Two years ago, as the world bore the brunt of the recession, Trelleborg Malta was forced to consider the reality that it may have to close down, however, the company is now marking its 50th year in Malta, Managing Director Martin Hignett said yesterday.
This was a possibility after the company sat with the government and with Malta Enterprise, and devised a training scheme, which enabled it to keep the core of the workforce, and left it well-placed for the future, he said.
Speaking on the 50th anniversary of the company in Malta, Mr Hignett said the way the company weathered the recession, impressed the President of Trelleborg International so much that the decision was made to move production of V-rings to Malta.
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who was visiting the company premises, said that the decision taken by the government might have been perceived as risky, but it had given results.
“If two years ago we had not been cautious, then we would not be standing here today,” Dr Gonzi said.
Mr Hignett admitted that 2008 was a very tough year, as with the brunt of the recession people stopped purchasing new cars, which meant Trelleborg’s order book was drained practically overnight.
“We were forced to let some people go, but then I reasoned that enough was enough. By the time the recession was over, we were not going to have a company left. We went to the government and explained our predicament,” he said.
Today we are seeing the results of the devised strategy, he said, as Trelleborg has more employees than it did before the crisis. The company currently employs 61 persons who have been with it for over 40 years.
Since then Trelleborg has recruited the same number of people as had been made redundant, and around 100 more.
The 50 years of the company, which employs almost 600 people, have been characterised by ups and downs, however it has been able to rely on the support of the customers, the government and loyal employees.
Approximately a billion O-rings are produced every year, which means around 30 billion have been produced in the 50 years the company has been in Malta.
Mr Hignett joked that if all the O-rings produced in Malta were to be lined, one next to the other, they would reach to the moon and back, that is 750,000 kilometres.
The company first opened its doors in Malta on 20 May 1961, and at the time it was known as Malta Rubber, a name which some still use to refer to it by. It began producing O-rings and is the longest established manufacturing company solely for exportation purposes in Malta, he explained.
It grew steadily until in 1969 it opened a new factory in Mriehel, called Dowty O-rings, and by the mid-1970s the company realised it had to specialise and begin producing premium O-rings for automobiles.
There was a request to move research facilities to Malta, he said, and Trelleborg currently includes the research and development area, as well as the manufacturing aspect.
A whole load of new projects in research and development are planned over the next 14-18 months, and the company is to employ between 50 and 100 more people, he said, adding “we are looking forward to another 50 years.”