Growth on horizon as firm marks 65 years

Worcester Presses, which employs eight people at its Titan Works factory, has enjoyed a surge in demand for its range of machines, with strong growth currently being seen across key industry sectors, including automotive, aerospace and building products.

More than 26 presses - ranging in size from three to 3,000 tons - were sold in the UK last year and this has seen turnover increase to over £1.5m, creating a job for the firm's first apprentice in more than two decades.

The company is hoping this figure will increase rapidly, with the MACH 2014 Show in April set to mark the unveiling of a new 60 tonne press, with quick die change and touch screen control.

"We're really proud of our Black Country roots and delighted to have been serving customers from our Stourbridge factory for more than 65 years," said Russell Hartill, sales director at Worcester Presses.

"There have been a lot of changes over that time and we've had to evolve our product range to continue to be competitive and retain our market share.

"This has included the strategic relationships we've forged with Chin Fong and Yeh Chiun to supply their power presses and hydraulic presses in the UK.

"We are still manufacturing machines from our factory and also offering a full refurbishment and repair service and one of the most comprehensive spares stocks in the UK.

"The ability to respond quickly, often by having one of our experienced engineers on site within hours, is something many of our rivals can't match."

Operating from its 10,000 sq ft site, Worcester Presses provide access to a comprehensive range of power and hydraulic machines, covering bench, straight side double crank, c-frame hydraulic and servo presses. The company also offers a host of coil handling and ancillary products and has the capability to configure feeders, decoilers, levelers, guards, quick die changes and other modifications to meet bespoke customer requirements.

Charles Higgins, who has been involved in the business for more than 30 years, said: "2013 represented a major shift in purchasing attitudes from our customers.

"Our turnover was pretty much 90 per cent power presses at the start of the year, but this has since changed to a much more even split across our three main product areas.

"The current high level of investment in automotive industry has generated a real demand for our machines from this sector, as the tier 1s and tier 2s are looking to really ramp up production to cope with OEM demands."

Charles added: "We're also investing in stock machines which will enhance our appearance at MACH 2014 and have got a new 60 ton Chin Fong press to unveil."

Worcester Presses has been building bench presses from the early 1930s and was bought in 1936 by The Mining Engineering Company.

During the war, manufacturing was sub-contracted to Stourbridge and in 1949 Jones and Attwood acquired all the rights. A 1953 price list indicated the ex-works selling price for a 6 ton press was £121.

The Worcester Presses division of Jones and Attwood gradually expanded the range to include 10 tonne, 18 tonne, 30 tonne and 50 tonne models

In 2005 Worcester Presses separated from Jones and Attwood and ibecame Worcester Presses Limited, self contained for the second time in its history.

In the last nine years, the company has installed presses all over the UK, Canada, Czech Republic, Greece, Egypt, Ireland, Romania and Spain.