Sister companies LGH and the Rotrex Group have made two new appointments to their combined HR team who will cover both firms’ UK and EU operations. The Rotrex Group is one of the leading winch specialists in Europe, and LGH is a leading lifting equipment hire company headquartered in the UK.

Laura Gilchrist CIPD has been named as HR Business Partner and is based in Manchester. Her focus will be on working with senior leaders within both companies to improve HR related processes and procedures. She will also be driving employee engagement and development. Prior to joining, Laura worked at Cantel for six years where she streamlined the Human Resource function in the UK and EU and introduced a Business-Partnered HR model that promoted a ‘one brand’ approach across the group’s acquisitions and 200+ employee group. She has also worked at Premier Group Recruitment with her achievements included forming a HR department including L&D.

Laura said of her new role: “LGH and Rotrex are leaders in their respective fields, so I’m really excited to be joining such a dynamic and forward-thinking business. People are at the very heart of every firm’s success so my focus – alongside Linda’s – will be to develop the HR function to ensure the very best practices are rolled out and that our employees are central to that process.”

The second new appointment is Linda Hordijk, based in the Netherlands, who will support Laura as the new HR Coordinator. For the past seven years Linda worked for Japanese company Yamato Transport Europe BV as HR Manager for Europe. Her responsibilities included developing and implementing HR strategies, maintaining work structures, updating job profiles and descriptions, aligning working conditions, planning and monitoring appraisals.

Linda added: “This appointment is a fantastic step in my career and I’m looking forward to helping LGH and Rotrex build a prosperous future built on world class working conditions, benefits and real opportunities for career development for the team.”

Responsible for over 150 employees, both will be prioritising staff training and personal development as LGH and Rotrex continue to bounce back from the effects of the pandemic.

Andy Mault, Group CEO, commented: “I am delighted to welcome both Laura and Linda into the LGH and Rotrex Group. Their wealth of experience will be an asset to the success of our strategic goals. The new HR department is key to adding real value to our companies and will solidify our HR practices as we continue to grow across the UK and EU.”

Greater Manchester-headquartered safety seal manufacturer Roxtec is preparing to ramp up production this year after landing multiple orders from train maker Alstom.

Roxtec says it is now supplying Alstom on several rail projects including multi-million pound upgrades to train fleets for the West Midlands, South Western Railway and Greater Anglia. Roxtec has also won new orders from Alstom to supply its £100m-plus deal to deliver new trains for c2c, which operates across south Essex and east London.

Roxtec has a long-standing relationship with rail giant Alstom, and it also supplied Bombardier Transportation, the rolling stock business that Alstom acquired in 2021.

The bespoke designed parts Roxtec is supplying Alstom include seals for the carriage-to-carriage power cables and rooftop pantograph terminal boxes. The seals serve as a barrier against water, fire, dust, moisture and oil.

The pantograph is located on the roof of the train and collects the electricity needed to power the train. Roxtec’s seals are also being used for general environmental sealing and strain relief and retention on board the trains.

Clive Sharp, Roxtec UK managing director, said the company is working closely with Alstom to create cost effective designs, including using aluminium to reduce weight.

He said: “We will see acceleration in these rail projects in 2022 and that’s going to have a positive impact on our business as we look towards the next 12 months. It is going to be a very busy time for us.

“We are ready to step up to meet the demands from our clients. And we’re also looking at further opportunities in the sector, utilising all our rail industry experience and knowledge. We believe there are strong opportunities out there.”

He added: “Alstom chose Roxtec because of the quality we deliver. Our products have exceptional durability, over 15 years to protect the cables over their lifespan, plus they are easy to install and maintain.”

Earlier this year it was announced that Roxtec is undertaking an extensive six-figure deal to help upgrade the London Underground.

The £5bn Four Lines Modernisation project (4LM), which launched in 2016, aims to update the Tube network’s Circle, District, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines with hi-tech signalling equipment capable of boosting the frequency of trains and cutting down on delays.

The project has seen 51 new signalling rooms created, as well as equipment to house signalling cabinets along the 161km of track, with Roxtec products sealing cables going into and out of these buildings and cabinets.

Other recent key UK projects include heavy-duty cable seal solutions for Network Rail’s London Bridge Station, while the firm has been involved in pioneering schemes such as Crossrail’s new Elizabeth line for London and the South East, and the supply of cable and pipe seals for use within tunnels, substations, flood defences and signalling infrastructure as part of the UK’s HS2 project.

Roxtec UK has a turnover of more than £6million and a team of 20 based at its Waterfold Business Park head office in Bury. It is the British subsidiary of the Swedish-headquartered Roxtec Group.

Roxtec was founded in Sweden in 1990. It is now the global leader in the manufacture of innovative cable and pipe transit systems, supplying many of the world’s biggest firms. It is active in more than 80 markets with a turnover of more than £173million employing over 750 staff across 28 subsidiaries.

