Case Study 1: Recruiting Specialist Engineers for Hygienic Automation
Supporting Marchant Schmidt Europe’s Growth in Food Industry Automation
Client: Marchant Schmidt Europe www.marchantschmidt.com
Sector: Hygienic Automation & Food Industry Machinery
The Client
Marchant Schmidt Europe is a specialist engineering business involved in the design and manufacture of hygienic automation equipment for the food industry. Their machinery is used within hygiene-critical production environments where food safety, precision engineering and reliable automation are essential.
Operating within a highly technical niche, Marchant Schmidt designs and builds innovative automation solutions that combine mechanical engineering, controls, and hygienic design principles — requiring engineers with a very specific skill set.
The Recruitment Challenge
Marchant Schmidt Europe required support recruiting engineers across both service and design functions during a period of continued growth.
While demand for their equipment remained strong, recruiting the right engineers proved challenging due to:
- A very tight engineering labour market
- The specialist nature of hygienic food industry automation
- Service engineer roles that did not fit the “traditional” field service or maintenance profile
- A limited pool of engineers with relevant automation and machinery experience
In particular, their Field Service Engineer roles were difficult to fill due to the hybrid nature of the position.
Why These Service Engineer Roles Were Different
Unlike many field service positions, the Field Service Engineer roles at Marchant Schmidt Europe are split approximately 50/50 between workshop-based work and site-based service and commissioning.
In addition to the hybrid nature of the role, Marchant Schmidt Europe’s equipment involves advanced hygienic automation and bespoke machinery, requiring engineers with a strong technical foundation across multiple disciplines.
Successful engineers in these roles needed to demonstrate:
- Strong electrical fault-finding and diagnostic skills
- Confidence working with control systems, sensors and automation equipment
- The ability to interpret electrical schematics and wiring diagrams
- Hands-on mechanical understanding to support build, test and commissioning activities
- Experience fault-finding complex, bespoke machinery rather than standard, repetitive equipment
This combination of electrical capability, controls experience and mechanical understanding significantly narrowed the candidate pool, reinforcing the need for a specialist, targeted recruitment approach rather than generic service engineer advertising.
The SimWest Approach
As a specialist engineering recruitment agency with strong experience in food industry machinery and automation, SimWest worked closely with Marchant Schmidt Europe to fully understand:
- The hybrid structure of the Field Service Engineer role
- The technical complexity of their hygienic automation equipment
- The balance between workshop build, testing, and on-site installation/support
- The type of engineer who would genuinely enjoy and succeed in the role
Rather than relying on generic service engineer advertising, SimWest adopted a targeted, consultative search approach, focusing on engineers who:
- Enjoy variety between workshop and site-based work
- Have experience with bespoke machinery or automation
- Are motivated by technically interesting, non-repetitive equipment
- Value quality engineering over purely reactive maintenance roles
This allowed SimWest to position the roles accurately and honestly to candidates — avoiding mismatches and improving long-term fit.
Recruiting for “Cool” Automation Equipment
A key part of the recruitment process involved communicating the appeal of Marchant Schmidt’s innovative automation technology.
Their machinery is far removed from repetitive, legacy equipment and instead involves:
- Bespoke hygienic automation systems
- Precision-engineered machinery for food production
- Technically interesting design and build challenges
- Exposure to the full machinery lifecycle
By clearly conveying this to candidates, SimWest was able to engage engineers who were motivated by interesting engineering problems, rather than purely job title or salary.
Engineering Roles Recruited
SimWest has successfully supported Marchant Schmidt Europe with the recruitment of:
- Field Service Engineers (Multiple Placements)
- Design Engineer (to strengthen the internal design capability)
Each appointment required a tailored approach, with careful consideration given to technical capability, mindset, and alignment with Marchant Schmidt’s engineering culture.
The Results
Through its partnership with SimWest Engineering Recruitment, Marchant Schmidt Europe has been able to:
- Successfully recruit Field Service Engineers suited to a hybrid workshop/site role
- Strengthen its design engineering capability
- Reduce recruitment risk in a niche automation market
- Improve long-term role fit by aligning expectations early
- Continue supporting customers with high-quality engineering support
The recruitment solutions delivered were aligned not only to technical requirements, but also to how engineers actually work within Marchant Schmidt’s business.
What Marchant Schmidt says about working with SimWest:
“Stephen is a talented recruiter; we have learned to lean on Stephen for his advice and support. SimWest are the first call when Marchant Schmidt recruit in the UK. 5*" - Phil Bevan- Director”
Supporting Food Industry Automation Businesses Across the UK
SimWest Engineering Recruitment supports food and FMCG manufacturers, machinery OEMs and automation specialists across the UK with the recruitment of engineers across design, build, service and commissioning roles.
If your business is struggling to recruit engineers for specialist automation, service roles or special purpose machinery environments, SimWest offers a confidential, specialist recruitment service built around engineering-led businesses.
Contact SimWest Engineering Recruitment to discuss how we can support your engineering recruitment needs.
