The owner of a Horowhenua trailer manufacturing business has found himself working in his factory because lack of suitably-skilled staff means production can’t keep up with demand
Trayla Trailers owner Dave Hobbs currently employs two welders but needs another two, as well as two people to assemble trailers. Currently he does the assembly himself.
“Over the past few years, particularly through the economic recession, we’ve doubled our turnover, resulting in too much work for just myself and two staff.”
“It’s not like I’m looking for highly skilled staff with fine technical abilities,” he says.
“Yes, welding is a skilled job, but for assemblers all I need is a few people who know how to use a hammer, crescent and spanner to help assemble trailers, as well as sort stock, sweep the floor and maybe drive a small truck. But can I find them? No,” he says.
“And, it’s not just now – filling vacant roles has been a struggle for the past few years.”
Hobbs says his frustration is shared by other business owners in Horowhenua.
“To grow our businesses we need more staff, but if we can’t find staff, we’re stymied.”
He says he and colleagues are looking forward to hearing more about the Horowhenua Workforce Development Strategy to be presented at a meeting for local business leaders next Thursday evening in Levin.
The strategy will address the lack of suitably-skilled staff available locally – a major constraint to continued business growth in the district and one of the issues identified in the Horowhenua Economic Development Strategy 2014 – 2017.
Hobbs says he hopes the strategy can clearly identify the needs and the solutions, although he still needs to find more staff by early next year when he plans to have completed the development of a brand new custom-designed factory in the Tararua Road industrial area.
