Steelmaking has continued during the coronavirus pandemic and production has increased in 2020. As a result, British Steel is now recruiting employees for its Scunthorpe, Teesside and Skinningrove plants, as well as positions for trainees at its North Lincolnshire headquarters.
The new jobs include crane drivers, machine operators, manual handling workers and forklift drivers. Ron Deelen, the Chief Executive of British Steel, said:
“These roles will enable us to support an increase in production and keep driving this business forward. They’re great opportunities for people to join us and play an important role in the ongoing transformation of British Steel.”
The Skinningrove plant operates 24 hours a day, Monday to Friday. To meet the growing worldwide demand for steel, the steelmaker plans to extend its hours to 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The new employees will help it achieve this.
Less than a year ago, British Steel was rescued from liquidation by the Jingye Group, with 3,200 jobs saved.
Fuelled by the growth of eCommerce, there are many new warehouses being built. Warehouse packing equipment, shelving and picking trolleys are made from tubular steel, which is lightweight yet very strong.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, world steel production is rising. The World Steel Association reported that, in October 2020, global steel production was 161.9 million tonnes, a 7% increase compared to October 2019. This means that warehouse equipment manufacturers will continue to have ample supplies of steel to satisfy the growing demand for manual handling and storage equipment.
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