Pictured: Gary Dewhurst
Recruitment company gap personnel has responded to the recovery
in the motor industry by launching a specialist automotive division
aimed at the Midlands.
Called GearShift, the new division will provide automotive
industry supply chain companies with temporary workers including
vehicle technicians, production welders, machine setters and
assemblers.
Clients that gap is already working with include Faurecia,
Formel D, Turbo Technics and parts manufacturer Klarius Group.
gap's push in to the auto industry comes amid encouraging signs
of a recovery in the sector.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) revealed on November 10th that it would
be creating more than 1,000 new jobs at its Land Rover plant in
Solihull.
That followed JLR's announcement in September of a £355m
plan to build low-emission engines at a new facility near
Wolverhampton, creating 750 jobs.
Latest figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and
Traders (SMMT) show the automotive industry continues to defy
underlying economic uncertainty, with a 10 per cent rise in UK car
and van registrations in October.
Toyota's Burnaston plant in Derbyshire started production of the
new Avensis model on November 7.
Meanwhile, in another boost for the industry, Bentley, Calsonic
Kansei, Lotus, Universal Engineering and Zytec are just some of the
vehicle manufacturers and supply chain companies set to receive
government support in the £950m second round of the Regional
Growth Fund (RGF) allocation.
Gary Dewhurst, managing director at gap personnel, said: "We
have several years' experience in the automotive sector, and felt
the time was right to bolster our offering by creating a dedicated
division.
"Demand for manpower is set to increase in the coming months, as
supply chain companies respond to the upturn in the industry. Our
specialist experience in this sector means gap will be perfectly
positioned to capitalise."
gap, the UK's eight largest industrial labour provider, operates
several branches across the Midlands including Birmingham,
Stoke-on-Trent, Cannock, Telford and Northampton. The Birmingham
branch is based at Stratford Road, Hall Green.
The automotive sector employs more than 300,000 people
nationally, accounting for 12 per cent of the UK's total
manufacturing jobs according to a recent report by the Automotive
Council.
For more information about gap personnel, please visit their
website: www.gap-personnel.com