The UK coatings industry faces a shortage of skilled staff and an ageing workforce, at a time when it is experiencing increasing demand for improved product performance and sustainable solutions.
As the UK’s leading independent paint manufacturer, HMG Paints, is investing significantly in staff recruitment across the business, including in research and development facilities and actively aiming to attract experienced coatings formulators, while also developing the next generation of staff to handle these challenges.
“People are at the heart of HMG and we’re always looking to create the best environment for our people to thrive” commented Steve Crossman, COO. “Be it the annual staff BBQ, 1pm Friday Finish or Christmas and New Year off, we always try to ensure we provide a great work/life balance where our staff can develop professionally and personally.”
The nature and variety of HMG’s customer base and product portfolio means that there is a broad range of roles and opportunities within the company from apprentice and graduate opportunities in production and operations, to roles for experienced chemists within the laboratory. These roles include technical positions such as paint technologists, research and development chemists and colour specialists with one eye on a sustainable, net zero future. Believe it or not, the company even have roles that require watching paint dry.
HMG’s portfolio of wet paint and aerosols cover virtually every type of surface imaginable across a whole host of industries including industrial, commercial vehicle, decorative, automotive, defence, toll manufacturing, wood finish and arts and craft, and the company is now looking to further develop its staff to handle increased customer demand.
Colourful career opportunities
One area where HMG has really pushed the boundaries over the last few years is within their Advanced Colour Design department. The success of the department means that HMG is now looking to further expand its colour development and formulation team who are responsible for the company’s library of over 90,000 colour formulations.
The Advanced Colour Design team work very closely with customers to develop bespoke colour options and solutions in a variety of fields including decorative, automotive, model and hobby.
The team has worked on a number of high-profile projects including the Jaguar CX-17 (F-Pace), paint for Aston Marin Racing that was revealed at the Geneva Motor Show, a unique gold for angel statues at the Parisian Hotel and Casino in Macau, interior design palettes for leading decorative brands and the team even worked on the restoration of Emerson Fittipaldi’s iconic Lotus F1 car along with many other projects.
Training and development
“HMG Paints has a long and proud history of developing our own technical team and we have some very exciting opportunities available as our business continues to grow” commented COO, Steve Crossman. “Having started myself as an apprentice in the laboratory I know first-hand about the exciting challenges and opportunities that lie within HMG Paints. We have a great track record of nurturing our own talent in-house but also combining that with attracting experienced professionals within the coatings industry.”
After various roles in the laboratories, including development chemist and technical director, as COO Steve is now keen for the next generation of talent to be developed within HMG. A key facet of this is utilising the knowledge and experience of existing lab staff and combining that with training organisations, courses and guidance provided by PRA, BCF and OCCA.
The coatings industry and HMG’s broader appeal can be further strengthened with links to academic institutions, illustrated recently by HMG’s participation with the Chemistry in Industry module conducted by OCCA at the University of Salford.
To see a full list of HMG Paints’ products, services and career opportunities visit www.hmgpaint.com