Promotions, jobs and new apprenticeships at Komatsu

A blue chip North East manufacturer continues to grow with an intake of new recruits and a significant in-house promotion.

Komatsu’s post-lockdown recruitment drive continues apace with 120 new faces arriving at the Birtley plant in recent months, as well as 10 new apprentices. Komatsu has a further 20 roles advertised in the factory, including painters, fabricators and assemblers. Further experienced roles are being advertised in the Design team and other support functions.  

The company has also promoted Stephen Callaghan to the role of Production Control Manager, making him the third former apprentice to secure a management position at the company, which has been based at Birtley for 34 years.

The new jobs are being created to service a host of orders secured from domestic and European markets and to continue building its workforce for future growth.

Stephan Callaghan, Production Control Manager, Komatsu UK

Stephen, joined the company in 1997, serving a four-year apprenticeship before moving into the fabrication team, operating the welding robots. He then spent time as a planning engineer before gaining a promotion to become a senior engineer in production control until this year when he was welcomed into management at the plant, following in the footsteps of David Newton and Michael Redshaw, the first and second apprentices to secure management roles at Birtley.

He said: “KUK has a great ethos of succession planning. We genuinely believe in and promote development. Everyone is aware that if you demonstrate ability, drive and determination, Komatsu provides opportunities for every employee to develop.He said: “KUK has a great ethos of succession planning. We genuinely believe in and promote development. Everyone is aware that if you demonstrate ability, drive and determination, Komatsu provides opportunities for every employee to develop.

“I began my Komatsu career as a raw 16-year-old apprentice, but always recognised the opportunity that working somewhere like Komatsu offered. The business apprenticeship programme is full of amazing success stories and countless former apprentices have gone on to forge long, successful careers here, with many progressing to senior positions.

“It certainly helped me, in a well-structured way, transition from full-time education into a work-placed environment. Through great mentorship and training, I was able to learn the skills required to start a career in engineering and always have a career path ahead of me to keep me motivated.”

The company’s new cohort of 10 apprentices will be hoping to emulate Stephen’s success, as they settle into the KUK Apprenticeship Scheme, which will see them  develop the knowledge, skills and behaviours required to succeed at Komatsu.

“I hope that seeing people like myself, David and Michael progress into management helps the new starters appreciate the opportunity that they have here and what a great place it is to forge a career,” added Stephen. “One of my best memories is when I first started - the enormity of the factory and how slick the processes appeared. It was my introduction to engineering and I immediately felt part of a huge operation.” 

“Paul Blanchard, KUK Managing Director, said: “I’d like to congratulate Stephen on his well-earned promotion. His skill, determination and knowledge is formidable and an inspiration to others.

“We take pride in the way we invest in the development of employees and Stephen is a great example of someone who has seized every opportunity that came his way.

“I’d also like to welcome our new apprentices and the new employees we have recruited across the plant and look forward to working with them to sustain Komatsu’s continued success and growth.”

Komatsu this year celebrates the global company’s 100th anniversary, marked by the planting of ten cherry blossom trees and a floral display at the entrance to the plant.

Komatsu began life named after the city of Komatsu, to make industrial tools for the parent mining company, near Tokyo. It eventually grew large enough to sell to the public and began trading separately in 1921 as Komatsu Ltd, founded by Meitaro Takeuchi. The company produced its first tractor prototype in 1931, producing more machines throughout the 30s, before moving on to bulldozers and construction machinery.

Worldwide, Komatsu Group now consists of Komatsu Ltd. and 262 other companies. It employs around 63,000 people and is the world's second largest manufacturer of construction and mining equipment.

Komatsu UK has delivered the highest quality excavators since establishing the plant in 1987, when it helped redefine modern manufacturing in the North East, establishing a range of Japanese practices and ways of working unheard of in most UK plants.

Originally creating 250 high quality manufacturing and engineering roles, Komatsu was at the forefront of the creation of a whole new industry in the North East that centered around automotive and construction equipment manufacturing. 

Thirty four years on, the firm remains at the forefront of manufacturing excellence. Testament to the company’s reputation as an excellent employer. For more information on Komatsu UK, visit www.komatsu.co.uk