Erodex investing £1m in tooling business
Black Country-based manufacturing equipment supplier Erodex is investing more than £1 million in its tooling division to support continuing growth.
It includes the acquisition of a local engineering works as well as spending on machinery and building work. The growth has seen eight new recruits.
The recent acquisition of a local engineering works has doubled the number of dedicated Erodex Tooling Solutions (ETS) staff at its site in Poole, in Dorset, increasing the firm's specialised skill base.
The introduction of CNC machining centres, wire & die sink machines and fast hole drilling capability now enables ETS to manufacture controlled goods completely in house. This means the company can protect its own intellectual property (IP) as well as that of its growing number of customers.
Erodex is a leader in the field of supplies for EDM – electrical discharge machining, or spark erosion – graphites and graphite machining, with its headquarters on Halesowen's Tipper Industrial Estate and a machine shop in Darlaston.
Director Steve Rolinson said: “As a result of our latest investments in ETS, we are now capable of offering complete development of EDM die sinking applications.
"For many years Erodex have maintained our position in the market for the design, manufacture and asset care of EDM electrodes. Thanks to the recent acquisition, ETS can now support the group with die sinking trials to ensure electrodes are performing to their full potential. In addition, our association with graphite manufacturers allows us to maximise the efficiency of the machine, maintaining surface finish and improved wear on the electrode. This combination keeps cost down and increases throughput, all whilst maintaining quality."
The wealth of experience within the growing workforce, particularly within the field of EDM, has created opportunities for the firm to innovate and diversify, said Mr Rolinson.
"Our customers have also been approaching us for a solution to an ongoing problem regarding the verification of features post process. This has led to us developing a state of the art inspection machine that will transform the way these features are inspected, which we expect to be completed by the end of Q3 this year.
"This is an exciting opportunity for Erodex and one that is eagerly awaited by our customers."
Meanwhile, building work is currently underway to transform existing offices at the firm's Halesowen headquarters into a fully contained showroom and conference facility to host the inspection machine, enabling customers to develop and test the machine for their own production needs.
