Elite celebrates three decades in Bloxwich

The Bloxwich company has been a major contributor to the construction sector within the architectural aluminium glazing industry and has been involved in nearly 3,000 projects over its history.

Elite supply curtain wall, windows and doors, externally and internally fabricating in-house and installs all over the UK.

In 1993, managing director Jamie Bayliss was working in the same building Anbri House on Leamore Lane and bought the machines and tooling to start his own business. Starting with small shop front jobs and other window and door installs, driven by a desire to win work that would secure good turnover.

Jamie reflects: "There were moments in our first year where we were living a little hand to mouth and I remember our first notable contract was at the JobCentre in Great Barr for GallifordTry Construction in 1993, closely followed by David Lloyd Leisure Centre in Great Barr for Pellikaan Construction.

"Jobs like this gave us much needed early cash injections to grow and have confidence to tender for larger jobs in our early days. We also had early partners that we worked with such as Senior Architectural Systems and Pellikaan construction who we still work with very closely today, so that really helped us to grow over the early years."

As the years have passed so has the size of the order book.

The team has always been driven by securing larger contracts and now enjoy working with the likes of Morgan Sindall, Willmott Dixon, John Sisk & Son and Keir Group.

Milestones were celebrated with Elite's first £100,000 order in 1997, £500,000 in 2008, £1 million in 2011 and £2 million in 2018.

Buildings that Elite have worked on over the years include Walsall Waterfront, Health Tech Walsall, Harden Medical Centre, Bloxwich and Pinfold medical centres, Bloxwich Leisure Centre, Walsall Studio School, Walsall Ladder School, Walsall FC, YMCA West Bromwich and more recently YMCA Wolverhampton and Thomas Telford college in Wolverhampton.

The success of the business has relied on a few key factors and one is having members of staff that have been with the business from the early years that are still with the business today.

Family has been an important factor of Elite’s make up with Jamie’s brother, sister and son working in key roles.

"Having people here for over 25 years plus, has really helped the growth and success of Elite Aluminium,’ said Jamie.

"To have colleague’s enjoying what they love and creating the working environment we have has been incredibly valuable to our longevity."

Commercial success has close ties to a lot of local companies in Elite's supply chain, with pressed metal fabricator company Weldall enjoying a long relationship on all jobs and other local companies like Elite fasteners, Eurotool, Breakwell Paints, Premier Patforms, Safewise Health and Safety all being part of the day to day.

Elite have had a close bond with Walsall College over the years allowing a pathway for young CAD designers to join the industry and it also sponsors Pelsall Villa Colts first team and Bloxwich Ladies hockey team.

Elite currently are fabricating and installing to sites across the UK.

"Net zero is currently the challenge within the construction and building industry and we were happy to complete the UK’s first Net Zero bus station in Leicester earlier this year with Morgan Sindall. At our factory in Walsall we have solar panel roof array and many internal changes that have made our factory operationally carbon neutral.

"The challenge is on to continue the supply chain journey with our partners," said Joe Hughes, sales director at Elite.

The future is looking very bright for the company in a sector that has seen a few businesses sadly disappear over the last three to four years.