Partnership to underpin IFA's multi-million-pound Sheffield expansion, with around 150 new hires planned across the organisation over the next two years.
W Talent, the UK-based recruitment consultancy, has been appointed as the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) partner to Independent Forgings and Alloys (IFA), one of Britain's most historic and technically advanced steel forging businesses. The partnership will see W Talent lead IFA's hiring strategy and execution, as the Sheffield manufacturer embarks on a landmark growth programme expected to create around 150 new roles over the next two years.
IFA, whose Livesey Street site has been home to forging activity since 1587, is doubling its forging capacity following a multi-million-pound investment announced at DSEI UK 2025.
The expansion, which includes 12 new buildings, two new hydraulic press forges, new axial ring rolling mills and a new machine shop, follows the company's acquisition by Dallas-based private equity firm Trive Capital in February 2025.
The phased rollout will complete by Q4 2027 and reinforces IFA's position as a world-class supplier of high-integrity forgings to the Aerospace, Defence, Energy, Oil and Gas, and Industrial sectors, serving customers including BAE Systems, Leonardo and Pratt & Whitney.
Under the RPO partnership, W Talent will be responsible for the end-to-end delivery of IFA's hiring plan spanning production, engineering, metallurgy, quality, commercial and leadership roles as the business scales from its current headcount of 293 to support the expansion.
The agreement embeds W Talent as a strategic extension of IFA's own team, combining specialist manufacturing and engineering expertise with the agility required to deliver volume at pace without compromising on quality.
A growth partner for a growth business…
W Talent was founded in 2024 with a clear ambition to build a recruitment consultancy that combines the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of a start-up with the backing of a larger group. Its manufacturing and engineering practice has quickly established itself as a trusted partner to UK industrial businesses, working across Aerospace, Defence, Automotive, Rail, FMCG and Building Materials.
Joe Walton, UK Director for Manufacturing, Procurement & Supply Chain and Technical Brands at W Talent, said the IFA partnership marks a significant moment for the business and reflects the shared ambition between the two firms.
“This is a landmark partnership for W Talent and one we're immensely proud of. IFA is a business with extraordinary heritage and an even more exciting future, for the South Yorkshire region. It’s a truly exciting project that’s investing at scale and committed to rebuilding UK manufacturing capability at a time when it has never mattered more.
What drew us to IFA, and what I believe drew IFA to us, is a shared mindset about growth. This isn't hiring for hiring's sake. It's a carefully planned build-out of capability to support one of the most important manufacturing expansions in South Yorkshire for a generation, and that demands a partner who genuinely understands manufacturing. We've structured a partnership that gives IFA a dedicated team, deep technical market knowledge across every discipline they need to hire into and the speed and rigour a programme of this scale demands. We're here to be a true growth partner to IFA. I'm delighted we'll be playing our part in IFA's next chapter and in the story of Sheffield steel.”
A historic Sheffield business, built for the future
For IFA, the W Talent partnership is a critical pillar of the expansion plan. The company's investment programme will add significant new forging and automation technology to its Sheffield site, alongside a new die shop, central warehouse and office space, all designed to meet rising demand from commercial, business, defence and aerospace customers.
Simon Walker, Sales Director
“This is an exciting moment for IFA. We're doubling our forging capacity, investing in advanced technology, and creating around 150 new skilled roles here in Sheffield over the next two years. Getting the people side of that growth right is non-negotiable and that's why we chose W Talent. They understand manufacturing, they understand engineering, and crucially they understand the kind of business we are and where we're going. Having a single, dedicated partner to lead our hiring across the organisation gives us the focus and the energy we need to deliver this expansion on time and to the standard our customers expect.”
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