Business is cut above the rest
A factory in the Black Country is enjoying a bumper year after spending £500,000 to expend its business. A&M EDM is enjoying the best year in its history. A factory in the Black Country is enjoying a bumper year after spending £500,000 to expend its business.While other manufacturers in the region struggle, A&M EDM is enjoying the best year in its history. The company, a specialist in intricate metal cutting, is celebrating after a string of recent contract wins has put it on course for a £1.5 million turnover and seen its workforce grow by 33 per cent. Read the full story in the Express & Star
The company, a specialist in intricate metal cutting, is celebrating after a string of recent contract wins has put it on course for a £1.5 million turnover and seen its workforce grow by 33 per cent.
Backed by support from Manufacturing Advisory Service West Midlands, the Smethwick-based company has defied all the odds to bring in new customers. It supplies a broad range of industries - from cars and domestic goods to jewellery and aerospace.
EDM or electrical discharge machining, removes metal using a rapid series of electrical discharges or sparks. It is especially well-suited for cutting intricate contours or delicate cavities in hard metals such as titanium or carbide, that would be difficult with a grinder, an end mill or other cutting tools.
It is a great success story for managing director Mark Wingfield, who, along with Arthur Watts, started the business in 2002 with just £17,000.
He said: "2006 was a great year and saw us make some massive strides in improving our operational performance and in our ability to win new work.
"There was also the small matter of refurbishing our facility in Mornington Road to consider as well.
"New markets and, in particular the aerospace sector, were also a priority for us, as we knew we possessed the skills and the capacity required to work within demanding environments."
He went on to add: "We immediately signalled our intentions by successfully securing the industry quality standard AS/EN9100, but rather than stopping there, we decided to carry on and go for the sector's top accreditation - NADCAP."
A&M EDM tapped into the experience and external advice of Manufacturing Advisory Service (MAS) LiftOff project.
Iain Robertson, MAS specialist manufacturing advisor, added: "There is a real 'can do' feel about the company and this is reflected from the senior management team right down to the shopfloor.
"Staff are continually looking at ways of improving the way the business operates, which is a real asset."
Picture: Managing director Mark Wingfield, centre, with the workers at A&M EDM.
