A Rotherham-based entrepreneur who set his sights on tackling the critical skills shortages affecting the Sheffield City Region’s engineering and manufacturing sectors by applying his love of technology to the recruitment sector is planning to expand his business by doubling his number of employees as well as opening offices in West Yorkshire and the East Midlands.
Luke Bell realised that many companies operating in the engineering sector were being held back, simply because they were unable to find the skilled staff needed to grow. After teaming up with recruitment consultant and business partner Sam Wilkinson, the entrepreneurial duo began developing a specialist recruitment business, which sought to tackle the growing problem.
The duo began exploring the concept last December and after spending time researching, developing and testing their business idea, they launched Metalis, which is based in the RiDO-operated Fusion@Magna Business Centre in April 2019.
The combination of Luke’s interest in problem solving coupled with Sam’s knowledge of the recruitment sector has proved to be a winning formula. Within just a few months of opening for business, Metalis has secured significant contracts with some of South Yorkshire’s best known engineering and manufacturing companies.
Today, Metalis employs seven members of staff and after enjoying an impressive first year in business, the company has ambitious expansion plans. It has recently launched a new dedicated division targeting the construction sector as well as doubling its workforce within the next quarter and opening offices in the East Midlands and West Yorkshire – with a long term of aim of expanding Metalis throughout the UK.
Luke Bell, founder of Metalis said:
“Finding and retaining members of staff is a perennial problem which can stifle business growth. Many businesses invest vast sums of money each year in a bid to plug skills gaps within their workforce. Sam and I had worked together previously and we felt that our combined knowledge could help businesses to overcome a key issue which all too often stifles business growth.
“We launched Metalis with a view to providing specialist recruitment advice within the engineering and manufacturing sectors. When we first began developing the business, we realised quite early on that although the Sheffield City Region is home to some amazing engineering companies, many faced similar problems when it came to finding the staff needed to grow. After hitting on the idea to develop the business, we needed to find the right premises to support our business, and after spending time looking at different options we chose the Fusion business centre.
“Fusion is quite close to the Sheffield-Rotherham border and surrounded by many of the businesses we felt we could support. Sam and I first began working together through a business start-up programme for young people in 2016 provided by Rotherham Council and part of that support included access to office space at their Fusion Business Centre. Today we occupy three offices in the building and setting our sights on further growth, not only in South Yorkshire, but our long term goal is to see the business provide specialist support to engineering and manufacturing companies as well as construction and civil engineering businesses based throughout the UK.”
Julie Hall, RiDO Business Centre Coordinator, Fusion@Magna said:
“Since being supported by Rotherham’s start-up support, it became clear that Luke and Sam are natural entrepreneurs and the launch and success they have enjoyed to date is a testament to their dedication and hard work. Metalis is not only helping a number of significant employers in the Sheffield City Region’s engineering sector to overcome recruitment challenges they face, but they are also helping businesses throughout the UK.
“Our business centres were designed with the needs of entrepreneurs in mind, offering flexible easy-in, easy-out terms and one of the advantages of being based in a centre like Fusion is that you instantly become part of a business community. Luke has benefitted from ongoing support and guidance from the RiDO team, as well as offering the flexibility to take on additional office space as their business has evolved.“
Fusion@Magna is based between the Sheffield-Rotherham gateway and home to 28 office units, 18 workshops and provides a range of meeting spaces. To find out more about the current availability at Fusion, please call: 01709 789300
