Alucast Ltd

£1.2m investment proves a perfect 50th birthday present for Alucast

Alucast Ltd — 26/04/2017

One of the West Midlands leading aluminium casting foundries is celebrating its 50^th birthday in style after announcing plans for a new £1.2m technical centre and machine shop.

Alucast will start work on the new facility in June, which will house its existing CAD and MAGMA® casting simulation facilities, non-destructive testing capabilities and the firms new 5-axis CNC technology.

Its part of an ambitious strategy that will see the company target up to £3m of new lightweighting opportunities for complex castings in the automotive and agricultural markets.

This will see it recruit another 20 employees to cope with the planned expansion to £10 million sales, including engineers and apprentices.

50 years in business is a massive achievement and during that time weve seen plenty of ups and downs, including major contract wins such as completing the top and bottom caps for the London 2012 Olympic Torch and the brake calipers for Bugatti Veyron, alongside recessions that have really challenged the business, explained John Swift, Managing Director of Alucast.

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.

He added: We offer initial design support and MAGMA® casting simulation software, through to prototype supply and delivering machined castings line-side, produced by a number of different in-house processes including sand, gravity, low and high-pressure.

Alucast, which holds the automotive TS16949 quality accreditation, was formed in 1967 by Mike Clayton as a small sand foundry based in Bentley Mill Road.

Over the years it added gravity casting to its repertoire and moved several times across the Black Country before ending up at its current home in Western Way, Wednesbury in 2002.

Twelve months later, the business was purchased by the current management team of Tony Sartorius and John Swift and this prompted the start of a 10-year plan to become a single source supplier of aluminium castings to our customers.

Today, Alucast boasts annual sales of £7m and employs 105 people, working with clients across automotive, agriculture, hydraulics, vacuum and electrical goods.

Tony Sartorius, Chairman, stated: We are already working with luxury vehicle manufacturers and theres 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 were in a prime position to take advantage of it and reinforce our position as a global leader in structural and other complex components.

He concluded: In the 14 years we have been in charge of the company, we feel we have done our best to build on our core expertise by up-skilling our employees, successfully developing succession management, investing in new casting processes and machining capabilities and, shortly, opening the new dedicated £1.2m technical centre.

This is a clear indicator of where we are looking to take the company both now and over the next 50 years.

Alucast is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, a nine-strong group of sub-contract manufacturers who work together to win orders and share best practice and resource.

The collective, which enjoys more than £70m sales and employs over 750 people, can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including automation and control systems, casting, design, forging, plastic injection moulding, PCB development and high volume pressings.

It features member companies Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, Grove Design, KimberMills International, Mec Com, Muller Holdings, PP Control & Automation and SMT Developments.

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk or follow @AlucastLTD on twitter.

Alucast targets new automotive opportunities with £2.25million machine shop and casting investment

Alucast Ltd — 08/10/2019

A Black Country manufacturing specialist has pushed aside the uncertainty of Brexit to complete a major £2.25million investment drive.

Alucast has upgraded its casting capability and opened a new 7,000 sq ft machine shop to support the growing demand of its automotive customer base for lightweight, complex components.

The UK’s leading independent aluminium foundry can now call upon 20 CNC machines at any one time, with five of those 5-axis, providing bed sides ranging from 400mm to 630mm.

This latest equipment, which has been supplied by the Engineering Technology Group (ETG), has given it the speed and precision necessary to meet just-in-time delivery requirements of existing and future orders.

The investment will also deliver a 30% increase in capacity to take on up to £3m of new projects, not to mention the ability to reduce lead times and achieve even greater repeatable quality.

Supported by Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Black Country LEP and the Black Country Growth Deal, the machine shop was officially opened by Aston Martin Lagonda’s Independent Non-Executive Director Lord Carrington and Lord Whitby from Made in the Midlands, with staff, suppliers, partners, and customers in attendance.

Tony Sartorius, Chairman of Alucast, commented: “Whilst there are a lot of challenges to overcome in the current automotive sector, there are also still many opportunities for suppliers who 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.”

He went on to add: “What it gives us is complete control of the machining process so that we can cast the part and machine it to the highest possible standard. 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 should see the business work towards £8.5m sales, with automotive clients joined by a raft of customers in agriculture, hydraulics and the oil and gas industry.

John Swift, Managing Director at Alucast, continued: “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 £2.25m we’ve invested in the new machine 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.”

