• • • EDITOR’S INTERVIEW • • •
I’ve worked in industries where you can only think two or three years ahead. Apprentices are hugely important for us going forward.”
Bright future To celebrate its 40th anniversary, Seaward is hosting a party in October at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle. Mr Brown said this will celebrate significant
achievement and success over many years – special anniversary kits will be available alongside different offers that will be of further benefit to customers. He added that as well as technological and
operational innovation, there’s been commercial innovation, too. The export market is also more important than ever to Seaward now and in the future. Looking to the future, export growth will
Seaward is renowned for the support and
training it provides to ensure customers secure the most from their product investments and enjoy a positive experience. This is appreciated and often highlighted by customers, said Samantha Barwell, Seaward’s customer care manager. She said: “We strive to deliver the very best
in this respect, built around important standards to ensure people are safe and secure. If someone is going to go onto a site to perform PAT testing, or to work on a production line, we need to ensure that they are not only safe but also that others on site and the business itself are safe. “Training is therefore paramount. It’s at the
heart of what we do to get the best out of the tester and the best out of the operator.”
Sector leader Seaward today is seen as a leader in electrical safety testing, setting the pace when it comes to product innovation, support and technical expertise. Mr Brown said: “We have been at the forefront
of creating a lot of the standards that are in place right now. We are seen as industry experts and our customers really value and appreciate this. A lot of our content in terms of webinar support and informative industry white papers helps to educate the market.” Seaward is again looking to the future and
making the investments to secure success for its business and its customers as it moves forward to meet a set of strategic priorities. Ms Barwell, who has been at Seaward for
almost 20 years, and started her career as an apprentice, said investment in apprenticeships helps to secure the company’s future skills and workforce needs, particularly in the areas of service and engineering. “There’s definitely been investment in
Seaward’s apprenticeships and it’s lovely to see young people develop and gain experience working across different departments as they move around the business,” she said. “They are an integral part of our plans to ensure that we have the right talent in the right areas,
electricalengineeringmagazine.co.uk ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING • JULY/AUGUST 2022 13
particularly as we look to grow and upskill the workforce to meet future needs.” Recruitment is always challenging but under
the direction of Nick Maltby, Seaward’s engineering manager, the company is building a strong and resourceful engineering team. Mr Brown added: “It is a challenge, so we see it
as important to bring in people early in their career, and train them properly. This gives them the platform to be able to grow, which means that we’ve got the best chance to hold on to them and build a successful career with Seaward.” Joining Seaward in 2021, Mr Maltby said that
he has already seen a difference in the business in the past 12 months. “The staff retention is excellent,” he said. “We’ve
got such a great culture here. As well as looking at apprentices, we’re looking at graduate engineers and taking the long-term view of training them up into our next senior engineers and principal engineers. “I’ve got engineers working here that have been
with the business for more than 30 years. It’s great to be able to take that long term view, but
increasingly be at the forefront of the company’s ambitious plans to develop and open new market opportunities. Mr Brown said: “We will be opening new
distribution channels in Africa and South America this year. These are new areas of opportunity and in order to develop further, we’ve started business development projects alongside people like the Department for International Trade, which has been extremely supportive in helping us to grow our reach.” A five-year roadmap is also in place that
features a range of innovations and exciting developments that will go hand-in-hand with customer requirements. “We’re in the middle of planning for growth,”
said Mr Brown. “We definitely see an upward trajectory and we will continue to invest in new class-leading products that really benefit our customers and their businesses. “There’s definitely opportunities for people as
well, with apprenticeships and bringing new people into the organisation, because we certainly need more. We’re going to be creating more jobs, we’re going to be creating exciting products, and we’re going to grow our business. The future is definitely bright.”
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