Manufacturing recruitment
Machinists and production staff who can run your controls from day one.
We supply production staff, machinists, technicians and engineers to manufacturing facilities across Ireland and the UK. Machinists are tested on the control system you run, because Fanuc and Heidenhain are not the same job.
- CNC staff tested on your control, Fanuc or Heidenhain or Siemens
- Programming ability separated from operating ability, honestly
- Metrology and inspection ability assessed, not assumed
- Permits, visas and the Labour Market Needs Test taken off your desk
CNC plasma table
Who we work for
Employers we work with
Established operators across Ireland and the UK. Transport, automotive, construction, engineering and food service.
What we place
Roles we fill in Manufacturing
If what you need is not on the list, ask anyway. We turn down briefs we cannot fill, so a no from us costs you a phone call and nothing else.
- CNC Machinists
- CNC Programmers
- CNC Setters
- Machine Operators
- Welders
- Fabricators
- Production Technicians
- Process Technicians
- Maintenance Technicians
- Assembly Operatives
- Quality Control Inspectors
- CMM Programmers
- Production Supervisors
- Lean Manufacturing Engineers
- Toolmakers
- Warehouse and Despatch Operatives
Trade testing
Where we test manufacturing candidates
These are our workshops, not stock photographs. Every candidate is trade tested on the tools before you see a CV, and before anybody gets on a plane.
Placed, not promised
Roles we have filled for employers like you
Named clients and the roles that actually started. Ask us for a reference and we will put you in touch.
How we fill it
Three routes, and we will tell you which one you need
We look at your local market before we look anywhere else. Overseas deployment is slower and more involved, so we only recommend it when local genuinely cannot deliver.
Ireland and the UK
- About two weeks from brief to a start date
- Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview
- No retainer and no monthly fee
- Thirty day replacement guarantee
International deployment
- Sourced from the Philippines, South Africa, the UAE, Bangladesh, Colombia, India and Nepal
- Permit, visa and Certificate of Sponsorship work handled end to end
- Labour Market Needs Test managed for you
- Flights, accommodation and welfare checks after arrival included
Remote support roles
- Live in one to four weeks, because there is no permit in the way
- Five stage vetting including a proper English assessment
- Employed directly by your company
- Typically 50 to 70% below the cost of a local hire
The work behind the shortlist
What we check before you see a CV
A shortlist is only worth anything if somebody did this first.
Machine and control
- Tested on the control system you run, Fanuc, Siemens, Heidenhain, Haas or Mazak
- Milling and turning assessed separately, because they are separate skills
- Setting, offsets and tool changes watched, not discussed
- CAM experience checked by package where the role needs it
Programming versus operating
- We tell you which of the two a candidate can do
- Programmers assessed on writing and proving a programme, not on editing one
- Operators assessed on running to tolerance across a shift
- Nobody is dressed up as a programmer to close a vacancy faster
Quality and shift fit
- Metrology ability assessed, micrometers, verniers, gauges and CMM where relevant
- Drawing and GD&T interpretation tested
- Shift pattern discussed with the candidate before offer, not after arrival
- References from named plants with named supervisors
Recruitment trips
Come and test them yourself
Every month we are in Manila, Johannesburg and Dubai with clients, running in-person trade tests and volume interviews. Based on everything we have seen, it is the most effective way to hire.
- Meet more candidates in a day than you would in a month of video calls
- Get a better read on somebody by watching them work, not just hearing them talk
- Trade test in person, on the tools, to your own standard
- We handle all the logistics. You turn up, we do the rest
Programmer is the most oversold word on a CV
Plenty of good operators describe themselves as programmers, and plenty of agencies let that through because it closes a vacancy faster. It costs you a fortnight and a scrapped batch.
We test the two separately and tell you which one you are getting. If you need a programmer and the candidate is an excellent setter, you will hear that from us before you interview.
Lead times
How long it takes, honestly
Government processing times move, and anybody quoting you a single confident number is guessing. Which route applies to your role, and the current wait, we confirm in writing before you commit.
Local hire, Ireland or UK
About 2 weeks
Brief to start date. Candidates pre-screened and compliance handled before you interview.
Ireland, employment permit
Department clock
Our preparation takes days. The Department of Enterprise, Tourism and Employment publishes its own processing times and they move with demand; we tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
UK, Skilled Worker
UKVI clock
You assign the Certificate of Sponsorship; UK Visas and Immigration publishes decision times. We tell you the current one in writing before you commit.
Remote support role
1 to 4 weeks
Where the job can be done remotely, there is no permit and no queue.
Official processing times: enterprise.gov.ie for Irish employment permits and GOV.UK for the Skilled Worker visa.
Cost and cover
What it costs, and what happens if it goes wrong
Government fees are passed through at cost and the placement fee is staged across the process, none of it up front.
Replacement guarantee on a local hire
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was remote
Replacement guarantee where the trade test was in person
Retainer, startup or candidate fees, at any point
Sama Talent & Offshore Services Limited, 136 Capel Street, Dublin D01 T2C9. Licensed employment agency EA 5649, Workplace Relations Commission of Ireland. CRO 810220. Local first. Internationally ready when local cannot deliver.
Straight answers
Questions employers ask
Can you test on our specific control system?
Yes, tell us which one and we assess against it. If we cannot test on that exact control we say so, and we do not quietly test on something else and call it equivalent.
Do you cover shift work and nights?
Yes, and we discuss the shift pattern with the candidate before an offer goes out. Most placements that fail early fail because nobody was straight about the roster.
Can you supply a full production line?
Yes. Volume placements out of a single brief are normal for us, and deploying people who already know each other holds better through the settling-in period.
What does the trade test involve for a welder?
Your process and your position, assessed by a qualified assessor and recorded on video. Not a photocopied certificate.
What happens if a hire does not work out?
Thirty days on a local hire, three months where testing was remote, six months where it was in person.
Tell us the role and the start date. We do the rest.
No retainer, no startup fee, and nothing is ever charged to the candidate. Call us on +353 1 903 8249, Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm.
Looking for work in Manufacturing?
You will never pay us. Not once, not for anything.
Not to apply, not to be placed, not for your visa, your documents or your training. Employers pay us. Your wage is yours in full.
Everything else we cover