Manufacturing recruiter eyes up £1m turnover

Posted by on 30 Mar 2021

A fast-growing Rochdale recruitment company is targeting £1m turnover in 2021 as well as making a number of additions to its own team.

Optima Consultancy Services is preparing to move from Princess Street in Rochdale to new offices in St Chads Court and grow its own workforce from six to 10. The company, which was founded by Kyle Davies, specialises in helping manufacturers attract and retain talent.

Last year the firm made a six figure profit despite the pandemic and its head of operations Ryan Lockett said it was looking to break £1m revenue in 2021 for the first time. Both Mr Davies and Mr Lockett have previously worked in Manchester city centre but said Rochdale was the perfect place to base a business focused on manufacturing.

“Manufacturing is in the news all the time in Rochdale and the AMPI project and £6.1m extension to Hopwood Hall College’s Technology Centre is really exciting, along with the amazing support offered by Rochdale Training,” he said. “Ultimately, we’re both born and bred in Rochdale. I support Rochdale AFC, we both plan to stay in the borough so decided to set up here. We have a real passion to make a difference and if we can help to put Rochdale on the map whilst building the business, then that would be amazing.”

Optima has worked across the UK for a range of clients and in Rochdale it’s worked with KP Industries, based in Kingsway Business Park. “We want to play our part in helping Rochdale’s manufacturing sector grow,” said Mr Lockett. “We can help companies attract and retain talent and we have product packages to suit your needs.

“There’s no doubt the pandemic has had an impact but in our experience business is definitely picking up, with more and more people within manufacturing getting into new roles.”

Optima has 30,000 potential recruits on its database and works closely with both candidates and customers. Mr Lockett said: “We help candidates create marketing portfolios, including one-page profiles, one-way video interviews and psychometric tests to improve their chances of finding a role.”

Optima plans to grow its own staff to 10 and its head of operations predicted its best days were ahead of it.

“Rochdale Riverside is already here and there are even more exciting improvements on the horizon,” he said. “We’re really excited at the prospect of working with more Rochdale manufacturers.

“We’re also proud partners of the Northern Powerhouse and we’ve chosen the Rochdale and District Mind as our charity for the year.”