Rochdale’s regeneration boom has fuelled another business boost, with a new firm looking to supply the construction workers of tomorrow.

Greater Manchester Construction Training Limited (GMCT Ltd) which has just driven its diggers onto a two acre plot in Bowlee, Middleton following an 18-month search for a site, is the only training centre in Greater Manchester which offers national apprenticeships in operating construction machinery.

Director Brad Daniel said: “With major projects the new shopping and leisure development in the town centre on the horizon, there’s huge potential for construction in Rochdale. GMCT Ltd being located at Bowlee also means local people will be in the best position to receive training and potentially employment because we offer the national apprenticeship and adult learning. The only other places where people can receive this type of training are Norfolk and Preston.”

The company, which works with major names like Russells, Kier and Wates, as well as smaller companies, was founded by Brad and Ian Eardley, who between them have more than 20 years-experience of training construction workers. The duo already have an office in Sudden and wanted to stay in the borough as they expanded their business.

Brad added: “A lot of people left the industry during the recession or were reluctant to enter into it, but now construction is booming and we are building again, particularly in Rochdale, we need to fill that skills gap. The business community is thriving in Rochdale and we work with other local firms like PLP Construction in Heywood. The council has helped us make connections with other people in the industry and they found this site for us after a really long search. We had really specific requirements, so we wouldn’t have found this place without the help of the council.”

And one local who has already benefitted is Sam Booth (25) from Milnrow. Sam, who currently works at the council’s Bowlee nursery, has been offered free training by the firm to give him more career options.

He said: “I’ll working towards my CSCS (Construction Skills Certification Scheme), which is your passport in this industry really. It’s an exciting time for me because I’m saving up to get my own place and this gives me potential to go into a really good career.”

Director Ian Eardley added: “Demand for training is greater than the supply in this industry and salaries can go up to £20-£25 an hour, depending on the job, so construction is a great career option. We’ve already put 20 people through training and are looking forward to getting even more local people ready to build the new Rochdale.”

Councillor Richard Farnell, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Having this national training centre right on our doorstep is a great opportunity for our young people and those who are looking to re-enter this industry. Rochdale is booming. We’ve got major developments happening all the time and we’re building 460 new homes each year, so there will be plenty of opportunities for local people to get work in the borough once they’ve completed their training.”

Construction apprenticeships which are available for Rochdale residents can be found at: rochdaleapprenticeships.org

Businesses which would like to find out more about free support services which are available in Rochdale, including advice on locations, growth and coming to the borough for the first time, can visit: investinrochdale.co.uk

Knowsley based ACR have been appointed by Spiral Health CIC to provide Facilities Management Services to their amazing ‘Home for Life’ nursing home nestled in Bispham in the heart of the Fylde Coast, Lancashire. Spiral Health specialise in nursing, continuing health care, palliative, intermediate and dementia care. Bispham Gardens is a bright, modern property that has been carefully designed and furnished to meet the needs of the people they support.

Earlier this year ACR were the winner of Best Facilities Management Provider at the prestigious Grafters Awards so Spiral know they are getting an outstanding service.

ACR’s MD Simon Robinson said ““We are delighted to be working with such a fantastic company on this great new facility and we look forward to supporting Spiral Health CIC in all their property needs.”.”

One of Europe’s leading manufacturers of high quality compressed air systems has purchased two of Holroyd Precision’s newly developed 4EX-R-BL (BL = blower) CNC profile milling machines.

Built at Holroyd’s UK technology centre in Rochdale, 4EX-R-BL models are effectively two machines in one as, in addition to producing helical rotors, they can be programmed to precision-mill straight-fluted components as used in Roots-type blower ‘air ends’.

Flexibility to cut both helical rotors and Roots-type blowers

“Since announcing their launch, we have received considerable interest in the capabilities of 4EX-R-BL models from manufacturers who wish to achieve high levels of efficiency,” says Holroyd sales manager, Mark Curran. “As you can imagine, it was therefore particularly pleasing to then secure two machine orders from one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of compressor systems. The company in question required the flexibility to cut both helical rotors and blowers, and the 4EX-R-BL machines more than fitted the bill.”

For some time, Precision Technologies Group business, Holroyd Precision, has been looking at how it can further extend the capabilities of its EX Series milling machines, to enable their high speed, high precision and high performance to be applied to the manufacture of Roots-type blowers.

The company believes the new model will revolutionise the way in which straight fluted, infinitive lead rotors are milled, significantly reducing manufacturing time and increasing the accuracy of the production process.

30-minute milling time, floor-to-floor

Although sitting within Holroyd’s EX range of rotor milling machines, the 4EX-R-BL is in fact a totally new machine that has been designed from the ground up. As well as being equipped to mill helical rotors of up to 450mm in diameter, the 4EX-R-BL will rough mill blower blanks of around 320mm in diameter and 900mm body length into straight fluted rotors in 30 minutes floor-to-floor, ready for finish profile milling to absolute size. This represents a significant time saving when compared to the one-and-a-half to two hours typically required to cut individual Roots-type blower rotor flutes using traditional milling techniques.

No manual intervention

Totally removing the need for manual intervention or indexing during the milling of each flute, the Holroyd 4EX-R-BL features a bespoke steadying system that has been designed to withstand the additional forces that are generated during the milling of straight flutes. Specially developed ‘finger clamps’ ensure the workpiece is held securely while a flute is being milled, then release to enable automatic rotation and positioning ready for milling of the next flute.

“In what has been a genuine ‘from the ground up’ development of a completely new kind of machining centre, in the 4EX-R-BL we have designed a model that is able to produce all helixes from horizontal to vertical, for helical rotors, infinitive lead blowers, helical blowers, compressor rotors and vacuum pumps,” adds Mark Curran. “This significant level of versatility makes the 4EX-R-BL well suited to manufacturers who perhaps make different rotor types and therefore need considerable flexibility in their machining technologies, as well as providing a new, highly superior manufacturing solution for producers of Roots-type blowers.”

Incorporating the brands of Holroyd, Holroyd Precision Rotors, Binns & Berry and Crawford Swift, PTG has established itself at the forefront of high precision machine tool design, build and supply. The PTG range includes ultra precision grinding machines for rotor, thread and gear operations; rotor milling machines; heavy duty lathes; deep hole boring machines; friction stir welding machines and special purpose machine tools for the manufacture of precision components. Industrial sectors served range from aerospace, medical and mould tool & die to marine, power generation, mining, oil & gas, steel, high end and heavy automotive.