Northern Ireland-based GES Group capped an impressive 2015 with a double award-win that recognised the strong growth that the company has achieved in recent years, and the significant investment it has made to support that development.
Originally founded as Grants Electrical Services (NI) Ltd in 1972, the company has continually evolved over the years and now provides a wide range of diverse and specialist electrical and mechanical engineering products and services. In 2012, the company rebranded as GES Group, and following various acquisitions, now employs over 80 staff out of two sites – Head Office in Ballymena, and a purpose-built facility in Mallusk. With five key specialist divisions servicing all customer needs in-house, GES offer the ultimate in power system management solutions.
“We have been working very hard to grow the business, with an internal five-year development plan helping us to achieve 37 per cent growth in the last three years alone. We also introduced three ISO Management Systems, which underpin our emphasis on high quality, and a strong health and safety culture within the company.”
Rachel Doherty, HSQE & Marketing Manager
GES won two awards at the 2015 Business Excellence Awards, hosted by Ballymena Borough Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The company secured the Business Growth Award in the face of fierce local competition, while Dr Catherine O’Mullan, Director of Curriculum at the Northern Regional College, presented the company with the award for Training and People Development. The judges outlined how they were particularly impressed with GES Group’s far-reaching and all-encompassing approach to a training and learning culture.
Rachel Doherty, HSQE Manager, explains: “We have been working very hard to grow the business, with an internal five-year development plan helping us to achieve 37 per cent growth in the last three years alone. We also introduced three ISO Management Systems, which underpin our emphasis on high quality, and a strong health and safety culture within the company. In the last three years we achieved Investors in People accreditation, and we also won the Business Eye Green Fleet of the Year Award. In 2014 we invested £300,000 in our Mallusk facility, a development that saw us increasing our workspace from 15,000 sq. ft. to 26,000 sq. ft. Even with the growth we’ve achieved, securing the Business Growth Award was great external recognition because we were up against some excellent competition – there are many large and international blue chip companies based in the local area.
“With regards to the Training and People Development Award, we have been doing a lot of work in this area under the radar. We currently have 22 Apprentice Engineers, and we spend a conservative estimate of £150,000 every year on training. This covers everything from apprenticeship development right the way up to Senior Management leadership training. We’re very proactive in identifying the training needs of our workforce, and have been recognised by Investors in People as a result. We assess training needs across the board, providing both technical training and soft skills development. Given the huge investment we make in training, it was great to be recognised with this award.
“The two awards went hand-in-hand for us – to support our growth aims we’ve invested in our people and our infrastructure, both of which are key to our success. We have diversified and specialised over the years, so the development and upskilling of our people, and the achievement of our growth aims, has to happen simultaneously.”
As a result of their success, GES Group have had to minimise growing pains – “It’s certainly been an interesting three years,” adds Rachel. “Many of our staff have been with the company for a long time – for over 35 years in some cases – and managing the evolution the business has gone through has been challenging at times with the changes in procedure that have taken place. There has been a certain amount of growing pain, but due to the investment in our people, we have been able to take them on the journey with us and are now coming out the other side.”
Not one to rest on its laurels, GES has commenced another five-year development plan, with further significant investment planned for the next two years. “We’re keeping an eye on the market and striving to maintain the momentum that we’ve built up,” concludes Rachel. “There are exciting new opportunities for us in 2016 and beyond, and we plan to capitalise on them. The aim is to ensure that our people are fully on-board, and that they see these opportunities and changes as a positive process.”
With its commitment to investment and innovation, and to its staff, it’s clear that GES is well placed to maintain the momentum it has generated so far in 2016, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if more awards were in its future too.