Edgetech isn’t just celebrating 15 years of UK manufacturing in 2022. The Quanex company is also marking the 15th work anniversary of some of its most respected and longest-serving members of staff.

Ami Chana, Procurement & Logistics Manager, joined the business in July 2007.

“Before I started at Edgetech, I’d been a team leader at Peugeot, responsible for maintaining the cars,” Ami explains. When that branch closed, I found myself looking for another job – and luckily for me, I came across a vacancy at Edgetech.

“In the years since, I think I’ve probably experienced almost every aspect of life here at Edgetech. Initially, I started working on the line, making spacers. From there, I moved into the stores. Then three years later I moved into purchasing, before shifting into planning. So by the time I became a manager, I’d gained an understanding of how all these different parts of the business worked, which proved extremely valuable.

“Finally, in 2019, I was promoted to my current role – Procurement & Logistics Manager. It’s a very busy and often challenging job – particularly given the supply chain disruption we’ve seen in the last two years. But checking stocks, making sure we don’t run out of vital materials, dealing with suppliers and handling commercial imports and exports are all hugely important, so it’s highly rewarding too.

“Edgetech’s really grown in the time I’ve been here, and I love the fact that the company invests in its people. They encourage employers to experience different areas of the business and support career development.”

Jason Blundred, Head of Operations Jason Blundred, who’s just been promoted to Head of Operations, also joined the business in 2007. “I’d been working at a major cleaning supplier, and was perfectly happy there,” says Jason.

“Then one day, I got a call out of the blue from the person who’d been tasked with setting up Edgetech’s first UK manufacturing facility. To this day, I have no idea how he got my number, or who suggested I’d be a good fit for the role – but whoever you are, you have my thanks!

“After a series of interviews, I was offered the job – and as soon as I accepted, I was put on a plane to Ohio for some intensive training. Although my time in America was relatively brief, I absolutely loved it, and made some lifelong friends.

“Back in England, I can clearly remember us celebrating making 100,000 feet of spacer across three shifts for the first time – these days we can do that in one!

“Once the facility was fully up and running, I became the only engineer on site. As you can imagine, that was an extremely demanding job – so before long, we brought in a team of engineers which I then headed up. When our long-running Works Manager moved to another part of the Quanex family a few years back, I took over his responsibilities as Operations Manager.

“Now I’ve just been appointed Head of Operations, which includes overseeing our fantastic customer service team too. It’s a big responsibility, but I relish the challenge!”

Edgetech Managing Director Chris Alderson comments: “We’re incredibly fortunate to have benefitted from Ami and Jason’s hard work and dedication over the last 15 years. They’ve helped build Edgetech into the world-leading business it is today.

“I’m extremely proud of everything they’ve achieved, and look forward to working with them to ensure Edgetech continues to thrive in the years to come.”