Lord Carrington added: “I was delighted to see first-hand the investment Alucast has put into its business to support Aston Martin and other automotive customers. It’s a perfect example of how the supply chain can work with car makers to get ahead of the latest technologies and help deliver lighter and more efficient vehicles.”

Alucast is part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, an eight-strong group of sub-contract manufacturers and an engineering design agency who work together to win orders and share best practice and resource.

The collective, which enjoys more than £150m sales and employs over 1600 people, can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including automation and control systems, forging, plastic injection moulding, PCB development, precision machining, high-volume pressings and welded assemblies.

Its membership also includes Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, C-MAC SMT, Grove Design, Kimbermills International, Muller Holdings, PP Control & Automation and Ricor.

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk or www.man-group.co.uk

Secretary of State & Department for Business Innovation & Skills

Alucast Ltd — 11/02/2015

Alucast recently attended Westminster with a group of industrialists and manufacturers, which was organised by the Made in the Midlands network. Alucast represented its own Black Country business as well as those in the MAN Group. The group toured both the House of Commons and the House of Lords and met up with Lorely Burt, MP for Solihull (educated and trained here in the Black Country) and Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills. Alucast and the other Black Country businesses were very interested to hear what the Government was doing to expand the component supply chain in the UK, and certainly were pleased to see that a practical and hopefully long-term approach, was being implemented by Mr Cable, to create a secure foundation for an industrial strategy in the country.

Alucast has expertise in casting and machining complex structural components for the automotive and other sectors and has received various accolades for its work on the Bugatti Veyron brake calliper project and the manufacture of parts for the Olympic Torch. It takes a very proactive stance in taking on apprentices, working with local schools and developing youngsters interest in engineering as a career. It has also worked with many other local businesses in the area to promote training so that the skills gap in engineers can be overcome.

This has been further expanded on by the recent visit of Brian Greenwood, who is part of the Department for Business Innovation & Skills, in Materials & Engineering. He was given a tour of Alucast facilities, & discussed at length Alucast driving UK manufacturing towards improvements into the supply of Aluminium to OEMs both here in the UK & abroad.

Expanding & improving is always at the forefront, & Alucast have recently acquired a new DMG horizontal machining centre to further bolster & develop its machining expertise, & also increase capacity.

Alucasts Chairman is Tony Sartorius, and Managing Director is John Swift.

New Magmasoft Casting Simulation capability

Alucast Ltd — 05/07/2015

Alucast has invested in Magmasoft casting simulation software so that we can stay at the forefront of progressive technology that can be used to realize quality castings at competitive prices thus further gaining additional customer confidence by the systematic reduction and elimination of costly casting trials and tooling modifications prior to production. Less scrap, reduced rework and fewer customer rejects.

Desirable die casting processes are characterized by casting conditions that avoid gas inclusions, porosity and cold laps but at the same time provide optimal filling characteristics and short cycle times. Economic production aims at an optimum die temperature control, a long die life, small cycle material amounts and perfectly set machine parameters. Using casting process simulation, die casters gain a deeper understanding of their processes and can adjust die design, casting parameters and runner design in such ways that castings of optimal quality can be produced in economical and robust manufacturing processes.

Alucast joins MAN cluster to build on £1m of electrification

Alucast Ltd — 23/09/2020

MIM member Alucast joins fellow member Brandauer in a cluster of businesses to gain contracts in the electrification sector. This is thanks to their recent £2.5m investment in their new CNC machining workshop.

Alucast offers gravity, high pressure, low pressure and sand casting and, due to its new machining shop, access to 20 CNC machines providing bed sizes ranging from 400mm to 630mm.

The UK’s leading independent aluminium foundry, based in the West Midlands, is using its increased 5-axis capability and Magmasoft® casting simulation to develop and produce a range of complex castings and housings for high profile car makers across Europe.

The management team at the manufacturer is expecting volumes destined for electric powertrain/vehicles to account for 25% of its turnover going forward. This is one of the reasons why it has decided to join a new UK cluster featuring Balluff, Brandauer, C-MAC SMT and PP Control & Automation.

The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) employs over 400 people and boasts sales in 35 countries and will offer a single-source supply chain solution for electric motors, drivetrain components, battery cells, casings and housings, transfer laminations, PCB assemblies and wider infrastructure services.

Some of these products are liquid-cooled and feature complex core designs, requiring high integrity castings that must be leak-proof and finished with the latest machining techniques.

