BIRMINGHAM BUSINESS POST MAR’15

bbp mar-15 cover09/03/2015 – M-TEC Engineering Projects: Merging TEChnology with Innovation

M-TEC Engineering Projects was founded in 2010 by Keith McKenna and Stephen Hanson as a natural development of the recruitment activity of well-established sister company M-TEC Recruitment.

They formulated a strategy to set up a separate business entity in Coventry to manage concept development through to product realisation, specifically in the automotive sector. The company has experienced steady growth to the point where they now boast a team of a 75 strong dedicated programme delivery team.

Support administration, HR and finance services are provided by M-TEC recruitment from their Birmingham based office, enabling M-TEC Engineering Projects to focus solely on programme delivery.

The initial strategy was to establish and develop a foothold primarily within the high end automotive sector. The drive being to establish a ‘recession proof’ business model following the economic down turn of 2008.

Stephen Hanson – Engineering & Programme Director, told us, “We felt once this foothold was established, we would be positioned to take advantage of the increasing demand for our services more broadly across the sector, as the market became more buoyant. This strategy has been borne out, as the UK is currently experiencing the highest vehicle sales and levels of vehicle production seen since the recession.”

“Our focus to date has been with the high end UK OEMs and their associated supplier base. Our growth has been facilitated though the success of UK OEMs such as Bentley, Jaguar Land Rover, Aston Martin and other niche lower volume UK based OEMs.

“We would also like to extend the support we currently provide to overseas automotive suppliers as they develop their business with UK OEMs, offering them UK based Programme, Engineering and Design support to enable them to develop a closer relationship with their UK clients”.

He said that, initially, one of their greatest challenges was convincing often quite high profile and experienced clients to relinquish full programme responsibility. However, once M-TEC demonstrated the manner in which they deliver programmes, this challenge has diminished and all their current clients have or are relinquishing greater levels of responsibility, allowing their own businesses to develop and grow in a controlled manner.

Stephen is thrilled to be working with some of the high profile clients that they support. He said “We are not in a position to name all of them due to the confidentiality agreements we have in place, but it is a testament to our strategy and our team that we have been able to position ourselves with such clients in what is a relatively short period of time”.

2015 will see them continue to strengthen the development of their UK team  at their Coventry offices, by employing traditional recruitment strategies, led by sister company M-TEC recruitment, along with the development of the next generation of programme managers, engineers and designers from within.

Stephen is very proud of the company’s record on staff development and training. He said, “We employ three current strategies, work experience placement schemes, a graduate development programme and the sponsorship of students from the Black Country University Technical College (UTC).

“The relationship with the UTC came about through a personal relationship stemming from an introduction to a UTC student who we felt had a flair for engineering and design. We sponsored him through his university studies and after four years he is now an integral part of our team and working on a project for one of our most high-profile automotive clients.”

The relationship with the UTC continues, through the identification of high potential students, with two or three of the best taken on each year. They have found that developing students via the UTC route, and providing on the job training along-side their University studies, can in many ways better prepare individuals for industry when compared to graduates direct from University.

In addition to the development of UTC students, they employ graduates direct from University and install them on a 12 month development programme working alongside their established project teams, which works very well in terms of providing an intensive learning environment.

An excellent relationship has also developed with Coventry University both in terms of provided 12 month industrial placements for students and working with them to support the recruitment into our Graduate development programme.

M-TEC, recognising some of the reasons behind the skills gap has developed a more formal structure to their school work experience schemes, working in partnership with Industrial Cadets. The inspiration for Industrial Cadets came from HRH The Prince of Wales and the initiative is supported by the Department for Communities and Local Government. M-TEC is the first SME to be accredited to deliver a Gold Award programme.

M-TEC feels a responsibility to educate younger people with regard to the opportunities within the sector, whether engineering and design related, or within the automotive sector more widely. If all businesses encourage such activity we will start to attract the next generation of engineers to ensure the UK continues to develop over the longer term.

M-TEC  also feel that there are far too few women moving into engineering generally, and hope that through their people development strategies they can play a part in addressing this by promoting engineering as a career path to young women through Industrial Cadets and their work placement programmes.

Stephen said “We are very proud of our talent development programmes and feel that we are leading the way in terms of the development of our young people. We also feel that we provide more than just an Engineering Programme delivery service.

“In many ways we are able to provide a consultative role to our clients. As we have a wide range of experience within the team across a number of tier one suppliers and OEMs, we can support our clients in adopting best practice and in their development as their organisations also evolve.”

Their focus for 2015 is to continue to secure long term stable relationships with key clients, resulting from the successful delivery of programmes and by maintaining high levels of service. This will enable M-TEC to continue to develop the partnerships they currently have in place with their clients, becoming an integral part of their businesses and able to support them in achieving their growth strategies – while effectively achieving their own.

For more information please visit the web site www.mtec-ep.com or telephone on 02476 214541

See the original article here.

C&W CHAMBER VISIT TO M-TEC

18/11/14 – During the chamber visit on M-TEC’s Stephen Hanson and Ashley Crump met with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce president Peter Burns and Partnership manager Angela Tellyn to discuss M-TEC’s rise to popularity over the past 4 years as well as their development plans for the future.

 

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Also discussed was the continued expansion of the business and its ongoing commitment to creating new and exciting development pathways for young people to enter the engineering industry.

Burns said the opportunity to visit a forward-thinking company was very welcome.

“It was great to visit M-TEC and find out all about the way they have taken it upon themselves to find their own solution to the skills gap that everybody talks about,” he said.

