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Thomas Storey Fabrications Ltd is the number one supplier to the manufacturers of heavy plant such as JCB and Caterpillar, making steel chassis and earthmoving buckets.

Managing Director Fred Ellis puts that rapid growth down to the arrival of skilled workers from Europe. Half of the company鈥檚 300 workforce now comes from EU countries such as the Czech Republic and Slovakia.

Engineering skills

鈥淲e were growing strongly four years ago and struggling to find sufficient UK nationals with skills in basic engineering disciplines,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o were forced to travel to Eastern Europe and recruit workers there.鈥�

"The downside for my company? There isn鈥檛 one. They鈥檙e bringing traditional engineering skills. They鈥檙e already trained and obviously work in their countries is not plentiful at the times we鈥檙e bringing them in. It鈥檚 a European market economy, simple as that. It鈥檚 why we joined.鈥�

Slovak success

Marek Pazdur is part of the Thomas Storey success story. With a background in engineering he came here from Slovakia two years ago and now lives in Reddish, Stockport. He says the company made it an easy move:

And Thomas Storey was also doing good things. If they are asking for some people from Czech Repbulic or Slovakia, they are preparing the ground for them, preparing the houses, help them with renting a home and arrange for them National Insurance and everything. So I think it鈥檚 easy to come here."

While keen to harness European labour, Thomas Storey听 is still committed to training a number of British workers at the local college, for which it has received an Investors in People Award.

"But if you鈥檙e growing quickly then you need a balance," added Mr Ellis.

"We鈥檙e training six people every year in the skills we need. But in the last 12 months, we鈥檝e taken on 60 people. Now, we can鈥檛 get that from apprentice training courses which are running for three or four years."