and maintaining profits but without one we can ’ t do the other - we
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