After the Sealine boat building firm entered administration in May 2013, resulting in the loss of 234 jobs, its premises in Kidderminster were left unoccupied. Now a buyer for one of the empty factories has now been found, with family business Quantum Mouldings pledging to create employment and re-introduce fibreglass manufacturing to the disused site.
After outgrowing its existing facilities in Stourbridge, Quantum Mouldings expressed an interest in Sealine’s former premises earlier this year. The 50,000 sq ft industrial property will double the space of Quantum’s previous facility, allowing the firm to expand in line with customer demand and build upon its 30 year heritage as a manufacturer of fibreglass products.
MP for Wyre Forest, Mark Garnier, welcomed the announcement as a vote of confidence in Kidderminster’s manufacturing capabilities.
He said; “This is great news for manufacturing in the region.
“I am delighted that a local family business is able to give the Sealine site a new lease of life and provide new opportunities for employment.”
The next step for Quantum will be to create new office space and upgrade existing technology within the factory, after which it intends to install state of the art machinery to enable production to begin at its new site in September.
In order to finance this process, the firm will invest a total of £1.2 million into the move – part of which has been obtained through a European Regional Development Funded grant from the Green Bridge Supply Chain Programme. As well as funding a percentage of the firm’s moving costs, this grant is also to be used for market research into emerging green sectors; an area in which Quantum Mouldings already has a degree of experience.
Owner and director of Quantum Mouldings, Peter Wooldridge, confirmed that ten new jobs will be created in the first six months of operations and expressed a hope that this will go some way in helping workers made redundant by Sealine’s collapse get back into work.
He says; “We are delighted to be able to offer new opportunities to highly skilled workers that may have lost their jobs last year.
“We are passionate about keeping manufacturing skills in the area and re-establishing the production of GRP products in Kidderminster.
“We are also looking to build on our experience with green technology companies – we have already supplied parts for wind turbines and electric vehicles and believe there is huge potential to develop more business in this exciting market sector.”
The first ten jobs appear to be only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to employment growth, however, as Mr Wooldridge also revealed an aim to double the size of Quantum’s workforce over the next three years. Hopefully, the establishment of this progressive manufacturer will go some way to make up for the loss of Sealine, and provide highly skilled workers in the area with jobs once more.
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