Hoverdale is a multi-award-winning UK manufacturer, continuing to grow at pace — 36% year on year since 2019 — and we’re now looking for experienced Mechanical Fitters / Installation Engineers to join our teams across all UK sites.
If you’re a practical, safety-focused engineer with experience working on conveyors and heavy industrial equipment, this is an opportunity to join a business where quality workmanship, reliability and engineering expertise are genuinely valued.
What You’ll Do
- Install, assemble and maintain conveyor systems and mechanical equipment
- Carry out on-site mechanical fitting, breakdowns and planned works
- Read and interpret engineering drawings and technical documentation
- Work to strict safety, quality and site compliance standards
- Diagnose mechanical issues and implement effective solutions
- Work closely with vulcanising, fabrication and engineering teams
- Represent Hoverdale professionally on customer sites across the UK
What We’re Looking For
- Proven experience as a mechanical fitter / installation engineer
- Background in conveyors, bulk materials handling or heavy industry (advantageous)
- Strong mechanical aptitude and problem-solving ability
- Ability to work independently and as part of a site team
- Proactive, reliable and quality-driven mindset
- Willingness to travel to customer sites across the UK
What We Offer
- Exceptional rates of pay
- Private healthcare
- Death in service benefit
- Company pension
- Ongoing training, development and progression opportunities
- A supportive, experienced team with a strong safety culture
- A business with 50+ years of heritage and a reputation built on trust and engineering excellence
Apply now or share with someone who’d be a great fit.
Email your CV to Mail@hoverdale.com
Matt Monday
Conveyor belt slipping isn’t random.
It’s a sign something in the system is out of balance.
When a belt slips, the issue is almost always one of four things:
tension, friction, load, or the drive setup.
Here’s a practical, on-site guide to stopping belt slip
- Check the belt tension
Most common cause.
If it slips under load but runs fine empty, tension is usually too low. - Improve drive pulley grip
No amount of tension helps if the pulley can’t grip the belt.
Lagging, cleanliness and wear all matter — especially in wet or dusty plants. - Remove material build-up
Build-up kills friction and changes pulley diameter.
Scrapers, ploughs and proper cleaning make a big difference. - Watch the feed rate
Sudden or excessive loading causes slip at start-up.
Feed control and soft starts help stabilise the system. - Fix tracking issues
A belt running off-centre loses contact with the drive pulley.
Alignment matters more than people think. - Inspect the belt itself
Glazing, hardening or surface wear = reduced grip.
At a certain point, adjustment won’t fix a worn belt. - Increase wrap angle
Snub pulleys improve grip without over-tensioning the belt. - Don’t ignore the drive system
Sometimes it’s not the belt — it’s an undersized motor, gearbox or incorrect speed.
Simple rule:
If the belt is slipping, forcing more tension is rarely the answer.
Getting the root cause right prevents repeat failures, damage and downtime.
