Long-serving workers at one of Sunderland’s largest employers have been sharing anecdotes as it celebrated 50 years in the city.
Pump manufacturer Grundfos first opened a plant in Washington in 1973, before moving to its current Castletown site in 1980.
The company now employs about 170 people in the city and played a key role in supplying the UK’s Nightingale hospitals with water pumps during the Covid pandemic.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary, the company hosted a fun day at its Castletown site, which was attended by up to 500 employees and their families. The free celebrations included games, live music, food and drink.
John Austin, Plant Director at Grundfos, said: “We had a great day, a special way to celebrate a milestone in the company’s history in Sunderland.
"We’re a company that firmly believes in looking after our workforce and marking and celebrating achievements with them whenever we can.
“Our celebrations will continue later in the year when global CEO – and grandson of the company founder - Poul Due Jensen and Executive Vice President Bent Jensen will officially visit us."
He added: “Over the past five decades we’ve created hundreds of good, well-paid jobs in the city and we’ve expanded our footprint at Castletown to adapt to the changing nature of the work we do here.
“While we still manufacture pumps at Castletown, more and more of our work is in the more specialised Engineered to Order (ETO) pump systems sector, where we have a growing reputation.
“We’re a company who pride ourselves in looking after our team – as evidenced by how many years some of our team stay with us. We have three members of staff who’ve been with Grundfos for more than 40 years.”
Those three are Christine Grieves, Ann Maw and Paul Freeman, all of whom joined Grundfos when the Castletown site opened in 1980.
Christine, a general operator, said: “The company provides permanent and safe jobs and opportunities to move between departments.
“There’s always a laugh. I remember cars getting stuck in snow drifts and some of the ladies getting carried into work by ‘fireman’s lifts.
"I also remember the old general manager, Niels, used to sit at the top of the line and check the quality of people’s work like he was checking our homework.”
Ann Maw, another general operator, escorted her mum to her interview but also ended up being interviewed for a job. Ann got the job 43 years ago – her mum didn’t.
Ann said: “It’s a very family-orientated company – a good company to work for and there are always opportunities to move on and do different things.”
Paul started as an apprentice toolmaker and is now a quality supervisor.
For his first day, Paul had worked out the various bus links to get from home. Unfortunately, one of his buses bus didn’t turn up and Paul was an hour-and-a-half hour late. He was so flustered, that he asked for Mr Grundfos at reception.
“Forty-three years later I can laugh about it, but I was panicking at the time. It’s a family-orientated company, with good benefits and one that looks after you,” said Paul.
Sunderland City Council Leader Coun Graeme Miller sent his best wishes to Grundfos on its anniversary.
He said: “I'd like to congratulate Grundfos on their 50th anniversary in Sunderland. It's a company that looks after its workforce properly as evidenced by the number of people who have worked at Grundfos for so long - some of them for more than 40 years.
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“Grundfos has adapted and expanded its Castletown site to fit the changing nature of its work and I know the company played an important role in the rollout of the Nightingale hospitals during the worst days of the Covid pandemic.
“It's great for Sunderland to have had such a globally-recognised brand based in the city for so long, and I wish plant director John Austin and the Grundfos team the very best for the next 50 years."
Grundfos, a Danish company, is the world's leading pump manufacturer and employs more than 19,000 people globally.
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