Member Article

Rixonway staff clock up 3,166 years of service

Staff at Rixonway Kitchens in Dewsbury are celebrating after collectively spending an enormous 3,166 years working for the company.

The kitchen manufacturer is the second largest employer in Kirklees and has among the longest-serving staff in the region, with 23 people having worked at the kitchen manufacturer for 20 years or more, 24 people having worked there for 15 years or more and 59 working for the company for ten years or more. Bob Matcham, 68, a production operative, has been with Rixonway for nearly 40 years.

Talking about the changes since he has seen at the company since starting in 1975, Bob said: “I started at Rixonway as an apprentice woodwork machinist. We never bought anything in that we could make ourselves. There used to only be 20 of us and we made everything by hand. I used to make around 30 doors a week and now we make 5,000 a day. I’ve been surprised by how we expanded so quickly and the quality has really improved in the last 20 years.”

Rixonway even has several members of the same family working together; brothers Clive, Richard and Nigel Whitehouse joined the company in 1996; Clive and Richard, 59, both work as machinist drill operators and Nigel, 51, works as a production operative. Maintenance manager John Gardiner works with his son, apprentice Calum, who is an apprentice engineer.

Staff put the long service down to job security, investment and employee care. Bob said: “Rixonway has been good as an employer and the directors know everyone’s names, which is important in a big company.”

Commitment to the company continues at board level; Chief Executive Paul Rose has been with Rixonway for more than 20 years, since joining as Sales Director. Nick Greenall, operations director and Andy Pickard, customer service and IT director, have been with the company for 18 and 12 years respectively.

Paul Rose, chief executive of Rixonway, said: “The satisfaction of employees is incredibly important to Rixonway and we strive hard to achieve a secure, comfortable environment for all our staff. The long service of our employees is testament to our commitment as an employer and we have already pledged to invest in the business to ensure we are here for many years to come.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Rebecca Jackson .