Coronavirus blow to Dudley foundry group's centenary celebrations
The centenary celebrations of a family-owned foundry group have been knocked for six by the coronavirus pandemic.
Monday marked the 100th anniversary of the official incorporation of Dudley's Thomas Dudley, which is located on Birmingham New Road.
The lockdown meant the cancellation of a series of events that were to have been staged to mark the big year for the business.
Last Sunday there was to have been a special day out at Drayton Manor for all of the group's employees and their families. Between 1,200 and 1,600 people were to have been taking part.
Chairman Martin Dudley said that Covid-19 had not stopped the group's operations completely, but three-quarters of the workforce had bee furloughed through the lockdown.
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Mr Dudley himself caught the virus and narrowly avoided being hospitalised.
He is now back at work and said that his experience meant that Thomas Dudley was taking measures to protect all of its employees even more seriously.
"I caught the virus quite early on in the outbreak. It took me off my feet for a week, but I managed to self medicate and get through it and fortunately I avoided having to go into hospital.
"I feel much better now, but I now know just how nasty coronavirus can be.
"It makes you realise what the effect could be on our people, so we will be taking social distancing and other measures to protect people very seriously," he said.
Mr Dudley said some more of the foundry staff had come back in this week to get the group's two foundries back up and running to try to satisfy some of the orders that had come in.
"We are planning to shut them again Friday and furlough for another three weeks and we are looking to start up properly in the second week of June. You can't have just half a melt crew in.
"In the second week of June we hope to have enough orders to bring everyone back in.
"Once our customers are back in work then demand for our foundry products will pick up."
Mr Dudley said the plastics side of the business was able to operate with much smaller shifts and had continued to operate through the lockdown. The business had also been making face visors for the NHS.
The centenary had been put to one side during the crisis, he said.
"We did have a good celebration for out customers and supporters just before everything started to slow down," he added.
"As regards the Drayton Manor event, we don't know with any certainty when we can bring everyone back, so we will be looking at delaying it until next year.
"We hope to come through this and hope that Thomas Dudley will still be her in another 100 years," added Mr Dudley.
