Jobs created as manufacturing firm opens new £1.8 million factory

A £1.8 million investment into a new state-of-the art factory creating nine jobs has been celebrated.

The jobs were created over the past year at Titan Manufacturing’s new site on Avon Close on the Granby Industrial Estate at Chickerell.

The metal sheet fabricators unveiled their completed new factory on Friday – just a stone’s throw away from Titan’s main site on Surrey Close.

It was officially opened by former South Dorset MP – and now Conservative parliamentary candidate in the forthcoming general election – Richard Drax.

Employees joined Mr Higson, Mr Hanger and Mr Drax at the ribbon cutting ceremony (Image: Andy Jones)

A variety of roles were created across the business, bringing the total number of employees at Titan to 50.

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The company’s managing director, Jon Higson, strongly believes in supporting the local community with its expansion and says it’s ‘important to train local people’.

A Titan Manufacturing employee working with the new press brake designed to bend sheet metal (Image: Andy Jones)

He added: “It’s all about expansion and building our business by investing in new equipment and a new unit as well as creating local jobs.

“It’s a range of skilled and semi-skilled jobs, including drivers, wrappers and packers.

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“We are also bringing in sub-contract work from local companies like cleaning businesses, it is about supporting the local network.

“It’s about being in it together – we are trying to earn a living and to be able to use other local companies is great.”

Mr Drax looking at a laser cutting machine worth £800,000 in action (Image: Andy Jones)

The new site has been kitted out with a new press brake for bending sheet metal, a hi-tech laser cutter and an area for powder coating and painting.

Following the ribbon cutting ceremony, Mr Drax was taken on a tour of the new site with Mr Higson.

The pair discussed the processes that take place throughout the workshop and spoke with employees.

Mr Drax speaking with apprentice Dennis Green, 20, during the Titan Manufacturing tour (Image: Andy Jones)

One of whom was 20-year-old Dennis Green, from Weymouth, who has been labouring with the firm for 12 months and is about to start an engineering apprenticeship at Weymouth College.

Mr Green was glad to have the opportunity to get into engineering in his hometown.

He said: “I have always wanted to do engineering and Titan said they would teach me and show me the ropes.

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“When you are looking for jobs, they are mainly in Poole and Bournemouth, so it is a lot easier to be here.”

These types of opportunities are ‘exactly’ the type of businesses the Weymouth area needs according to Mr Drax, who said other businesses on the Granby estate were already ‘doing well’ and ‘providing good jobs’.

The new CNC milling machines are kitted out with the latest technology (Image: Andy Jones)

The tour concluded with a visit to the firm’s original workshop on Surrey Close, which now has four new computer-controlled milling machines – costing £100k each.

Speaking after the tour Mr Drax said: “I love tours like that is because it’s so refreshing to see good companies like this offering good jobs and careers, manufacturing to a very high standard. Clearly a massive investment has been made here.”