Tony Sartorius, Chairman at Alucast said: “Our engineers have been working with the car makers and tier 1s on a range of new development parts that can be used in electrification.”

“Casting is a great way of giving a component strength, whilst helping to reduce weight by using aluminium. We also have all the technologies you need in-house, including the four main casting processes, prototyping, finishing, 5-axis CNC and design input through industry-leading software.”

He continued: “Over £1million of orders have already been secured in this field and we believe we can at least treble this through our involvement with the electrification cluster that has been born out of the Manufacturing Assembly Network."

“It gives us expertise across a range of ‘in-demand’ manufacturing disciplines and the capacity to take on significant projects, not only in automotive but in other sectors where electric power could be key.”

MAN’s ‘Electrification Cluster’ was launched in August with a major digital marketing campaign and dedicated E-brochure that details the group’s capabilities and supply offering.

This is being reinforced by a number of educational videos and potential seminars where they will aim to unpick some of the common challenges facing companies involved in this industry.

Richard Halton, Business Development Manager at C-MAC SMT added: “We are delighted to welcome Alucast to the cluster and are already working with it on a number of exciting new development projects where its knowledge of housings and casings is coming to the fore.”

“It’s a natural fit to have a world leader in castings joining global specialists in strategic manufacturing outsourcing, sensors, inspection systems, wiring looms, high volume pressings and laminations and electronic assembly.”

Alucast’s single-source approach has seen it work with some of the world’s leading tier 1 supplier and carmakers, as well as specialists in vacuum products, hydraulics, rail, bus and commercial heating systems.

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk .

Kieran’s Journey as an Apprentice at Alucast

Alucast Ltd — 03/02/2021

Kieran Marsden apprentice from Alucast has always been an enthusiastic, driven, and ambitious individual who strives to be the most engaged and involved person in the room.

The Alucast personnel has been quoted as saying that Kieran stood out to them when he was offered the opportunity to be involved in an Engineering skills gap project back in 2014. This would see students experience real-world work environments in the engineering industry by visiting different engineering companies in the local area, including Alucast.

In 2016, after completing his GCSEs, Alucast had enquired about Kieran and expressed that they were that impressed with his visit 2 years prior. They offered Kieran the chance to join the business with a 5-year apprenticeship that would offer academic qualifications up to degree level.

During his apprenticeship, Kieran rotated between different departments of the business, learning the technical aspects of the departments and how he could use this knowledge to contribute to his self-development as a trainee engineer and to the company.

The first department he was involved in was the Sales Department, which saw Kieran engage with many large projects, liaising with the sales team and helping them with things such as; die design, casting solidification 3D modeling, quote progression, and customer communication.

Kieran then went on to be placed in the Manufacturing Department, in the foundry, and on the shop floor, which saw him focus on; timing planning and approval, ensuring cast product was correctly processed through the foundry to make sure deadlines were met.

Lastly Kieran was integrated into the Quality Department; creating and getting involved with 8D analysis, raising and processing quality alerts on products with any issues, traveling across the UK to liaise and speak to customers with any issues they might have, audit preparation, and in-depth analysis of all ingot that came into the foundry.

Kieran’s effort and hard-work came to fruition when in 2017, at just 17 years old, won the nationally recognised ICME Dussek Modern Apprentice of the year award, an award which consisted of over 50 applicants across the UK from non-ferrous engineering backgrounds, which was awarded to the apprentice who had made significant growth and progress through their apprenticeship and was actively contributing to the success and growth of their employer’s organisation.

After speaking with Kieran about his apprenticeship and his experiences, he said:

“Originally I was planning on going to study my A-Levels and progress onto full-time university in an Engineering aspect, but after consideration and gingerly choosing the 5-year apprenticeship, I can happily say that it was the best decision I could have made, being allowed to study to the previously described level of qualification with also earning a wage and gaining real-world experience at the same time is the best combination one could wish for, it has helped my personal development as an engineer, but also as a person grew tenfold compared to if I stayed in full-time education, I could not recommend it enough!”

You can now listen to Kieran's live interview about his journey in manufacturing with Made Futures LIVE by clicking here.

Made Futures was created to encourage people to get jobs in manufacturing, in support of those who have lost their jobs over the course of the 2020 pandemic. There's still time to sign up and be part of the exhibition by filling in the form here.

