Alucast on track for £10m goal
03 Apr 2008
A strategic acquisition is set to help a Wednesbury-based aluminium component manufacturer close in on a £ 10m turnover. Alucast, supported by Birmingham Chamber-backed Accelerate, has added specialist machining to its portfolio with the purchase of Dixi Precision Components.
Coventry-based Dixi has seven employess and it gives the business a platform to share complementary customers and move into new markets.
Tony Sartorius is the Managing Director at the sand, gravity and pressure casting specialist Alucast,
He and John Swift took over the company in 2003 and set down a clear strategy that focused on growth that was set against a diverse customer base.”
They now supply many industrial sectors, including construction, medical, compressors, white goods and even street furniture for Birmingham City Council.
“The automotive, commercial vehicle and motor cycle industries is still an important sector and currently account for 25% of turnover supplying components that are used by Aston Martin, Bentley, Jaguar, Bugatti and Lotus.”
Based on the acquisition, Alucast has already secured a new £350k contract to supply machined parts to a major player in the automotive and commercial vehicle industry. “Within two weeks of taking over, we’ve virtually doubled turnover of Dixi and this is the benefit of synergy." he said.
He went on to add as most of the work we do has to be machined, bringing everything under one company will help to streamline quality and make the whole process more efficient and cost effective.
Accelerate has played a major role in Alucast’s development over the last five years, providing a range of strategic and financial assistance in modernising operations and introducing lean manufacturing.
The support we have received has been invaluable and allowed us to grow the business from £5m when we took over to its current £8.5m level,” added John Swift, who is the Operations Director.
Alucast management said that they are now working with the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands on training our workers in the techniques of lean manufacturing.
Alucast, which currently employs 115 people, has set its sights on surpassing the £10m mark by 2010.
About Accelerate
Accelerate is funded by the European Regional Development Fund. It has assisted
over 1500 companies last year in implementing lean manufacturing, boosting sales, launching new products and improving quality, cost and performance.
It also gave component manufacturers from across the West Midlands access to the latest technologies, including alternative fuels and telematics.
Source:
http://www.engineeringcapacity.com/news101/sector-news/automotive-and-transport/acquisition_puts_alucast_on_track_for_10m_goal
March 25, 2014 9:44 am
Completing the biggest training scheme in its 47-year history has helped a Wednesbury foundry win £2.5 million of fresh orders.
Alucast, specialises in sand, gravity and pressure casting, has put 73 of its workers through a comprehensive programme that has delivered diplomas in business improvement techniques and a host of adult apprenticeships.
It collaborated with Lean Education and Development and implemented a number of improvement projects that have already delivered £232,000 of savings and cash flow benefits and boosted workflow through its factory.
The management team also believes that improving the skills of its staff has been directly responsible for landing £2.5m of contracts previously undertaken by foreign rivals.
These include complex components for a leading luxury car manufacturer, a brake piston casting for Carlisle Brakes and gravity die cast parts for Delphi Pumps.
Managing director Tony Sartoriu also completed a course as part of the programme.
The organisation came up with an approach to training that focused on securing national qualifications for our staff by working on issues within the company.
This ranged from energy management solutions and visual management to improvements in the core shop and the introduction of a dedicated cell for a new client. Increasing our technical capability as well as the training around the Japanese Lean manufacturing techniques of 5S and Kaizen has been instrumental in winning the new work.
Alucast is a founder member of the Midlands Assembly Network – MAN – a group of 10 world class sub-contract manufacturers who work together to deliver turnkey projects and bring work back to the UK. The collective, which has more than 650 people and records combined sales in excess of £65m, provides access to precision pressings, castings, design, etching, injection moulding, wiring looms, toolmaking, PCB assembly and electrical control systems.
Member firms include Advanced Chemical Etching, Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, FW Cables, Grove Design, Mec Com, PP Electrical Systems, Westley Engineering and SMT Developments. SMT has also benefited from Lean training, putting all of its 28 employees through an adult apprenticeship programme.
For details on Alucast visit www.alucast.co.uk. For more on MAN go to www.man-group.co.uk.
http://www.expressandstar.com/business/business-picks/2014/03/25/training-behind-raft-of-orders-at-alucast/