A Black Country manufacturer has pushed aside the uncertainty of Brexit to complete a £2.25 million investment drive.
Alucast has upgraded its casting capability and opened a new 7,000 sq ft machine shop to support demand from its automotive customer base for lightweight, complex components.
This latest equipment, which has been supplied by the Engineering Technology Group, has given it the capacity to meet the so-called ‘just-in-time’ delivery requirements of clients.
The investment is expected to deliver a 30 per cent increase in capacity to take on up to £3 million of new projects and reduce lead times.
Alucast chairman Tony Sartorius said: "While there are a lot of challenges to overcome in the current automotive sector, there are still many opportunities for suppliers which can build strategic partnerships with their customers, helping them to design, develop and manufacture the lightweight parts of the future.
"This is what we have been able to do with Aston Martin and a number of other luxury automotive producers and, in order to meet increases in volumes, we have completed our own sizable investment in creating a world-class machine shop.
"Twenty-four people will be employed in this area, including operatives supervisory staff and an apprentice, with more jobs set to follow shortly."
Alucast will use the additional capacity to provide thin-walled lightweight castings for Aston Martin in South Wales as well as new components for Lotus and low-pressure work for Morgan.
The new lightweight contracts will enable the business to move towards its target of £8.5 million in sales, with automotive clients joined by customers in agriculture, hydraulics and the oil and gas industry.
Managing director John Swift added: "It would be quite easy for us to let the uncertainty rule our decisions but that would be a mistake and mean we lose ground on our international rivals.
"The £2.25 million we’ve invested in the new machining shop, associated R&D projects and casting facilities is absolutely vital to keeping us at the forefront of the supply chain and in a solid position to continue to grow our base in the Black Country.
"We have to be proactive in supporting our clients with their ambitious expansion plans and this investment does just that."
Alucast is part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, an eight-strong group of sub-contract manufacturers and an engineering design agency which strives to collaborate to win orders and share best practice.