Alucast at the Subcon show 2015

Alucast Ltd — 21/04/2015

Alucast will again be exhibiting at Subcon 2015 on 2nd to 4th June at the NEC, Birmingham Stand Number S442

Hope to see you there!

Cluster Launched to Target £10M Electrification Opportunities

Alucast Ltd — 21/09/2020

A new manufacturing cluster has been established to target more than £10m of electrification opportunities over the next 12 months.

Brandauer, C-MAC SMT and PP Control & Automation - all members of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) - have come together to offer a single-source supply chain service for electric motors, drivetrain components, battery cells, casings and housings, transfer laminations, PCB assemblies and wider infrastructure services.

The trio has also enlisted the expertise of industrial automation specialist Balluff to drive the opportunity.

Richard Halton, business development manager at C-MAC SMT, said: "Electrification is a massive opportunity for our four businesses and we feel that by collaborating and pooling together our different, but complimentary disciplines, that we can offer the OEMs and end users access to a single source solution.

"Whilst transport electrification is a natural marketplace and one that we are already picking up work in, there is a strong sense that we can also go after contracts to support the alternative energy sector and electric infrastructure work for street furniture and charging points for example.

"Both of these markets are ramping up quickly and need partners who have a track record of delivering complex assemblies on time.

"This is exactly what we’re giving them with this cluster – experts in strategic manufacturing outsourcing, wiring looms, high volume pressings and laminations and electronic assembly.

"Better still, the cluster can also now call upon Balluff’s world leading sensors, vision inspection systems and RFID/IO-Link knowledge."

Alucast at Northern Manufacturing B79

Alucast Ltd — 26/09/2016

Come along and meet us at Northern Manufacturing 2016

Event City Manchester Stand B79 28^th & 29th September

The full address of the show venue is:

Event City,
Phoenix Way, off Barton Dock Road,
Urmston,
Manchester M17 8AS

MITM Magazine Article

Alucast Ltd — 13/03/2015

Alucast have been featured in issue 02 of the Made in the midlands official publication. The article focuses on the recent meeting with Vince Cable the secretary of state, & Tony Sartorius Alucast Chairman in Westminster, during the tour of the house of commons.

Alucast’s move to lightweighting wins mayoral approval

Alucast Ltd — 05/01/2021

Alucast’s commitment to investing in new technology and its people was praised during a recent visit by the Mayor of the West Midlands.

Andy Street received a socially distanced tour of the aluminium casting specialist’s facility in Wednesbury to understand how the company is bouncing back from Covid-19 by targeting new opportunities in lightweight - a major growth market with castings at its heart.

Caption for Alucast Andy Street Visit: (l-r) John Swift (Alucast) and Andy Street

He talked to staff at the business to understand how it is supporting major OEMs in the automotive sector, as well as supplying parts to the hydraulics and chemical sectors.

There was also time to find out more about the £2.2m investment in a new CNC machining shop that features six 5-axis CNC machines, providing bed sizes ranging from 400mm to 630mm.

This latest equipment will give Alucast the speed and precision necessary to meet just-in-time delivery requirements of existing and future orders.

Andy Street commented: “It was great to be in the Black Country, where manufacturing is in our blood. Despite the pandemic and all the challenges it has thrown at the industry, companies like Alucast are innovating and adapting, investing in their strengths to achieve new sales opportunities and make the most of the green revolution.”

Tony Sartorius, Chairman of Alucast, concluded: “It was great to show Andy what we have been doing and the manufacturing strengths that still exist in the Black Country. We are a region with fantastic technical skills, a passion to do new things and a desire to play our own significant role in the next transport evolution.

“Our sand, gravity and low/high-pressure castings are ideally suited for the automotive sector’s move towards lighter parts and we have already won over £3m of new work in this arena over recent years.”

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk or follow @alucastltd on twitter

You can watch the video of Andy's visit by heading to his Twitter page using the link below

https://twitter.com/andy4wm/status/1338819593989738496.

Servitization push set to deliver £800,000 sales boost for Alucast

Alucast Ltd — 27/09/2022

One of the Black Country’s leading aluminium foundries is reaping the benefits of a move to ‘servitization’ and forecasts that it will add nearly 10% to its annual turnover.

Alucast, which employs over 100 people at its continuously growing factory in Wednesbury, has invested nearly £500,000 in new technology to ensure that it now offers customers access to Magmasoft casting simulation, prototyping and heat treatment.

