New foundry plans to safeguard jobs

A new purpose-built foundry could be created in the Black Country, safeguarding manufacturing jobs and creating the potential for new ones.

Impalloy Ltd in Bloxwich, which employs 40, is aiming to build a new base on the site of the neighbouring Mazak Ltd which shut in February with the loss of 50 jobs after going into administration. The former Mazak building on the Willenhall Lane Industrial Estate has since been demolished and Impalloy is in talks with landowner Revelan for a new foundry in its place.

Impalloy specialises in manufacturing bracelet and anodes to prolong the life of metals used on oil rigs, wind turbine foundations, dock gates, ships and boats hulls.

It has moved from making a loss a few years ago to winning lucrative contracts and boosting its annual turnover to an expected £8 million at the end of this financial year.

Managing director Marie Patterson said: "The redevelopment of the old Mazak site is perfect for us because we are looking at having purpose-built new premises.

"The site we have at the moment has been here for decades, we need somewhere more modern but we don't want to relocate miles away, moving to this neighbouring site would be perfect for us.

"A lot of our staff are from the Bloxwich area and we want to keep the jobs here. At a time when a lot of manufacturing jobs are disappearing this would keep jobs in the area and there is the potential for new manufacturing jobs down the line."

The proposed new building, which will be created subject to planning permission, will include a new foundry with its own modern furnaces, a fabrication shop and offices.

Mazak, known as The Spelter, has now been demolished since shutting because of poor trading conditions.

It produced a range of zinc-based alloys for diecasting and galvanising, and zinc-based pigments for the paint and pharmaceutical industries.