A North Wales \u00a0trailer firm that captured the imagination of Hollywood superstars Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds supports 10,000 jobs worldwide, it\u2019s been revealed.<\/p>\n
After hearing the news during a visit to Ifor Williams Trailers (IWT), Ken Skates, the MS for Clwyd South who\u2019s also the Welsh Government\u2019s Cabinet Secretary for North Wales and Transport, said it was \u201cdifficult to exaggerate how important the business is to the economy of Wales\u201d.<\/p>\n
As well as employing 650 people directly, the company, which has six factories in Denbighshire and Deeside, supports an \u201ceconomic eco system\u201d of contractors and suppliers – as well as more than 120 distributors across the UK and the world, as far afield as Australia and New Zealand.<\/p>\n
The company\u2019s global fame hit new heights after Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds bought Wrexham AFC which has been sponsored by the company since 2016.<\/p>\n
They announced the takeover in a hilarious video featuring a spoof\u00a0 sales pitch for IWT\u2019s famous horseboxes.<\/p>\n
The video went viral and racked up more than five million views in less than a week.<\/p>\n
During his visit Mr Skates met three of IWT\u2019s local contractors and among them was Alan Jones, who runs the building and maintenance firm, T.G. Jones Llety, based in Gwyddelwern, near Corwen, who employ 12 people and have worked for IWT for nearly 40 years.<\/p>\n
They built the two factory units and the company\u2019s group head office complex at Ty\u2019n Llidiart, above Corwen, as well as refurbishing and maintaining the buildings at all of IWT\u2019s six sites.<\/p>\n
Mr Jones, known universally as Alan Llety, said: \u201cIt\u2019s been a brilliant partnership for us because we have had so much work off them and we always do our utmost to provide the best service to Ifor Williams Trailers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the time we have been working with them, we have seen the company grow and develop and I feel proud that we work for them. \u201c<\/p>\n
There was a similar sentiment from Dei Hughes, who\u2019s celebrating the 20th<\/sup> anniversary of his company, D A Hughes Electrical Services, based in Glanrafon, near Corwen, this year.<\/p>\n After starting out as a one-man band, he now employs 12 electricians, including three apprentices and two of his sons.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cWorking for a company like this which is local and has regular work was a really good step forward for us and a sound base for our success.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Ifor Williams Trailers has expanded, we have grown with them so they are important to the local economy.<\/p>\n \u201cThe people I employ spend their money locally so it keeps the Welsh pound local.\u201d<\/p>\n Iorwerth Roberts founded his garage, I and D Roberts,\u00a0 in Cynwyd, near Corwen, in 1997 and has been maintaining and repairing IWT\u2019s vehicle fleet for the past 15 years.<\/p>\n More recently his two sons, Iolo and Deian, have been travelling across the UK to set up IWT\u2019s stands at all the major shows, including the Royal Welsh Show and the Highland Show in Scotland.<\/p>\n Mr Roberts said: \u201cIt\u2019s an honour for me, for the company and for the lads as well to work for a company with such a great reputation worldwide.\u201d<\/p>\n Meeting the trio of contractors, said Mr Skates, had confirmed to him that Ifor Williams Trailers is\u00a0 \u201cmassive anchor company\u201d for rural Wales.<\/p>\n He said: \u201cThey provide so many opportunities for good quality work for other small businesses and it\u2019s all built off the back of the highest quality trailers you can get.<\/p>\n \u201cThe contactors they use also employ local people and what\u2019s striking is that Alan, for example, has a workforce of entirely Welsh speakers so it\u2019s not only supporting the local economy but is also important in terms of the Welsh language and culture.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a great demonstration of the value of Ifor Williams Trailers to this part of Wales and I don\u2019t think it\u2019s possible to exaggerate how important this business is to the economy of Wales and particularly this part of Wales.<\/p>\n \u201cIt has such a major beneficial impact\u00a0 on our economy, the jobs market and\u00a0 crucially on our culture and our community.<\/p>\n \u201cIfor Williams Trailers is a world class company that\u2019s flying the flag for Wales across the globe. It\u2019s a flagship company that we can be immensely proud of and one that\u2019s caught the imagination of the creativity of Hollywood even.<\/p>\n \u201cDirectly and indirectly supporting 10,000 jobs is something that very few Welsh businesses can boast of and that demonstrates the reach, depth and history of the business that\u2019s rooted in Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n The visit was hosted by IWT Managing Director John Williams who said: \u201cI am delighted that Ken was able to find the time in his busy schedule to come and see us again and meet three of our loyal and valued contractors.<\/p>\n \u201cAs well as our direct workforce, the likes of Alan, Dei and Iorwerth and their teams have played a hugely important role in our success in building a global brand and flying the flag for Wales.\u201d<\/p>\n