Member Article

Snorkel Lifts plans workforce expansion

Snorkel Lifts is planning to expand its workforce by up to 50% this year, as the manufacturer emerges from a prolonged downturn in the aerial platform industry.

At the height of the recession Snorkel’s parent company, The Tanfield Group Plc,was forced to downsize it’s workforce at the Vigo Centre Headquarters in Tyne & Wear. Demand for aerial platforms has since returned, and the firm is looking to recruit during 2012.

Brendan Campbell, Group Operations Director, said: “After talking to our key customers, our build plan for 2012 calls for up to a 50% growth in our assembly workforce between now and September. This will be a gradual process as we ramp up production in line with demand.

“Principally we will be employing production operatives for our assembly lines, but we are also
taking on three new apprentices as we build for the future.”

Snorkel have also announced that it was raising an additional £12 million from investors to help increase production capacity in line with increasing demand. In recent months the firms’ order book has swelled by 170%.

The Vigo Centre in Washington exports 95% of its production to Europe, the Middle East. Africa, Asia and the Pacific Rim. It is also the firm’s global headquarters, which runs alongside satellite factories in North America, China and New Zealand.

During the downturn, the firm used the time to cross-train and up-skills assembly workers, launch new products and improve performance on its existing range of lifts.

Brendan added: “Although we had to downsize during the recession, we stuck firmly to a strategy of keeping our core people and enhancing their skill sets.

“We are emerging from a tough, prolonged downturn as a much stronger, smarter company and are now ready for the next growth phase.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .