Aluminium casting specialist Alucast has announced it will invest £1.2m in a technical centre and machine shop, as it celebrates its 50th birthday.
The project, due to start in June, is part of the West Midlands-based company’s strategy to target up to £3m of new ‘lightweighting’ opportunities for complex castings in the automotive and agricultural markets and grow the company’s headcount.
John Swift, managing director of Alucast, which has annual sales of £7m, commented: “2017 will be a year where we celebrate our history and the achievements of our staff, but it will also be a time where we put a marker in the sand for the next 50 years. Alucast has progressed a long way from a local jobbing shop foundry to an international aluminium foundry capable of competing with our global rivals by offering customers a complete supply service.”
The project site will house the company’s existing CAD and MAGMA casting simulation facilities, non-destructive testing capabilities and the firm’s new 5-axis CNC technology.
Tony Sartorius, chairman, stated: “We are already working with luxury vehicle manufacturers and there’s a lot of interest in bringing work back to the UK. This investment in the new technical centre and machining shop, which is being supported by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, means we’re in a prime position to take advantage of it and reinforce our position as a global leader in structural and other complex components.”