Booming car industry helps Black Country supplier target £10m in sales

BRITAIN’S booming automotive industry is providing the impetus for a Black Country manufacturer to achieve a notable sales target.

By cashing in on opportunities offered through the automotive supply chain, Wednesbury-based Alucast hopes to hit the £10m sales mark over the next two years.

Alucast, a specialist supplier of sand gravity and pressure castings, is targeting £3m of new product introductions after impressing car makers and tier 1 suppliers with its capabilities.

Aided by new software, the company has been able to take a greater role in designing and prototyping lightweight structural parts. This has already led to £500,000 of work for a niche vehicle manufacturer.

It has also used the expansion to enhance its management team by appointing Martin Haynes as Quality and Technical Director. In his new role he will be responsible for delivering world-class performance and new model introductions.

“There is a real momentum towards using aluminium in components, basically driven by the need to take weight out of vehicles,” said John Swift, Alucast’s managing director.

“This is an area we have significant expertise in and this has resulted in us being nominated for a lot of new work that we have gone on to win. The pipeline of opportunities is looking even better and I’m confident we can hit £10m by 2018.”

As part of the drive, the firm is looking to reduce the age of its senior management team by bringing in some younger people, with fresh ideas.

Alucast, which is a founder member of the Midlands Assembly Network, currently employs 98 people at its Wednesbury factory and is on course to increase turnover by 10% this year to £7.7m.