Chain links business is forging a success

A fledgling Black Country pressings firm has seen production double for its chain links used to manufacture conveyor systems for glass bottles.

Pennine Prostamp, in Strawberry Lane, Willenhall, started a year ago with just one worker — operations manager Martin Hallam — who has since taken on four more staff to cope with demand.

It was launched to supply chain links to Yorkshire-based assembler Pennine Industrial Equipment Limited, which has ploughed £500,000 into the business.

But the firm has proved so successful it is supplying other firms across the country and plans to expand to cope with demand.

The chain links form part of a conveyor belt, which is sold on to bottle factories in about 70 countries including vineyards in Chile, perfumeries in France, vodka distillers in Russia and breweries in Africa and the Far East.

Mr Hallam, aged 46, of Stoke-on-Trent, was invited by business contacts at the family-run Pennine Industrial to establish the new venture after he was made redundant by another company after 20 years in the metal pressings industry.

"We started 12 months ago with two machines and things have gone so well in that time we have added two more machines and we have seen production double," he said.

"There were two us here when we started and now we're up to five including a tool maintenance operator so we can do our repairs in-house, along with an apprentice.

"Pennine Industrial Equipment is our main customer, but we are looking to attract orders from others and diversify the products we make and launch ourselves as a metal pressings company," Mr Hallam said.

The firm held an open day for business contacts to tour the small site off Neachells Lane.

Graham Hobbs, the 55-year-old managing director of Huddersfield-based Pennine Industrial Equipment, decided to set up Pennine Prostamp after previously using three different chain link suppliers.

"We are looking for other work in the high quality end of the precision pressing market," he said. "We are interested in things like parts for the aerospace industry."