In our latest Spotlight On feature, Leanne Fawcett chats to Chris Trotter from fourth-generation family recycling firm J Denham Metals, which has two facilities in County Durham, one in Bishop Auckland and one in Wingate.
Chris tells Leanne more about the business and plans to continue to grow in 2019.
J Denham Metals is certainly a family business with its roots firmly in the North East isn’t it?
It certainly is yes. It was founded over 50 years ago by John-Joe Denham’s great grandfather and is now onto the fourth generation of Denham family members to have been involved in the business.
Basically, it was a one-man band but over the years has grown into the business it is today.
Tell us more about the company.
We specialise in metal recycling, predominantly servicing the B-2-B sectors and our clients are mainly based within County Durham, although we do have some regional too.
Our services include either collection or delivery of waste metal, which is then loaded onto containers and exported out of North East logistics hubs. A typical day usually sees between 20 and 25 containers leave the plants, with most destined for locations outside of the UK.
Your focus is very much on being a regional business isn’t it?
Yes, we are a North East company that wants to service North East businesses and employ North East people. We think with that mantra, and our competitiveness in terms of pricing and our excellent payment terms, we’re ideally positioned to provide a first-class service to companies within the regional business community.
A particular focus for us going forward is the engineering and manufacturing sectors, and that’s one of the key reasons we’ve become members of CDEMN.
2018 has seen J Denham Metals workforce grow. Tell us more about the recruitment.
Our headcount is now standing at 32 with 10 people being taken on this year, including two apprentices. They’re both at the Wingate site and one is in business administration and one is doing a sustainable resource management qualification. Both will complete their apprenticeships in the new year and we believe they’ve got the potential to become real assets to the business.
What’s the priority for 2019?
To continue to grow and invest in equipment and infrastructure which will enable to grow. And, of course, to add to our portfolio more regional manufacturers.