New jobs on way as Walsall foundry Chamberlin looks overseas
Foundry group Chamberlin is to recruit more sales staff in an attempt to win new orders in the UK and abroad. The move comes after the Walsall company saw profits for the first half of the year rise 15 per cent to £914,000.
The number of new jobs is not known but bosses say there will be continued recruitment. Chief executive Tim Hair said: "We think there are opportunities to take our exports to new customers and find new markets." He said the group is also still investing in the quality of its castings.
This year it made capital investment of £700,000 including £170,000 in metal cooling simulation software at its Chamberlin & Hill works in Chuckery Road.
However, the firm saw revenue fall from £23million to £22.6m in the last six months. Mr Hair said the slight downturn in sales was mainly from falling demand in the general engineering economy, particularly in construction equipment.
He added that the increase in profits was down to improved operational processes which had been made at all five of its sites in the last five years. "We still want to be more profitable. Making nearly £1m on £22m is not as good as we would want it to be, but we are very much going in the right direction," he said.
Chamberlin exports 35 per cent of what it produces, with another 35 per cent used by customers in equipment they export.
Mr Hair said extra sales people were being recruited as the group stepped up efforts to find new customers and achieve growth.
"There are turbocharger manufacturers we don't sell our castings to, and we also have targets across UK industry and abroad," he added.
Chamberlin employs 437 across the group, with 144 at the Walsall works.
It is also bidding for and winning orders for turbine casings which will be made in temperature-resistant iron at its Leicester foundry.
There is also a foundry in Scunthorpe, and the group also includes Cannock-based Exidor, the UK market leader in specialist emergency exit hardware.