The company has also expanded its CNC machining capacity to offer 5-axis machines and non-destructive testing, including X-Ray and dye-penetrant testing.

This strategy is boosting sales and the management team forecasts an additional £800,000 of turnover through customers accessing one-off services or using one element that then leads on to volume production in sand, gravity and high and low pressure castings.

Tony Sartorius, Chairman of Alucast, commented: “Manufacturing is extremely competitive, so the more value we can add to the customer, the more chance we will have of building strong, lasting relationships.

“Our business model was already unique in that we offered fully finished and machined castings from one source, and we decided to build on this by embracing servitization, developing new services that would deliver extra revenue streams.”

He continued: “Working with Aston University, we created a five-year strategy that would see us add a different offering every six months and we have now got to the stage where our customers can tap into anything from simulation software and advanced metrology to our recently launched full assembly offer.

“This approach will soon account for £800,000 of our turnover, which is roughly 10% of our annual sales. I fully expect this figure to grow as more people hear about what we do.”

Alucast offers sand, gravity and high and low pressure casting to a client base that spans automotive, fluid power, electrification and hydraulics.

Part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), the company is currently enjoying the strongest order book in its 55-year history, and this includes technical support for one of the world’s largest automotive engineering agencies and full casting assembly for a 4x4 manufacturer.

The firm, which has recently been re-accredited to the TS16949 automotive quality standard, is also continuing to support carmakers and tier 1s with structural lightweight parts for use in next generation vehicles and electric cars.

Tony went on to add: “By offering these facilities to customers, it means we have eased supply chain complexities, allowing our clients to acquire fully functional parts ready for delivery at trackside at their premises with minimal delay.

“We still have lots of exciting plans for further additions, including ongoing training for our workforce, future collaborations with academia and the delivery of an 800-tonne die casting machine – the largest machine on our shopfloor.”

About MAN Group

Employing more than 1750 people across 13 different factories, the Manufacturing Assembly Network can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including aluminium casting, automation and control systems, forging, plastic injection moulding, contract electronics manufacturing, precision machining, high-volume pressing, tube manipulation and welded assemblies.

In addition to Alucast, its members are Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, Kimbermills International, Muller Holdings, Nemco and PP Control & Automation.

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk or www.man-group.co.uk

The Manufacturer - MAN Group

Alucast Ltd — 11/05/2015

Collaboration promises streamlined supply chain!

http://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/collaboration-promises-streamlined-supply-chain/

Apprentice Scheme Award 2014

Alucast Ltd — 28/10/2014

Training employees in Lean Manufacturing, Kaizen and Business Improvement Techniques has resulted in £232,000 of process improvements. These achievements were recognised at the recent Business Desk Masters Awards where Alucast MD John Swift accepted the prestigious Apprentice Scheme Award for 2014.

Alucast Invest in New 5 Axis Machine to Further Increase Capacity

Alucast Ltd — 09/06/2021

Alucast has invested in a new, state-of-the-art Quaser 5 axis machine in order to further increase capacity to cope with demand from OEM’s and Tier 1 customers. Due to the ramped-up demand after the COVID-19 downturn, Alucast’s machine shop has pushed the boundaries of its capacity, with more orders on the horizon, the management team has made the decision to invest to increase machine shop capacity.

Alucast’s philosophy and vision have always been to innovate and improve technologies and processes where possible, this is one prime example of that. The new Quaser 5 axis machine has state-of-the-art technology, which allows the company to accurately machine cast components, utilising the added advantage of having the 5th axis. This allows all axes to rotate around the workpiece, allowing different planes to be machined during one operation, opposed to traditional multiple axis operations.

This multidimensional rotation and tool movement helps reduce machining operations, which equates to cheaper tooling costs and faster cycle times. The system achieves optimum machining characteristics from the process as well as complementing the business’s well-established X-Ray, Heat Treatment, and Dye Penetrant facilities. Customers can have the assurance that our accredited ISO 9001:2015 and IATF16949:2016 quality standards are implemented and constant throughout all our processes.

As it is clearly evident, many manufacturing industries have seen a decrease in order quantities during the past 12 months due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. However, Alucast has been fortunate enough to see business increase back towards full capacity, leading to the management team investing in our recent expansion. Our strategy is to continue to improve to meet and exceed customers’ expectations.

For aluminum machined casting solutions, contact Alucast.

