Automation firm snaps up axed ABB staff
19 Jan 2011
London – Control engineering firm Booth Welsh Automation (BWA) has taken on 10 former ABB employees after the Zurich-based company closed its East Kilbride premises shortly before the Christmas period.
BWA, based in Stevenston, Ayrshire, actually offered employment to all 17 staff and contract staff working at ABB’s Scottish Engineering Services Office, but seven contract personnel declined the offer, principally due to geographic reasons.
According to BWA chairman and founder John B Welsh, it made perfect sense to acquire the full ABB team as its skills ideally complemented those within BWA and will now allow it to accelerate its plans to expand into process engineering and provide consultancy services.
“We have been able to create a new division almost overnight,” said Welsh.
BWA has annual sales exceeding £15 million and was already forecasting to grow its business by 12% in 2011 before hiring the ex-ABB staff. They are all said to be very experienced process engineers and will work at BWA under their former manager, Muir Porter.
BWA employs nearly 300 staff and is a certified systems provider for both Siemens and ABB, and has a strategic business agreement with Doosan Babcock Energy.
