CONTRACT WIN BRINGS NEW JOBS

By Frank Dudley Ltd
schedule18th Sep 15

A Birmingham based presswork manufacturer, is celebrating an automotive contract worth £1.5m to supply 600 tonne pressings and welding, which will eventually be supplied into Jaguar Land Rover.

Frank Dudley Ltd, employ 77 people and was able to create 11 new jobs and increase turnover to £6m.

Growing the business was also made possible through continual investment in updating equipment.

A total amount of £200k was invested by Frank Dudley over the last 18 months, including; 250 KVA welder, 80 tonne, hydraulic forming machine, a Blanking press, a 630 tonne press and a new website.

This is a remarkable turnaround, for a business that was badly affected in 2009 following the closure of MG Rover.

Josh Dudley-Toole, business development manager, said: “The business lost more than half of its turnover overnight when MG Rover collapsed and we were forced into selling our premises. Since then we have recovered strongly and have increased turnover by 300%.”

With the UK automotive sector booming, Frank Dudley have made people their main focus to help keep up with demand.

Josh said: “My aspiration is to become the number one manufacturing employer in Birmingham. It’s really important to the company that people, no matter what their job, feel valued.”

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a recent report that UK productivity was below 2007 levels, a concern previously voiced by the Bank of England.

Josh has an answer for this: “You have got to give the people the tools to be successful.

“One of the main problems in the UK is that people feel they are over-skilled."

“Operators in our business for example understand their role and how key they are. They are the number one part of our business, with every other person having a negative or positive impact on our operators.”

To help motivate workers, the business improved the common areas for staff, this included, refurbished washrooms, upgrading the decor and the introduction of a range of gaming activities such as ping pong and darts.

In addition to the investment in people, other productivity improvements included investing more heavily in quality, SMART working and lean processes. One individual per week gets new training on efficiency practices.

Josh said: “We have also put together a big presentation on quality which will see every employee go through a training programme”.