Alucast Apprentice Offers 'Inspiring Advice' to Youngsters

Alucast Ltd — 09/02/2021

Kieran Marsden, an apprentice at Alucast, has had an outstanding career in manufacturing so far. Since joining the team in 2016, Kieran strives to be the most engaged and involved person in the room. This paid off back in 2017 when he was awarded the ICME Dussek, Modern Apprentice of the Year award. Now in his final year as an apprentice, Kieran offers other youngsters advice on getting into the industry.

The Made in Group recently invited Kieran to join them for Made Futures LIVE - a live interview held every Tuesday at 2:30 pm across the Made in Group socials. The interviews are held with members who have their inspiring employment or apprenticeship stories in the Made Futures book - a 100-page document filled with inspiring stories from the manufacturing sector.

Kieran was no exception when it comes to ‘inspiring stories from UK manufacturing’ as the Alucast team highlights his enthusiasm, drive, and ambition that got him the role in the business. When Kieran comes to finishing his apprenticeship at the end of this year, he will be rewarded with qualifications up to degree level.

In the latest interview with the Made in Group, Kieran said:

“I chose a career in manufacturing and engineering because I have always been fascinated with the maths and physics side of it, especially how things are produced.”

Kieran then went on to say that he visited Alucast when he was just 14 years old as an initiative to introduce young people into engineering companies. The managers within the business at the time were impressed with Kieran’s enthusiasm and inquisitiveness. Two years later Kieran was offered an apprenticeship. However, he continues by mentioning that A-Levels and University were his original choice. Kieran added:

“I didn’t think that apprenticeships were still an option today, I thought it was a thing of the past as my Father and Grandfather did an apprenticeship. However, the offer from Alucast showed me that there are other options for gaining degree-level qualifications whilst earning on the job”

Apprenticeships, like Kieran’s, are helping the UK industry skills gap by upskilling the younger generation and getting them into manufacturing early to acquire the expertise needed to help businesses grow and innovate. Kieran added:

“Doing an apprenticeship has really helped me develop as a person before I was quite shy and didn’t know how to talk to anyone. It definitely helps you with personal development by being around people of different ages.”

Kieran concluded:

“It is enthusiasm and drive that makes you stand out, being recognized by a business the way I was gives you a surge of confidence and the belief that you will succeed. My advice to other people not knowing what to do after school is to go and research their options. Check the Government website and Made in the Midlands for opportunities and get yourself out there - it is definitely the best choice I have made.”

You can listen to Keiran's full interview with Made Futures LIVE by clicking here.

BAE Systems/ The Times round-table discussions with invited industrialists

Alucast Ltd — 04/12/2014

Alucast Ltd Chairman Tony Sartorius in attendance. Article from "The Times" 1st December edition.

"Tony Sartorius is chairman of Alucast, an aluminium diecasting business based in the heart of the traditional metal-bashing West Midlands. His business took the same science and technology view. We recognised that we needed to move up the value-added chain, take on more complex work and projects,he said. The change of tack landed the company contracts with Bentley Motors and making components for the high capacity brakes of the Bugatti Veyron supercar. His story, he believes, is not unique in supply-chain Britain. We can compete, and compete on cost. The UK leads the western European nations on cost-competitiveness. People think that cannot be trueand it can be marginal if things go wrong or energy prices go up but it is true.

Mr Sartorius said that the West Midlands is pockmarked with redundant factories with roofs removed to avoid business rates. They had to do it to survive but it has destroyed infrastructure,

"Another problem is the row over the future of European Union membership, which is doing exporters no favour's, according to Mr Sartorius. There is massive uncertainty over Europe, he said. We need to be in Europe because we need that market. We need to explain to everyone who votes [in a future referendum] that the EU has such a link with jobs in the UK. It could be a disaster if we came out. My worry is that we are not talking enough about the effect on jobs.

"We are seeing a lot of onshoring coming back, with components which were being made in India and Brazil now being produced in Britain"

The D&T Association Excellence Awards

Alucast Ltd — 20/03/2015

Alucast are delighted that Graham Williams from the Ace Academy School in Tipton has been successfully nominated for the award for D & T Education & Industry Engagement, & will be receiving his award at the D & T Association Excellence Awards this evening in London.

Congratulation to Graham from the team at Alucast, Tom Bruce, Neil Curl, Andrew Callaghan, & Wayne Cooper, could not be more pleased for you & wish you luck tonight.

