Morecambe engineer turns to tech after welder recruitment struggle

A Morecambe-based manufacturing business turned to technology after struggling to find welders in a competitive market.   

Shermaynes Engineering is a sub-contract engineer, offering sheet metal fabrication services for anything from prison doors to mortuary trolleys.   

The business, which has a head count of 36, found it was struggling to recruit welders due to wage inflation and competition from elsewhere in the region – so it made an investment.  

Efforts went into increasing the number of apprentices in the business and an innovative way of solving its skills gaps. Enter the cobot welder.  

Instead of welding, the cobot requires the employee controlling it to have skills in programming and has made a big difference to the business. 

Director Steve Brookfield said the forward-thinking business had asked for volunteers from the workforce to be trained to use the cobot welder.    

 “Our biggest skills need is always welding, especially since Brexit, because we’re competing for talent with larger businesses,” he says. “It’s made a big impact on our business and follows our approach of allowing everyone the opportunity to upskill.”   

Over the next five years, he predicts the business will invest in more cobots, which will mean a shift in the skills his workforce needs.   

 Steve, a member of the Make UK regional advisory board, believes data analytical skills will also be essential to his employees, allowing them to gain a more accurate picture of manufacturing time and other processes.  

Businesses like his are changing perceptions of manufacturing and engineering. “People probably think engineering is dirty but it’s not the case,” he says. “I keep saying to our employees that it’s a skill that could take you all over the world.”  

Read more about Shermaynes and other businesses turning to tech in our Skills Barometer 2025.