Long-serving Oswestry employees prepare for company's 50th year
A group of long-serving members for a Shropshire business have collectively clocked up more than 450 years’ employment at their company.
Next month, The Hitch family who own and manage the multi-site operation, Fix Auto Oswestry, celebrate the 50th anniversary of when Robin Hitch founded the repair business.
And 30 per cent of the 50-strong workforce have recorded 20 years’ service or more.
Operations Director Richard Edwards leads the way with 45 years at the firm, one more than painter Peter Haywood.
Panel technician Neil McArdle has clocked up 41 years while painters Gary Staley and Paul Robertson have each served the business for 35 and 32 years respectively.
Receptionist Wendy Williams has worked for the family for 32 years while MET Peter Morris and current Managing Director Lee Hitch complete the line-up of those who have worked for the business for more than three decades.
In addition, driver Roy Millington (27 years), parts manager Karl Evans (23 years), valeter Mike Talbot, Bodyshop Manager Neil Andrews and Gary Edwards, Parts Manager at the company’s sister site in Wrexham, have all clocked up 22 or more years.
“It’s incredible to think that so many of the team have served the business for so many years,” said Lee.
“I know it’s an obvious cliché, but we’ve long believed we are one happy family and when you sit back and look at those names alongside their years of service you realise we are!”
“There can’t be many repairers in the country who can honestly say their core team have collectively recorded 450 years, that’s an incredible amount of experience and even before we add dad, who founded the business 50 years ago and is still regularly on the shop floor, and my mum, Ann, who has been by his side working in accounts right until Covid!”
Founder Robin added: “I have always said to anyone who’ve joined the business that if they’ll scratch my back, I’ll scratch theirs.
"I only treat those round me just how I like to be treated myself. Fairly with honesty.
He added: “I never thought for a second when I started out as a one-man band working out of what was really just a corrugated shed that we’d be here, 50 years later we have 50 people employed across the two sites, Fix Auto Oswestry and Fix Auto Wrexham.”
The business is also in an extremely strong position going forward with a younger generation of skilled productives already firmly embedded in the team along with six apprentices who are learning from their more senior colleagues.
Ian Pugh, Managing Director for Fix Auto UK, said: “We often say that being part of Fix Auto UK is like being part of a family.
"What Robin, Ann, Lee and Richard have cultivated across both Fix Auto Oswestry and Wrexham clearly truly is a one happy family. To have such a high number of employees who have served a business for more than two decades cannot be underestimated as an incredible achievement.”
