Plans unveiled for £17m foundry to meet soaring demand

Castings has unveiled plans for a new foundry production line in Derbyshire to satisfy a high level of demand.

The new £17m line at its William Lee site in Dronfield will be funded from internal resources and add up to 12,000 tonnes of foundry capacity.

Expected to be commissioned within the next two years, it is hoped the additional facility will enable Castings to meet the demand for its heavy truck parts and take advantage of new market areas such as truck electrification, wind energy and further opportunities in the US.

It currently is unable to meet both current and forecasted demand and has had to outsource some production to other foundries for the short term.

William Lee was acquired by Castings in 1991 and produces parts for nearly every truck manufacturer including Scania, Volvo and Daimler. Currently employing 400 staff, the firm produces more than 25,000 castings daily to be shipped worldwide.