From ironworks to innovation in Merthyr Tydfil

From the early ironworks to 21st Century innovation, Merthyr Tydfil has always been a town in transition.

While heavy industry has been and gone, Merthyr's manufacturing sector has ebbed and flowed with the changing priorities of global brands and the UK economy.

There are some stalwarts of the business community who remain committed to the area, with the boss of Stephens and George printers speaking of his "pride" at employing local workers.

And a decades-long renovation of the Prince Charles Hospital is now providing a route into work for young people.

In the 19th Century, Dowlais in Merthyr had the largest ironworks in the world and helped fuel the industrial revolution.

Big industries, employing thousands of people, shaped the economy.

But as fortunes changed, so did the business landscape.

They have been printing magazines in Dowlais for 60 years, at a company originally founded just over the hill in Aberdare a century ago.

Andrew Jones is now at the helm, having joined the family business in the 1970s. He said: "You have to go back over a hundred years to 1912 when my father's mother's father was a Mr Jones.

"He met a Mr Stephens in Aberdare and they created a company called Stephens and Jones."

The company has weathered the economic storms that have swept through Merthyr and the printing industry over the past hundred years.

"I have been coming to this valley for work since 1979, and the amount of change that I have seen is absolutely incredible," Mr Jones said.

"The whole industrialised area of Merthyr is gone, there isn't any heavy industry left."

While the area is no longer "an industrial heartland", Mr Jones said his company relied on a loyal and local workforce.

He added: "We've got close to 190 people working here at the moment, and a large proportion of them come from within five miles of the factory."

There is regular investment at the factory, where multi-million pound machines are bought from German specialist manufacturers every five or six years.

The latest press, which is a year old, can print 21,000 sheets of magazine paper every hour at top speed.

"Come here on Thursdays and it is manic," Mr Jones smiled.

The company does a roaring trade in football and rugby programmes, which fly out of Merthyr to grounds across the UK every week.

There is also investment in the workforce, though some people's expectations of the job have changed.

"Since Covid," Mr Jones said, "people took a rain check, I think.

"Trying to find the right type of youngster who wants to come and work in a factory, and do shifts, is difficult."

The printing presses run all day and night, seven days a week, and he admitted: "We do find it difficult to recruit good people."

Merthyr Tydfil's chimneys have been replaced with industrial estates, call centres and cutting edge military equipment.

General Dynamics employs around 700 people on its armoured vehicle production line.

And there is opportunity in the renovation of the town, with long-term work to modernise the Prince Charles Hospital providing construction work and opportunities for young people.

Students from The College in Merthyr are getting a foot in the door with work experience on site.

"In the industry we've got a huge skills shortage," said Kelly Edwards from construction firm Tilbury Douglas.

"There are not enough young people taking construction as an option. Not many people are aware of the different opportunities within construction.

"So it is highlighting to us, and developing, our future pipeline of workers."

Carpentry student Kayla Williams, 18, said she "really enjoyed" visiting the site.

"It was active. I could be hands-on. That's just what I love," she said.

"I don't really like to sit down and do nothing!"

Elliot Lewis-Campbell, also studying carpentry, said it was "so good to be able to watch other people who are more experienced" at the trade.

"It's so informative to be able to learn from them," he added.

Lewis Jones from The College in Merthyr Tydfil said the links with local construction projects were valuable.

He said: "They are bringing contractors from the site down, they are doing CV talks about how to get into jobs, (sharing) interview techniques.

"Learners are participating in these sessions, developing their skills and trying to get into work."

Back at the printers in Dowlais, Mr Jones thinks his family firm can navigate any economic headwinds.

"I am very proud to be able to do this. And I want to see the business continue well into the future," he said.