Roxtec’s products are designed to seal cables and pipes, and are used to protect people, buildings and equipment from multiple hazards. Its key market sectors include Marine, Oil and Gas, Telecoms, Construction, Power (generation, distribution and transmission) OEM (e.g. trains, engines, motors, generators) and the Process Industries.

Roxtec has a Triple-A credit rating and is actively expanding into new areas offering innovative and safe sealing solutions to a variety of industries.

Bolton based Edgefold Homes has welcomed two new senior staff appointments as it breaks ground at a site in Cheshire.

Charlie Welsby has joined the company as Site Manager for a new development of seven luxury homes in Dunham Massey while Steven Bowen has joined the team as Senior Quantity Surveyor working across Edgefold’s portfolio of sites.

The two appointments and the new development has led to a positive start for 2022. The housebuilder began work on its Barns Lane scheme in Dunham Massey in early January and Charlie Welsby joined the company in December as Site Manager to lead the project.

He brings with him more than 20 years’ experience in the construction industry and he is relishing the opportunity to work at Edgefold Homes and take charge of the site. He said:

“After working as Contracts Manager across lots of different sites for many years I am delighted to have made the move to this new position.

“I was approached by management in late 2021 and I had heard a lot of fantastic things about Edgefold Homes.

“The biggest draw for me was to be able to concentrate fully on one site and ensure that the process runs as smoothly as possible and the team has been really welcoming.”

Charlie’s appointment comes following the arrival of Steven Bowen as Senior Quantity Surveyor in late 2021.

His responsibilities include overseeing all costs across Edgefold’s portfolio of sites to ensure that targets are met and exceeded.

After ten years in the construction sector, he was looking for an opportunity to work with a team that understands that price is not the only element when it comes to choosing contractors and suppliers.

He said: “I am lucky to have worked at companies of all different sizes during my career as it gave me the opportunity to decide what was important to me as an individual.

“After meeting with the management team at Edgefold I knew that they shared my vision for quality and good service, so it was a natural fit.

“The mix of office and onsite working means that no two days are the same and I am really excited about the developments I am working on.”

Edgefold Homes’ Barns Lane development will offer seven large, individual properties with elegant traditional external detailing matched with a high-quality internal specification.

The location offers countryside living close to Hale and Altrincham centres.

Jack Seddon, who is Construction Director at Edgefold Homes is looking forward to a successful 2022. He said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome Charlie and Steven.

“Not only do they both bring a wealth of experience, but they share the ethos and values of Edgefold Homes, which is absolutely vital to us as a business.

“We have all been very impressed with the way they have integrated into the team and they have hit the ground running, which is brilliant.

‘We’re really enthusiastic about the future and it is great to see that our newest development, Barns Lane, is up and running.”

Place Capital Group, the estate regeneration specialist set up by David Smith-Milne in 2021, has announced a trio of new recruits to support its growing project and development pipeline, taking headcount to 29

Leading the expansion is Eleanor Binns who has joined as Project Director. Eleanor has previously spent 16 years with Project Management specialists, Buro Four, where she was Project Director working from their Manchester Office. Amongst Eleanor’s projects whilst with Buro Four were the Manchester Engineering Campus Development (MECD) and Gorton Monastery, where she was lead project director.

Eleanor joins Place Capital Group to head up the company’s project delivery and will lead the implementation and delivery of all of PCG’s major projects. These include the regeneration of the Shadsworth estate in Blackburn, a second major estate due to be announced soon, and increasing number of direct development projects that the business is now starting to target.

Commenting on her appointment, Eleanor said: “PCG has a unique take on the country’s affordable housing challenge, seeing potential for new, lower cost homes on our ageing, often unloved former Council estates, whilst lifting those estates through expert place making. Not only does this innovation excite me, the culture and values that the business brings to the market were exactly aligned with where I wanted to be.”

Ben Burton also joins as a Development Manager from City of York Council’s zero carbon homes programme. He supported the start-up of the 600-home programme and was development manager for two of the largest zero carbon homes sites in the UK (Duncombe Barracks and Burnholme). He was also involved in the development of extra care housing, sports facilities and community facilities, including the Burnholme Health and Wellbeing campus and Lowfield Green.

Finally, Jamie Pratt joins the team as a paid Intern. He was previously in the Royal Marines before being medically discharged through injury. He is a second-year student of Building Surveying at The University of Salford.

Commenting on the growth, which takes the number of the group’s employees to 29 based in in its HQ in Castlefield, Manchester and in London, Chief Executive David Smith-Milne said:
“We are lucky to have found three highly talented, and exceptional individuals, in what is a tight recruitment market. The new team members join our fast growing business which is expanding through recent acquisitions and new and interesting project wins across the UK.”