Training lifts redundancy risk at NACCO Materials Handling : Company makes strategic rather than impulsive response to downturn

Purpose – This paper seeks to describe an award‐winning training program at Irish fork‐lift truck supplier NACCO Materials Handling Ltd, which enabled the company to halt redundancies and so retain the workforce required to exploit an eventual economic recovery. Design/methodology/approach – The paper explains the reasons for the program, the form it took and the results it achieved. Findings – The paper reveals that the company decided on a mixed approach of workshops for practical tasks and team activities; projects to consolidate theoretical knowledge in a practical environment; accreditation of internal trainers and the verification and certification of an external trainer. More than 350 employees took part in the program. Seven managers were trained in leadership and 70 in problem solving. Some 42 employees gained National Vocational Qualifications and 22 employees completed Institute of Leadership and Management qualifications. Practical implications – The paper details how the company saw improvements in cost, quality, process, safety and punctuality. Absenteeism fell, key skills in management and engineering were protected and enhanced and an environment of trust was created. Social implications – The paper recounts how the training program helped to preserve jobs at one of County Armagh's largest employers. Originality/value – The paper provides the inside story of a training program that formed a strategic, rather than impulsive, response to economic downturn.