A Teesside company which was awarded the UK’s top business honour plans to win an equal reputation for its record on staff development and recruitment.
Stainless steel specialist Paralloy received the King’s Award for Enterprise for excellence in International Trade earlier this year.
In June the Paralloy Group bought the French industrial giant Manoir and pledged to retain all of its 440 employees as well as the 60 staff working for its UK subsidiary, the Derbyshire-based Hi-Tech Fabrication.
Paralloy now has a team of 15 apprentices – including three female welders – working at its sites in Billingham and Middlesbrough and the company has joined the Engineering Apprenticeships: Best Practice Programme, run by manufacturing specialists Next Gen Makers.
It is working closely with Teesside colleges and schools and in July invited 50 teenagers to experience their first insight into the world of work. Paralloy is also planning to open its own training centre.
The company has more than doubled its number of staff since a management buyout in 2020 and following the acquisition of Manor Industries more than a thousand people are now employed by the Paralloy Group.
It has five foundries – including one at Billingham, its biggest site on Teesside – seven machine shops, multiple fabrication and welding sites and is currently supplying bespoke products for the three biggest petrochemical projects in the world.
“The business has grown at an incredible pace over the last few years and we have needed to develop various routes to ensure we have a sufficient number of skilled and motivated employees who will be joining Paralloy in the coming years,” said HR Manager Ian Grimes.
“There is increasing competition amongst companies on Teesside to recruit at all levels,” said Mr Grimes. “Whilst this is great news for the area it also a challenge that businesses have to get to grips with. Good salaries and working conditions are obviously key factors but we also believe that providing development opportunities for our existing staff should not be overlooked.”
Chief Financial Officer Michael Dolan, for example, has risen through the ranks after joining Paralloy as an apprentice in the accounts department in 1998.
Another member of the team who has benefited is 41-year-old Sean Johansenberg who has just graduated from Teesside University with a degree in Project Management.
Paralloy helped Shaun combine part-time working with studying and he has now completed his transfer from shop floor to office to become a Contracts Engineer.
“My degree is vital in helping me move forward within the business,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to improve myself and every day’s a learning day.”
The father-of-three went straight into work from school at 16. Back then, he said, university education was not an option for people with his background.
But four years ago when she was in her early 30s his wife decided to study for her degree and that made Shaun think about his future. “We’re both from Middlesbrough and for us to graduate is an inspiration for your kids and shows them what can be done,” he said. “The opportunity’s there for everyone. It’s just whether you make the most of it.”
Shaun is excited about the role he can play in Paralloy’s future, adding: “The business is driving forward every day. There are new challenges and the landscape is changing in the sectors we work in. At Paralloy we want to be leading that change – and we seem to be doing that quite well.”
