Walsall steel coating firm changes hands

Firsteel in Brockhurst Crescent, Bescot, has been bought by What More UK which makes metal and plastic houseware under the brand Wham.

General manager at Firsteel, Paul Didlick, said that no jobs would be lost as a result of the deal.

The acquisition is to secure the Burnley-based business's bakeware and cookware lines of supply.

What More UK exports goods to 75 countries around the world, in addition to every major UK supermarket and another 1,600 independent retailers.

Firsteel makes and develops customised prefinished metal. Its production of coil coating is a process applying coating material to coiled metal strip continuously.

What More Uk will use the coated metal for more bakeware and cookware lines.

The purchase of Firsteel means it will now have total quality control of the whole process of production for its bakeware and cookware lines.

What More UK director Tony Grimshaw welcomed the Firsteel team and said: “This move will lead to other product opportunities and development, even using other metals.

“At the moment the UK brand and market leader in bakeware and cookware is China. We have superb quality products at competitive prices, manufacturing capacity, a secure supply line and our outstanding reputation for customer service. We now look for the continued support of UK retailing and hopefully gaining more, to achieve the goal of UK brand and market leadership in the bakeware and cookware sector."

Firsteel has been operating since 1957 and was bought in 2019 by William King Ltd, of West Bromwich

It was the first in the UK to develop a continuously operated coil coating line. This technology has been further developed over subsequent years on the site to achieve market leading coated products supplied to every corner of the globe.

​The business, as part of the Lonrho Group in the 1970s, was originally known as Coated Strip and became known as Firsteel Coated Strip in the mid 1980s. In 1997 Firsteel was acquired by British Steel, which subsequently became Corus following British Steel’s merger with the Dutch steel maker Hoogovens. Tata Steel acquired Corus in 2007 and the business remained part of the Tata Steel Group until July 2019.

Firsteel was a global pioneer in the development of continuously coated ‘non-stick’ products supplied into the bakeware sector. It was also the first UK company to develop adhesive bonded systems.

Mr Grimshaw said that the deal for Firsteel was "a match made in heaven."

"Firsteel's expertise, and their proud, committed, and enthusiastic workforce will slot in perfectly with the rest of the What More team. Now we truly are a drawing board to the oven, bakeware/cookware supplier. Designed in the UK, made in the UK, sold to the UK and the world," he added.

What More UK, which makes around the sink items and garden, garage and officeware, is a member of Made in Britain.