Erodex celebrate 50th anniversary with £400k automation investment

The family-owned firm is looking to the future with the purchase of an automated pallet loading system to work in coordination with existing high speed machining centres.

As a result of the investment, the company at Tipper Trading Estate, Park Road, expects to maximise efficiencies and output within a high-volume area of the business; creating capacity without the need to layer in additional shift patterns.

In addition, the alignment of existing machining capacity with automation provides Erodex with a portfolio that it has previously been unable to offer customers, therefore creating new business opportunities.

The company’s state of the art machining facility in Wednesbury has been established for over 35 years, enabling Erodex to machine its wide variety of graphite grades into highly complex components for a range of industries. It has also been a key driver in the significant growth that the Erodex Group has experienced in recent years, following a £1.75 million investment in new machinery in 2021.

Steve Rolinson, director at Erodex Group, said: “We are very proud to celebrate 50 years in business, which is a significant milestone for the Erodex Group.

“The fact that we continue to go from strength to strength as a business is testament to the fantastic, loyal workforce that we have here, many of whom have been with us for a significant amount of time.

“Further investment in our machining facility represents the next stage of evolution for the business. Since the mid-1980s the Erodex Group has enabled our customers to benefit from the capabilities of our ISO 9001 accredited graphite machining facility, which is widely regarded as the best graphite machining facility in Europe.

“Continued planned investment as part of our continuous improvement programme - including that in automation - means that we are well placed to capitalise on market opportunities moving forward and further reinforces our position as UK leaders in the design and manufacture of graphite electrodes, tooling and fixtures for the aerospace and IGT sectors”.

Alongside the automation investment, Erodex continue to invest in the upskilling of its’ employees; placing two operators on additional CAD training and will continue this investment in people through the short and medium term. The company is also set to relaunch its’ apprenticeship scheme this coming summer, developing the next generation of engineers and further future proofing the workforce.

Founded in 1973, the Erodex group employs 90 people across two sites in the West Midlands with headquarters in Halesowen alongside the Wednesbury based machining facility.