.jpg)
One of our commitments as a business is to ensure we’re continually looking at how we can better support our clients. Whether that’s opening new recruitment branches to accommodate growing demand for services in a region, or acquiring businesses where we see the opportunity to strengthen our sector capability and extend our service offering to clients.
That was certainly the case when NRL acquired the CD Group in 2022. The business shared our own astute focus on delivering engineering recruitment solutions, thanks to decades of knowledge. As well as the well-seasoned recruitment expertise the North East based team brought into the NRL Group, we also welcomed two new services – a language solutions business and design services.
With a dedicated team now able to support our engineering clients who trade and operate internationally, we’re pleased to be able to provide translation and interpreting support to help keep the conversation flowing. With the trusted capability to transpose technical documentation into over 135 languages.
Our specialist design service provides flexible solutions for engineering businesses looking for draughting and technical drawing support. Something that Business Development Manager Huw Guariento says has proven extremely effective for NRL’s clients.
Providing flexible design solutions
We sat down and spoke to Huw about the synergies the service has with engineering companies.
“Whilst as a business we regularly recruit design engineers and staff for businesses looking for support, our design services are much more extensive. We’re often called upon to provide design specialists to our clients on a retained basis. Experts who can work with their in-house teams and provide flexibility where needed and providing a more cost-effective way to draw on design skills.”
It's a service Huw has provided for decades, working with local businesses in the North East where he’s based, and much further afield.
“Working in the design sector I enjoy the ingenuity of our clients in providing new and innovative solutions to help solve complex and critical problems. The clients challenge may be how to install the next generation of wind turbines, or designing a 60m open span conveyor bridge to convey aggregate for HS2. NRL’s challenge is to identify the right design expertise to support them with this.”
Discussing how the sectors he supports have changed over the years, he explains it’s provided a great deal of opportunity to refine design skills.
“Basic engineering principles remain unchanged but what has changed are the tools available - Modern manufacturing (Just in time, Kaizen) and Design tools (CAD processing and advanced analysis such as FEA & CFD).
I have experienced the changing industrial landscape which has seen the decline of nationalised shipyards locally (including Swan Hunter and North East Shipyards.) Swan Hunter saw a significant resurgence in Naval ship building with the Bay class vessels in the early 2000s which brought a lot of pride back to the area. The activity was not sustained however.
With the rise and then decline of the offshore yards in the North East, the Fabrication yards were responsible for the fabrication of two thirds of the North Sea’s offshore oil infrastructure. This activity replaced many of the jobs lost in the shipyards.
Most recently, the rise of the subsea and renewable energy sectors demand an array of complex and novel solutions. Unlike manufacturing, each solution is bespoke and will require a multi-discipline approach.”
Discussing the design services NRL provide to clients, it’s clear that there’s no one size fits.
“We offer a range of design services and can support our clients in a number of different ways. Whether they need help with a specific element of work, or if they’re looking for full project management support to deliver the design requirements across the project lifecycle.
This includes detail design and draughting services across mechanical, piping, structural, electrical, controls, instrumentation and process.
We’re also able to provide highly skilled and qualified design engineers and specialists that are well versed across a range of industrial sectors - including power, offshore, pharma, subsea, construction, renewable and marine.”
If you’re looking for design support for your next project, then get in touch with Huw on +44 (7720) 463 438 or email huw.guariento@nrl.co.uk.