South Tyneside engineering firm continues to grow and create jobs with HQ expansion

A South Tyneside engineering firm has expanded into a second unit at Jarrow Business Centre following rapid growth.

EM Precision, a family run business specialising in CNC, milling and turning in the sub-contract engineering sector, moved into the second unit in 2023 to meet larger operational demand.

Having most recently delivered a project for a subsea company, EM Precision offers bespoke products and custom solutions for a range of large and small organisations across the UK and beyond.

Founded in 2020 by Steve Cockburn, an engineering specialist with more than 30 years’ experience, the business has enjoyed sustained growth and recently took on its first employee.

Steve said: “I set the business up during the pandemic and thanks to my years of experience and connections, things took off and I got to work on projects through word of mouth. My wife Nicola helps with the admin and accounts while my dad helps with the deliveries, so it’s been a real family effort. The ‘EM’ in the business name is even the initials of my children.

“I’m excited to have our new employee Ian Bell onboard, who has 16 years of turning experience and has enabled us to take on a greater number of projects. We’re flying!”

Looking ahead to the future, Steve hopes to take on another member of staff and create an apprenticeship role to nurture the next generation of talent, while creating a relaxed company culture that values work-life balance.

Steve added: “Now we have the extra unit and more space, the plan is to invest in more equipment that will enable us to expand the team further. We’ll always be a small, family-friendly business, but I do see us continuing to grow the team.

“I’d love to take on an apprentice in the future to support someone at the start of their career in the engineering sector, and who knows, we might need a bigger unit again. The business centre has been spot-on and the centre team here is fantastic.

“We’re also working towards ISO 9001 certification, which is a set of quality management standards that will open new doors for us to work with a wider range of businesses.”

Cllr Margaret Meling, lead member for economic growth and transport at South Tyneside Council, commented: “We’re thrilled Steve has chosen to base his family business out of Jarrow Business Centre and continues to grow and create jobs in the region.”

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