Birmingham manufacturer invests in new machinery to improve capacity

A BIRMINGHAM manufacturer has used part of a £400,000 investment programme to upgrade key plant and machinery in order to improve output capacity.

The new machine purchased by Tufnol Composites is a six-daylight hydraulic sheet press that operates on the latest advanced technology within the composites industry.  

Roy Thomason, managing director for Tufnol Composites, said: “As a company we pride ourselves on being a leading UK manufacturer and this significant investment further underlines our commitment to this.  The new six-daylight sheet press not only increases our capacity but also ensures the continued high quality of our laminate range.
 
“In addition to enabling us to meet the continued strong demand for our high pressure laminates, we are also now very well positioned to meet the forecasted ‘ramp ups’ in our aerospace work and any new future requirements from our customers who operate in a wide range of sectors, including rail, construction and electrical.”

Tufnol Composites began manufacturing laminates more than 80 years ago. Thousands of new uses are still being created every year and the company works with leading brands including Bombardier Rail Control Solutions, London Underground, Rolls Royce and Airbus UK. Tufnol has also supplied its cotton fabric reinforced laminate to the redevelopment of New Street Station.