Started in 1999 by the Design and Technology Association Trustees the D&T Association Excellence Awards gives professional recognition to individuals for their contribution to design and technology education.

Leading the project, Graham Williams, D&T teacher at ACE Academy said It was a steep learning curve. Both the students and I have developed new skills. Through the project we encountered real design problems which was challenging but positive and beneficial for the pupils. Commenting on the input from Alucast, he added The coaches support was brilliant. They wanted the project to be a success and saw themselves as part of it.

The Alucast employees were unanimous in wanting to continue working with the school and enjoyed their involvement with the project. It was really pleasing to see how the students took an idea right through to the final product. Tony Sartorius, Managing Director at Alucast added We have gained an understanding of D&T in schools, including limitations posed by timetabling and equipment. Basic practical hands-on skills are important to our business and we are pleased to have supported ACE Academy to introduce some of these to students.

As an SME, we wanted to get involved in the Skills Gap programme to ensure it develops to be a scheme which small companies can engage with. Small businesses have a significant role to play in the future of the economy. We at Alucast want to invest in the skills of young people to ensure we feed the talent pipeline for our future and the future of the local community. We are very much looking forward to working with the ACE Academy, Tipton. Tony Sartorius, Managing Director, Alucast.

Link to the site below.

https://www.data.org.uk/for-education/secondary/the-dt-association-excellence-awards/

‘Taking the weight out of the equation’ delivers £3m contract boost

Alucast Ltd — 18/06/2019

Delivering complex components for new automotive ‘light-weighting’ projects is reaping dividends for a Black Country supplier.

Alucast, which is one of the UK’s largest independent aluminium foundries, has secured over £3m of new contracts from car makers keen to explore ways of reducing weight on future models.

Backed by support from Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council, Black Country LEP and the Black Country Growth Deal, it has opened additional facilities adjacent to its Wednesbury headquarters to cope with the expansion, giving the company an additional 7000 sq ft of dedicated machining space to work with.

“The automotive industry continues to move to lighter vehicles as the car makers look at ways where they can meet emission targets and improve fuel performance,” said Tony Sartorius, Chairman of Alucast.

“We have been working on this approach for some time, supporting some of the world’s most prestigious OEMs to design and cast lighter components to what they’ve been using previously.

“This is now paying off with £3m of new contracts secured in the last twelve months alone, with the promise of a lot more to come if we continue to invest in our capabilities, our design team and our rapidly growing machine shop.”

He continued: “It’s great news for the Black Country as we will be creating tens of new jobs towards the end of the year when volumes come on stream and it’s a positive shot in the arm for local manufacturing with ‘Brexit’ on the horizon.”

Alucast, which is on course for £8.5m annual sales, specialises in providing aluminium castings for a global customer base involved in automotive, agriculture, hydraulics and the oil and gas industry.

Investment in a new £175,000 die penetrant facility, combined with more than 50,000 sq ft of manufacturing space, gives it the flexibility to offer low, medium and high-volume production.

The management has recently signed off the £400,000 acquisition of three 5-axis CNC machines from the Engineering Technology Group (ETG) in Wellesbourne, which will help it supply final machined parts to the customer.

John Swift, Managing Director, added: “It has been a real whirlwind two years, which started in 2017 with celebrations for our 50th birthday and then continued with one of our best ever periods of winning new business.

“We’re not stopping there though. The recent investment and future spend are all about making the most of new opportunities, including the electrification of vehicles where we can produce castings for motor cases, liquid cooling and power electronics for instance.”

He concluded: “Our staff have also been hitting the headlines, with Connor Danks named as the Institute of Cast Metal Engineers ‘Apprentice of the Year 2019’, following in the footsteps of his colleague Liam Greaves and Kieran Marsden in 2018 and 2017 respectively.”

The collective, which enjoys more than £75m sales and employs over 800 people, can offer every engineering discipline imaginable, including automation and control systems, fabrication, forging, plastic injection moulding, PCB development, precision machining and high-volume pressings.

Its membership also includes Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, C-MAC SMT, Grove Design, Kimbermills International, Mec Com, Muller Holdings and PP Control & Automation.

For further information, please visit www.alucast.co.uk or www.man-group.co.uk

Alucast & HCM Engineering Share Expertise to Back Britain and Localise the Supply Chain

Alucast Ltd — 09/07/2021

Two local Midlands manufacturers Alucast - offering a single-source supply of sand, gravity, high and low pressure aluminium castings and HCM Engineering - one of the UK's leading exponents in the manufacture of tooling and prototypes, have joined forces to strengthen the supply chain and share best practices.

