CoolKit, a leading UK specialist in temperature-controlled vans, has increased its staffing levels by 25% as part of a robust business growth strategy in the first part of 2024.
The company-wide recruitment programme has seen new arrivals across the business; from the shopfloor to senior executives.
Last July, when CoolKit suffered a disastrous fire at its main manufacturing unit in Burnley (see full story here), it employed around 100 staff members. But 10 months later after implementing a master recovery plan – including sourcing and moving to much larger premises in Blackburn while still retaining some production at a second unit in Burnley – 125 employees are on now on the books plus 10 agency workers.
A management restructure, which began 12 months ago, has seen a further experienced and highly skilled layer of managers appointed to help oversee the business’s rapid increase in prosperity.
Last year, founder Rupert Gatty became chief executive, finance director Daniel Miller was appointed managing director, Mike Scappaticci became sales director and Joe Gleave was named operations director. Long-serving employee Gill Hayes remained HR and finance manager.
Now, to further solidify the management organisation and accommodate the demands of the enlarged business, Georgina Grice has been recruited as head of people while Mark Billows becomes health safety environmental and facilities manager. New additions also include Stephen Bond as operations manager and Susan Kenyon as quality manager.
Georgina Grice said: “The thought of joining an ongoing success story at CoolKit was very appealing. It’s my intention to help further bring organisation, communication and a positive culture to promote wellbeing, equality and transparency within the business.”
And Mark Billows added: “I saw joining CoolKit at this exciting stage in its development as a great opportunity to make a difference while having a willingness to learn new skills to help the business move forward.”
The widescale recruitment has come at the same time as CoolKit continues to experience significant growth in its order bank, including from a major high street supermarket chain that has agreed a deal for 200 van conversions and a prominent contract hire and leasing company ordering up to 100 electric temperature-controlled vehicles.
Managing director Daniel Miller explained his vision for the future.
“Our new premises give us so much more potential for growing the business. We are not a small business anymore and we need specialist people in specialist positions who are focused entirely on their aspect of the operation.
“I want us to be more visible to customers and I want us somehow to be generating inquiries as the outcome of that visibility. We are the UK’s leading temperature-controlled van converters and I want us to increasingly build on that.”
Miller added that the CoolKit Recovery Plan had proved to be a blueprint for manufacturing businesses hit by a sudden unforeseen calamity.
He elaborated: “We have showcased CoolKit’s capacity to adapt and grow and how we have achieved it has prompted a significant increase in operational efficiency which has, in turn, been mirrored in increased sales and production.
“We have been the architects of our own growth and while our targets may have sounded ambitious with the strategy and the expertise of the people we had in place at all levels we had no doubt that they were highly achievable and that has proved the case.”
