Recruitment to follow £4m investment in factory

It invested £4 million in the new facility at Cradley Heath in July last year to house its fabrications services, which produce tailored aluminium and stainless steel products for customers across the construction, architecture and engineering industries.

Additional investment is planned for the site, predominantly to install the latest cutting technologies – such as new saws and CNC machines.

Marking the firm’s third facility in the West Midlands, the site was operational by October despite the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic. During this period, the business underwent a merger, bringing together its aerospace and materials divisions under the thyssenkrupp Materials UK brand to improve operational efficiency and utilise resources across various industries.

The investment in the fabrications facility followed a robust business case for the manufacturing of balconies. With the aerospace industry facing challenges as a result of the pandemic, thyssenkrupp Materials UK diversified its product line to apply its in-house aerospace expertise to the fabrications arm of its business, retaining a number of high-skilled jobs in the area.

Establishing a partnership with an innovative company in the construction industry allowed the firm to develop the first lightweight, carbon neutral, MMC, bolt-on balcony on the market. To date, the balconies have been used on residential developments in and around London, with further plans for the product to be rolled out across similar projects in Manchester and Birmingham.

The balconies are manufactured predominantly from aluminium extrusions and aluminium profile parts. The aluminium is recycled, and the product therefore offers 88 per cent carbon saving versus traditional balconies.

The new product line reinforces the company’s sustainability-first ethos, which underlies all its processes. A key focus in developing the Cradley Heath site was to create a paperless factory, which has been achieved through digitally-led stock management and drawings production. For thyssenkrupp Materials UK, digital transformation and sustainability go hand-in-hand.

Services that the business offers onsite include CNC machining, cutting, punching, drilling, welding and assembly as well as anodising, powder coating and painting. The new facility allows products and parts to be manufactured precisely to specification in a variety of shapes and sizes, offering lengths up to 7.3m long, making thyssenkrupp Materials UK one of the most versatile fabricators in the market.

Building on its success so far, the company is now looking to develop the site by expanding its portfolio of innovative, sustainable projects, focusing on aluminium machining and aluminium extruded parts. The firm is also supporting the engineering industry more widely with various product innovations in metal fabrication, including the development of custom door hinges prototyped using 3D printing technology. .

The firm currently has 30 employees who work across the machining and assembly lines while developing new projects at the same time. There is potential for the company to triple its workforce in the next three years, creating opportunities for 24-hour production across the factory.

The company is also a proud supporter of the local community, recently aligning its global campaign to support children around the world by partnering with local charity Acorns Children’s Hospice to provide new experiences for children in their care.