Success continues to create jobs at Gloucestershire global engineering firm

In November 2022, Prima Dental revealed its recovery since the Covid-19 pandemic had been ‘exceptional’, with 2022 a record year and more growth promised for 2023.

Now with its first quarter of 2023 behind it, the Gloucester-headquartered precision engineering firm is living up to its word and continuing its recruitment drive apace.

With 248 staff currently on its books, the manufacturer and exporter of dental burs has revealed it increased staff numbers by 28 per cent in 2022 and expects to increase headcount by a further 15 per cent this year – nearly 40 more employees.

Glyn Price, chief people officer at Prima Dental, said: ‘We have achieved significant growth and investment year on year since 2021, hence the major recruitment drive.

‘The roles we will be creating this year will be predominantly in manufacturing. However, there will be some recruitment into our support functions.’

The manufacturer ended 2022 as a £30 million-plus turnover business, announcing plans to invest £7 million into its Gloucester operations this year to increase capacity by 15 per cent.

Its positive performance is right across its world-wide operation, with 2022 also being a record year in Brazil — where it is now the clear market leader — and in what it calls the ‘fast-growing markets' of Latin America and China.

Recruitment has been backed by what Alun Jones, group managing director of Prima Dental, called ‘a huge training programme’.

‘We are delighted that all our enterprises are performing well, and despite all the challenges we face, we are planning for a 20 per cent increase in turnover in 2023,’ said Jones.

It is not just recruitment the firm has focused on. When it hires new staff it invests in their training and development because it wants them to stay.

Which explains Prima Dental's investment in its facilities and emphasis on how the growth is delivering ‘lots of development opportunities’ for staff, as well as the likes of volunteering days in the community, and a vibrant charity committee supporting local causes.

‘We have also focused on our diversity and inclusivity, which is one of the keys to our high performance. We also offer hybrid and flexitime working for non-manufacturing colleagues, an employee benefits platform, an assistant programme and private health care,' said Price.