“They have gone above and beyond their own responsibility to developing more skilled workers for the industry in the region, and we feel it is something that could yet become an even bigger success story.”

M-Tec Group, based at Siskin Drive in the city, utilises state-of-the-art software to design and develop automotive interiors and exteriors, and since being established in 2011, has developed a standalone turnover of approximately £7million per year.

The business now boasts 75 staff and has ambitions to double its turnover by the end of 2016.

 

INDUSTRIAL CADETS

Industrial_cadetsM-TEC Group are proud to be the first SME to be approved as a GOLD level trainer. Having already supported numerous schools since 2012, M-TEC Group has now taken its commitment of Introducing pupils to give them an insight into Engineering & Design to the next step. In 2015 M-TEC have developed a partnership with the Industrial Cadets scheme which looks to further enhance the work experience aspect for pupils by rewarding them for their efforts.

M-TEC has developed an approved training methodology and learning programme for these candidates in order to entice pupils into the Engineering sector.

Feel free to view our  ‘INDUSTRIAL CADETS’ page here here for more information.

 

 

 

THE BUSINESSDESK.COM

From left: Stephen Hanson, Ashley Crump (both M-Tec) and Peter Burns (CWCC)

05/01/2015 – M-Tec expansion paves the way for young engineers

CONTINUING expansion by a Coventry automotive engineering and design firm is creating new opportunities for young engineers.

M-Tec Group, based at Siskin Drive in the city, utilises state-of-the-art software to design and develop automotive interiors and exteriors. Since being established in 2011 it has developed a standalone turnover of approximately £7m per year.

The business now boasts 75 staff and has ambitions to double its turnover by the end of 2016.

Alongside traditional recruitment strategies, supported by its associated recruitment business in Birmingham, M-Tec Group has employed three additional joined-up approaches for the development of new staff at the Coventry office.

The company showed off its facilities and outlined its strategy during a visit to the firm by Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce president Peter Burns.

Ashley Crump, commercial and business development director at M-Tec, said: “As a stand-alone business we have secured consistent growth and expansion over the past three years, supported by adopting traditional recruitment methods and by also developing young people from within the business.

“With regard to the development of young people, we have adopted three strategies, offering school work placement schemes, a graduate development programme and the sponsorship of students from Black Country University Technical College (UTC).”

The relationship with the UTC came about through a personal relationship when the firm was introduced to a student who it felt had a flair for engineering and design.

“We sponsored him through his university studies and, after four years, he is now an integral part of our team and working on a project for one of our most high-profile automotive clients,” added Crump.

The firm has maintained links with the UTC, and continued to identify a number of high potential students. It is the firm’s intention to employ two or three of these students each year.

“We have found that developing students via the UTC route, and providing on the job training along-side their university studies, can in many ways better prepare the individuals for the industry when compared to graduates direct from university,” said Crump.

“In addition to the development of UTC students, we also employ graduates direct from university and install them on a 12-month development programme working alongside our established project teams, which is also working very well in terms of providing an intensive learning environment.”

Burns said the opportunity to visit a forward-thinking company was very welcome.

“It was great to visit M-Tec and find out all about the way they have taken it upon themselves to find their own solution to the skills gap that everybody talks about,” he said.

“They have gone above and beyond their own responsibility to developing more skilled workers for the industry in the region, and we feel it is something that could yet become an even bigger success story.”

By Duncan Tift – Deputy Editor, West Midlands [Original article here]

COVENTRY TELEGRAPH ARTICLE

M-Tec-press-shot

M-Tec’s Stephen Hanson and Ashley Crump with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce president Peter Burns

 

04/01/2015 – Baginton-based engineering firm M-Tec will take on 40 extra staff

Coventry jobs boost as firm announces expansion plans

M-Tec’s Stephen Hanson and Ashley Crump with Coventry and Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce president Peter Burns

Coventry engineering firm has provided a much-needed boost to the New Year after announcing plans to create up to 40 jobs in the city.

M-Tec Group, which is based at Siskin Drive, has unveiled plans to take on extra staff during 2015 as part of its ambitious expansion plans.

The company, which uses state-of-the-art software to design and develop automotive interiors and exteriors, currently employs 75 staff at its Baginton base, with plans to take its workforce to over 100 this year.

Since being set up in 2011, the firm has enjoyed a turnover of approximately £7million each year, with plans to double this by the end of 2016.

Bosses have also vowed to continue its work in helping young people into the industry, through school work placement schemes, a graduate development programme and the sponsorship of students from Black Country University Technical College (UTC).

Ashley Crump, commercial and business development director at M-Tec, said: “As a stand-alone business, we have secured consistent growth and expansion over the past three years, supported by adopting traditional recruitment methods and by also developing young people from within the business.

“The relationship with the UTC came about through a personal relationship when we were introduced to a UTC student who we felt had a flair for engineering and design.

“We sponsored him through his university studies and, after four years, he is now an integral part of our team and working on a project for one of our most high-profile automotive clients.

“In addition to the development of UTC students, we also employ graduates direct from university and install them on a 12-month development programme working alongside our established project teams, which is also working well in terms of providing an intensive learning environment.

“Our work placements with school students are more geared towards offering the students an opportunity to experience the working environment within our sector so they can make an informed decision as to whether they would like to pursue a career within an engineering or design related environment.”

The news comes after the high-profile collapse of parcel firm City Link, also based in Baginton, where workers found out on Christmas Day they were set to lose their jobs.

Administrators confirmed on New Year’s Eve that a last-ditch rescue bid had failed, resulting in the loss of more than 350 Coventry jobs.

By Jenny Waddington [Original Article here]