A&M EDM celebrates two decades of success
A&M EDM precision engineers in Smethwick has celebrated its 20th anniversary.
It has grown from a two man start up by Arthur Watts and Mark Wingfield in rented space in Mornington Road, Smethwick to owning that site and a larger factory 150 metres away in Middlemore Road.
The company now has 76 employees and achieved record sales of £7 million in the year to the end of September.
The Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit has produced an independent report on A&M’s economic impact over 20 years.
The unit believe this report is one of the first to provide a detailed analysis of the growth of a manufacturing small or medium-sized enterprise.
It found the company has delivered an estimated £5 million Gross Value Added in the latest year and up to £50 million over 20 years.
It has achieved an annual average growth rate of eight per cent in jobs over the last 10 years, and by continually investing in innovation and research and development, including £10m spent on capital expenditure and £4m via R&D tax credits since 2010.
In 20 years, A&M has used 750,000 miles of EDM brass wire, equivalent to three journeys to the moon
Professor Delma Dwight, director of Black Country Economic Intelligence Unit, said: “Manufacturing is a critically important industry in the Black Country and wider West Midlands, providing high levels of good employment and added value to the economy.
"As this impact report shows, A&M EDM is a great example of the entrepreneurship, growth and resilience of manufacturing, ready to take on the challenges and opportunities of the future. Over 20 years, the company has driven strong economic value as well as cultivating a committed, skilled workforce at the heart of the local community.
"A&M EDM truly is a leading light of manufacturing in the West Midlands, particularly highlighting the excellence of the region’s many SME, supply chain firms.”
Mark Wingfield, managing director of A&M EDM, said: “In 2002 my ambition was to become a sustainable sub-contractor offering electronic discharge machining services to West Midlands manufacturing. The reduction of the Midlands toolmaking and automotive industries created opportunities to grow the business into other sectors such as aerospace. My advice to anyone starting today is to find ways to add value to every customer and continuously reinvest in equipment and developing apprentices and the workforce.”
