In another Brexit success story Alucast has secured £1.2 million worth of export contracts for high-quality parts used in car manufacturing and hydraulics.
Its flourishing foundry in West Midlands, the Black Country beating heart of blue collar Britain, and where the melted metal is cast into shapes, now employs highly-skilled 120 workers.
Founded in Walsall in 1967, Alucast has pumped £2m into new machinery, including an 800-tonne, fully-automated die casting machine producing in-demand parts, making the company more competitive overseas.
And it has proved a wise decision. Boss John Swift said: “This is our largest investment drive in nearly a decade and reflects an increase in demand for our expansive machining capabilities.
“This is proving extremely important as we are offering added value services for a host of blue-chip companies and vehicle manufacturers directly. We’re offering them the security of supply they are crying out for.”
Alucast is a founding member of The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), an eight-strong collective of sub-contractors and an engineering design agency.
The group has delivered a blueprint for making the country globally competitive and called on Whitehall to do its bit to facilitate growth by providing tailored support and by removing bureaucratic barriers.
UK manufacturing has an annual output of £183 billion, making it the ninth largest in the world – but it could be better still.
Alucast managing director Martin Haynes said: “There are a lot of opportunities out there for UK manufacturing, but many of them will require investment in new technology and people to make them a reality.”
“At a time when interest rates are high, it would be great to see the Government act and do something to encourage and reward firms who are prepared to spend and improve their businesses.”
“We’ll do the innovation; all the politicians need to do is give us a level playing field and economic conditions that don’t change every week.”
Collectively The Manufacturing Assembly Network works together to encourage collaboration, best practice sharing and to bang the drum for UK manufacturing.
The group boasts £100m plus annual sales, employs more than 1,000 people and exports products to more than 50 countries from its 20+ factories.
The resurgence of UK manufacturing comes after the Daily Express revealed how the UK’s first “factory floor faculty” for producing a conveyor belt of highly-skilled engineers was expanding to meet demand.
Coventry University’s Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering (AME) – located in a city once known the world over for car making – combines classroom learning with shop floor experience to create the next generation of talented engineers and innovators.
It has already helped generate more than £500 million of economic benefits for the UK with more than £110 million of research and development and commercial projects for giants like Aston Martin, Ford & Lotus.
Now, as Britain becomes world-beating in clean, sustainable and digital technology, the academy is ramping up in size with a £6 million investment to offer 2,000 extra square metres of space for state-of-the-art laser welders, laboratories, and a robotic and testing area.
Coventry was once a byword for quality car making, and home to Jaguar, Armstrong Siddeley, Alvis, Hillman, Chrysler, Triumph, Singer, Humber, Lanchester and Rover, but is now home to 21st century precision tech, in which Britain is now leading the world.
