Auto firm recruiting 50 staff after £20m of new orders
A MIDLANDS automotive firm is set to expand after securing orders worth more than £20m for an innovative new product.
Cobra UK is aiming to recruit 50 workers to help it meet demand for its new low mass load floor.
The Shropshire-based firm has tapped into support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service – West Midlands (MAS-WM) to develop the new product, which reduces the weight of a vehicle and offers greater fuel performance and reduced emissions.
General Motors and hybrid car maker Fiskar are the first vehicle manufacturers to place orders with the firm, with more expected to follow when production is ramped up in September.
It marks a major period of expansion that has seen the company grow from just £300,000 after the MG Rover closure to an estimated £17.4m in sales for the next financial year.
Gary Seale, managing director of the firm, said: “This is a massive victory for UK innovation and shows what can be achieved if you invest in R&D and have conviction in your ideas.
“It has taken nearly three years to develop and bring to market, but we are now in a position where we have a product that offers significant cost and performance benefits that many global customers are crying out for.”
He said MAS-WM had been a major help in getting the product to market, providing financial and strategic advice throughout the entire process.
“There is little doubt in my mind that this external assistance has been the difference between turning the vision into commercial reality,” he added.
Cobra, which currently employs 72 people at bases in Whitchurch and a new facility in Welshpool, specialises in the automotive industry, with a product range including electric sun blinds, interior lighting, tread plates and load space covers.
However, by successfully adapting its manufacturing techniques it as diversified into other areas and now makes stadium seating for football clubs including Birmingham City, Leicester City, West Bromwich Albion and Wolverhampton Wanderers.
