South Shields welding firm creates new jobs after business booms by more than 50%

The Welding Development Centre (WDC) – based at One Trinity Green, Eldon Street, South Shields – has seen a 57% increase in turnover in the past nine months for its consultancy, training, and certification support work.

In response, it has created four new roles – a business development manager, a non-destructive testing manager, an additional welding engineer and welding technologist.

The firm recently moved from its previous base in Jarrow to South Shields where it has additional office space alongside its welding centre.

Managing director Peter Lyons is also the business and technical director of sister company NECIT Services – which provides global inspection, audit, and expediting services.

He says the growth of WDC is partly due to the synergy between the two companies and the resumption of many engineering projects previously stalled due to the pandemic.

He said: “We have created a centre of welding excellence that is setting new standards in training and consultancy services and also provide the expertise businesses need to train welders and gain the necessary accreditation that allow them to compete with much larger organisations for contracts.

“We have experienced a huge increase in work, partly due to our growing reputation as well as the resumption of engineering projects as economies continue to open up as restrictions around the pandemic ease.”

He added: “Much of our work was secured through word of mouth and personal recommendation but the creation of the two new roles of business development manager and NDT manager underlines our ambition to grow and expand into new sectors.”

Brian Cowell, from Newcastle, joins WDC as non-destructive testing manager after spending four years as welding and coatings manager with United Utilities.

Aberdeen-based Alexander Flett has been appointed business development manager, tasked with growing the business overall.

Stephen Carr, from Ashington, joins WDC as a welding engineer, while Sean Peatfield has been appointed as welding technologist.

Stephen has almost 40 years’ welding experience, having joined the company from Flexible Engineering Solutions, where he was quality, health, safety, and environment manager.