Both established in the 1960’s the two firms bed their technologies together to produce high quality affordable castings, and even exchange apprentices so future engineers get a rounded view of how the supply chain works.

Wednesbury based Alucast and Lye based HCM Engineering have a relationship spanning over 25 years and more. The aim of two like-minded companies is to reinforce supply for good value for money - especially on delivery time. They also regularly share best practices to innovate and adapt to customers’ requirements. This streams down to their apprentices as well, giving them the opportunities to see how other businesses in a similar field work. This highlights the importance of localising the supply chain to offer knowledge transfer to future generations of engineers - all because the firms are based in close proximity to each other.

Tony Sartorius, Chairman at Alucast said:

“Having local businesses with a similar mindset is very beneficial for any company who is committed to innovation. It helps solve problems quickly and more efficiently, it also means we can achieve more for customers. For example, because HCM is local and we have a great relationship with them, we can pick up the phone and get advice easily, or meet face to face the same day to solve issues.”

Both Alucast and HCM Engineering encourage the importance of having local suppliers, linking local businesses together who have the same goal - such as producing high quality automotive components. The two businesses have collaborated on many projects and their ongoing partnership emphasises the achievements of collective intelligence - two businesses working together to understand how to make a product in the best possible way, from material to application.

Simon Hanson, Managing Director of HCM Engineering, said:

“When producing tooling we have to look at the total manufacturing cost, not just the price of the tooling. The tooling has to be designed and manufactured to the customers testing foundry standards to ensure high performance and quality is achieved every time. Having a customer on our doorstep enables true integration of our engineering and commercial teams. Working with premier automotive and other brands, we can rapidly introduce new products to the market quickly and cost effectively which is key in this emerging electrification world. This strong local customer-supplier team approach saves time and money!”

Both firms are members of Made in the Midlands and believe that without opportunities for networking - such as the Backing Britain Breakfast mornings, local businesses may not realise that support is just down the road. In addition, it also creates more fortuitousness for best practice and knowledge sharing.

Alucast invests £200,000 in new testing capability

Alucast Ltd — 14/07/2021

Aluminum casting specialist and Made in the Midlands member - Alucast has invested more than £200,000 is launching a new specialist department as it continues to recover from the pandemic.

Alucast, which employs nearly 100 people at its factory in Wednesbury, has secured a number of new wins with major car makers thanks to its ability to provide simulation, casting, machining, and the latest testing facilities.

Now the latter has been strengthened even further after the company invested more than £200,000 to create a new dye penetrant service - a form of non-destructive testing used to assess structural vehicle components and other parts for cracks.

The new department has been successfully operating for several months, with five members of staff fully trained on it.

Alucast chairman Tony Sartorius said: "The automotive sector is always looking for faster production times and ‘right first time’ quality and this is what our latest investment is delivering.

"Cast and machined parts are cleaned and treated with a special, coloured penetrant liquid, which searches out minute cracks in the surface of the components. The parts are then left for a period of time, so that the penetrant can soak into any cracked areas, after which they are washed clean, which removes the liquid from the surface.

"A developer is then used on the part and essentially draws out the penetrant from the crack to reveal a coloured line if a fault exists. If cracks are evident, the part is scrapped."

He added: "What this means to the customer is that they don't lose time and experience additional costs that arise when a faulty part is sent out for secondary processes."

Alucast offers sand, gravity and high and low pressure casting to a client base that spans automotive, construction products, electrification and hydraulics.

Part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), the company had seen volumes dip during the pandemic but, since lockdown was lifted, these have recovered through strong demand for its casting and machining capabilities.

Its dye penetrant testing offer joins additional complementary services, including casting simulation software, advanced laboratory facilities, X-ray, heat treatment and high-tech metrology.

"Since that decision, we have invested nearly £3 million into upgrading our core making facility and creating a new CNC machining shop with 5-axis capability, as well as the additional technology we have for testing and development.

"Servitization is a big area of potential for us, where customers can access individual services we offer, such as casting simulation and heat treatment, to solve specific production issues or to ensure quality compliance.

"The addition of a dye penetrant department is a perfect example of this and we are seeing a steady increase in companies using it to double-check their parts."

(Source: Business Live)