Factura Executive Recruitment

Supporting the changing industrial scene

The headhunting team at Factura have themselves held significant Senior roles within industry , and they realise and empathise with the challenge managers in industry have been facing up to.

The hard work needed to increase productivity and win sales against often better supported competitors, and the capability to now cope with the requirement to outsource and combine low/higher cost activities, necessitates a special breed of people capable of dealing with highly demanding conditions. "We are very respectful of our clients and candidates alike, and hope to make their hard jobs just a little bit easier" says Mike South, MD.

"In the Nineties I carried out a lot of recruitment work to help UK industry improve its productivity. This included recruiting the key launch team of engineers and managers for Toyota when they came into the UK in 1991. And I think I can say they were a fantastic high quality team which enabled Toyota to achieve well-deserved success. I wanted to get some "lean" experience myself, and so donned my overalls and literally returned to the shopfloor, getting some great experience transforming a production line with help of a Japanese master. What impressed me on returning to the sharp end was the usual great flexibility and creativity of the shopfloor when well managed, and the positive spirit of managers and their concern to maintain QCD throughout the changes. It is a great feeling to see a company respond like that."

"However, just around the corner was the advent of widespread outsourcing - it was amazing to hear of very professional UK led projects to relocate manufacture from the UK, despite the job losses involved."

Other industries are now beginning to realise the benefits of "lean", with the Aerospace industry in particular now strategically looking to achieve lean supply chains through the SBAC SC21 programme. The UK Aerospace supply chain provides high added value products, not so easily outsourced, and with lean supply could consolidate the UK's position as the largest Aerospace industry in Europe.

Mike feels that industry has not been well-enough supported. "Many career-politicians possess little experience or understanding of industry or technology. We feel we have to get involved, help influence the industry Trade Bodies we support, and help lobby for industry".

Factura's consultants have been involved in many projects in their careers, from getting new technology off the ground to create jobs and wealth, to developing solid sales and product strategies to achieve massive growth. "We want our clients to be winners, and we help promote them wherever appropriate", says Mike Woodhouse, Senior Consultant, "Many clients have invested in high-technology, successfully keeping ahead through customer service, product and process technology, and maintaining financial rigour."

The team at Factura supports initiatives to encourage the brightest people into industry. This has included sponsorship for "Apprentice of the Year", publicising "The Year in Industry" (an excellent scheme to attract pre-University students into industry), supporting "The Learning Grid" and great schools projects such as "Primary Engineer".

Voluntary involvement with Universities ( to ensure curriculae remain relevant ), and Trade Bodies in technical sectors, keeps us involved and up-to-date, for example with emerging technology (including IT and Internet, and such applications as RFID, IVHM, electronic security systems and software technology, programme management systems such as EVMS).

"We have some of the most creative and hard-working people in the world in UK technology and engineering" says Mike, "and specialist manufacturing and technology-led service sectors can therefore have a big future here despite current difficulties."