Growth continues to drive recruitment at Prima Dental

Specialist manufacturing firm to healthcare markets worldwide, Prima Dental, continues to mark itself out as one of Gloucestershire’s big growth stories – which it is driving with ongoing recruitment.

By Andrew Merrell | Published Friday 17 June 2022

Worldwide sales growth is driving recruitment at Prima Dental, with the Gloucestershire firm stressing it is not just an exciting place to work, but a place to develop a long and rewarding career.

Dan Hodgson, Prima Dental's chief commercial officer, said the Gloucestershire business had enjoyed 'a fantastic last 18 months'.

‘Exciting’ goes just some of the way to describing how Prima Dental views its future – as the worldwide dental market reawakens post-pandemic.

The Gloucester-based creator of high-quality dental burs has not just recovered its pre-pandemic sales figures, but is exceeding them by 20 per cent – and that has brought a recruitment drive to help it continue to capitalise.

Dan Hodgson, the firm’s chief commercial officer, said Prima Dental had been underlining the career progression, personal development opportunities and dynamic culture of its business to help attract the best candidates.

‘We have had a fantastic last 18 months and with our reputation for a quality product all around the world there are opportunities for further growth.

‘We recruited 70 staff last year and continue to add to those roles. We remain in a really strong position and are already recruiting for 15 more roles across all areas of the business. It is an exciting time.’

Hodgson’s own career path is a good advert for the staff development which is part of Prima Dental’s DNA. He joined its ranks 16 years ago as a graduate of Loughborough University and, with hopes of a rugby career shattered by serious injuries, sought a new challenge.

‘I could see the ambition to develop myself and the growth opportunities and it was a job which, at 22, would see me doing a number of different roles and learning across the business – from manufacturing to the supply chain and commercial side.’

Recent personal development has also seen Hodgson achieve an MBA through leadership experts Quolux at the University of Gloucestershire.

‘Prima is much bigger now. We now have two joint ventures, in Brazil and China and a subsidiary in India, but the opportunity to learn has remained and it is one of the things that makes Prima so rewarding.’

Investment at its Waterwells headquarters in Quedgeley has also given it a 55,000 square foot facility with 150 state of the art cutting and grinding machines.

‘One of the things that should be stressed is that we are a great team, and as someone who still loves sport that aspect is special to me.

‘We challenge one another and work hard to bring the best out of one another – right across the business, and that is one of the reasons everyone here is so invested in, and passionate about, the business and want it to be the very best.’