Profile: Graham Womersley

POWERHOUSES of industry can crop up in the most unexpected places.

Take Skelmanthorpe, for example, which lies on the fringe of Last of the Summer Wine country. You might think the local economy relied on tourism, or the village was merely a commuter base for people working in the bright lights of Huddersfield or Barnsley.

Not a bit of it. Let these facts challenge your assumptions: Skelmanthorpe is home to an engineering firm that helps to keep the production lines rolling at the world’s biggest glass factories. More than a quarter of the workforce at the firm in question – Pennine Industrial Equipment – are women, which shows engineering is starting to bridge the gender gap.

Two thirds of the 63 strong workforce live in Skelmanthorpe or the surrounding villages, so it’s helping to support local families during the worst economic crisis in generations.

It’s just the type of firm that could drive that elusive export-led recovery.

Sadly, Graham Womersley, the firm’s sales director, believes politicians have been besotted with financial services for too long, at the expense of manufacturing. Back in 1983, during the dark days of another recession, 16-year-old Mr Womersley took Norman Tebbitt’s advice and hopped on his bike to find a job. Fresh out of Shelley High School, and with a good head for figures, he cycled the two miles from his home to Skelmanthorpe to start work at Pennine as an apprentice.

Although Pennine has prospered by thinking globally – it has reeled in double digit growth every year since 2009 – Mr Womersley feels his industry has been let down by the powers-that-be.

“Governments, for the last 20 years, have been too focused on supporting and relying on the banking and finance sectors, while not investing in the UK’s manufacturing,” Mr Womersley said.

“The countries with strong historical and current manufacturing bases, like Germany and parts of Asia, will lead the way out of the global recession.

“It is important for our politicians to be seen to be backing the large overseas-owned car and electronic sectors, which we all agree are very important for UK manufacturing.

“They should also be giving support to small and medium-sized UK manufacturing and engineering companies. This support is needed to help to reduce manufacturing costs, through improved manufacturing techniques.

“Support is also needed to develop new products and allow companies to break into, and maintain, business in new and exciting overseas markets.”

Mr Womersley often hears grumbles from other manufacturers that banks could be doing more to support SMEs (small and medium-sized enterprises) with big ambitions.

“But I still believe there is a real chance of an export-led recovery,” he said.

Pennine Industrial was founded in 1968 by Leonard Hobbs, as a one-man technical engineering consultancy and design services firm, which was based in the village of Grasscroft, near Oldham.

Over time, it developed more products and needed extra space, so the company moved to Skelmanthorpe, near Huddersfield, in 1983, the same year that Mr Womersley joined as the firm’s first apprentice.

The Hobbs family remains the biggest shareholder, with Leonard’s son, Graham, taking on the role of managing director.

Along with Mr Womersley and Martin Sykes, the firm’s operations director, Mr Hobbs has focused on a sales strategy based on quality, rather than price. Today, exports account for around 60 per cent of sales.

According to Mr Womersley, the £4m turnover firm is on course for further growth this year, which is reflected in its plans to expand its manufacturing and warehouse in early 2013.

“Pennine has two main product lines,” said Mr Womersley. “The first, inverted steel conveyor chains and sprockets, are used in the transportation of hot glass containers.

“These chains are also used in other applications, like the transporting of automotive engine parts, or castings. In fact, any application where product stability is important, but the working environment is too harsh for other types of chains or belts.”

Pennine sell these chains to 50 countries and has seen strong sales growth in South America, India, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.

Mr Womersley added: “Our sales into central Europe have also increased over the last two years, which goes against all the doom and gloom we hear about European markets.”

In a virtual world, Mr Womersley still feels there’s no substitute for face to face contact, which explains why he’s a frequent visitor to Latin America, where the economy has grown at a time of contraction in Europe.

“Pennine has continued to travel extensively,” he said. “Apart from visiting customers all over the world, we have had shows in the last two years in Brazil, Mexico, Turkey and China. More shows are planned over the next year in Poland, Germany, India, the US, and of course, here in the UK.

“Maintaining a large number of customers in different market sectors, in different parts of the world, has been vital to the continued growth.

“It helps to reduce our exposure to one industry or one market. We also value meetings with our customers, and during recent years, when other companies have cut back on international travel, Pennine sales staff have continued to get in front of our customers worldwide.

“The telephone conference call is no replacement for a face to face meeting.”

His views are a rebuff to those who believe that the best meeting of minds are held in cyberspace.

It’s hard to give the right technical support, and build a relationship, if you haven’t taken a trip to the customers’ home turf, according to Mr Womersley.

All the components for the conveyor chains are made from European-sourced steels in Pennine’s facility in Wolverhampton or its Skelmanthorpe factory.

“Each month we produce more than 1.5 million components, with all assembly taking place on site here,” Mr Womersley added.

Back in the 1980s, many bright teenagers were told by their careers teacher that banking offered a job for life. The credit crunch has changed all that.

Many believe engineering is now a better long term bet.

Mr Womersley is proud of the fact that Pennine has taken on at least one apprentice every year since 1983.

“The dedication and flexibility of our staff has been vital to the company’s growth,” he said.

The teenager who cycled to Skelmanthorpe full of hope in 1983, is determined to help other apprentices reach the board room.

Graham Womersley Factfile

Title: Sales Director, Pennine Industrial Equipment

Date of birth: March 6, 1967

Education: Shelley High School and Huddersfield Technical Collage

First job: Started at Pennine as an engineering apprentice, not counting my paper round.

Last book read: Friend of the Devil by Peter Robinson

Favourite song: Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash

Favourite holiday destination: Aruba

Favourite film: The Shawshank Redemption with Morgan Freeman

Car driven: Jaguar XF

Thing you are most proud of: My family, and most recently, our GB Olympic athletes