Angle Ring recruiting in wake of investment

The 64-year old company in Bloomfield Road has installed two new sets of large plate rolls to increasing rolling capacity to a whole range of markets.

The privately-owned firm, which employs around 100 is now taking on 11 new staff.

Managing director David Springthorpe said that the machines were ordered in 2014 and installed early this year.

Both sets have been custom made to exacting specifications allowing a wider range of plates and sheet steel to be rolled. He said that when combined with Angle Ring's existing plate rolling, press-braking and heavy plate pressing facilities they help create the widest range of plate bending services in the UK which compliments Angle Ring's already extensive range of bending services in steel sections including beams, tubes and columns.

Both new sets of plate rolls are able to bend plate, including stainless steel and aluminium, up to three metres wide and together offer a range of thicknesses from 5mm plate through to 130mm.

The larger machine is also able to cold roll plate over 150mm thick in shorter lengths.

"Some of the people we are taking on are needed to train on the new machines and others to take over when some of our long-serving people retire," said Mr Springthorpe.

The company's workforce has an average length of service of nearly 20 years.

Angle Ring, which also does fabrication and welding work and has annual turnover of around £8 million, was originally on a site in Bloomfield Road near to Hurst Lane but has been at its current site for more than 50 years. The company is still owned by its original founding family.

"Throughout the recent recession Angle Ring did not make a single redundancy and with the installation of new machinery are now expanding their workforce with both skilled production workers and qualified office staff," added Mr Springthorpe.

The new machines will see the 60 experienced skilled production staff operating 40 bending machines offering a comprehensive range of steel bending services from cold rolling small angles and flats to hot bending large diameter tubes.

Angle Ring produces curved steel pieces for a wide range of markets including structural buildings, sculptures, manufacturing, engineering, petrochemical and renewable energy. Recent iconic work includes a 12-metre high spade sculpture at the Percy Thrower Garden Centre in Shrewsbury and the stunning Kelpies near Falkirk in Scotland.

Mr Springthorpe said that the two new plate rolls would help the company to win more export work.

The bulk of its orders are currently from customers in the UK and Angle Ring has its own fleet of vehicles to make deliveries.

"The construction market has been pretty depressed in recent years, but with building work on the up again we hope to benefit," he added.

Angle Ring, which is still owned by its original founding family, is accredited to the quality system ISO9001:2008 and also has the requisite Factory Production Control system to allow CE Marking of structural steelwork in accordance with BSEN 1090 up to Execution Class 4 – its highest level.

Among the posts Angle Ring is looking to fill are those of plate roll operator, section bending machine operator, press brake operator and welder. Office posts include a health and safety and quality manager and welding engineer.