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Growth expected as Deritend expands West Bromwich facility
Up to 25 new jobs could be created at a Black Country engineering solutions provider after it finalised the creation of its new regional centre of excellence in West Bromwich.
Deritend Group, which celebrated 121 years in business in 2019, is moving much of its Midlands operations from Wolverhampton into the facility in West Bromwich. The move will provide additional space and the opportunity to create a dedicated fabrication shop.
More than £500,000 is being spent on the expansion and comes as the firm has secured a number of new contracts in the food, water and waste sectors. A number of long-term tenders are also in the final stage which, if successful, will require a significant recruitment drive.
Deritend has invested more than £500,000 expanding its West Bromwich facility / Picture: Deritend
Deritend are specialists in the repair and replacement of electric motors, pumps, gearboxes, electronic controls and induction equipment. It plays a critical role in ensuring homes have clean water, production lines meet just-in-time requirements and society has a regular supply of food.
Richard Hale, chief executive officer of Deritend, said: “We keep UK industry and a lot of essential utilities going, so we tend to be a good barometer for economic recovery, being the first to feel a recession and the first to emerge from it. During the pandemic, we had to furlough about 50 staff as projects just dropped off a cliff. However, over the last three months we have seen output increase by 30% and we are now operating at around 85%.
“The really exciting news is that we are on the verge of potentially winning some major contracts and these will provide long-term work and possibly 25 new jobs, including workshop fitters, site fitters, welders and fabricators.”
New major contract wins could lead to the creation of up to 25 jobs at Deritend / Picture: Deritend
A fully equipped fabrication operation in Middlesbrough, and a skilled team of engineers located across the UK, continue to support customers including Severn Trent/Thames Water, JCB, British Steel and Mondelez International.
The recent relocation to West Bromwich takes its annual investment to over £1m, with new equipment installed and an upskilling programme implemented for the majority of its 120-strong workforce.
Dave Booth, regional director, added: “West Bromwich will be our regional centre of excellence for the Midlands, giving us additional space, a purpose-built layout and the opportunity to create our own fabrication shop – just in time really, as we are seeing an increase in demand for this service.
“There is a still a lot of uncertainty around, but the service we offer means we have to be in a position to take on new contracts quickly and also meet emergency repairs if a manufacturing line goes down or there is a fault at a water treatment plant.”