Dudley company celebrates centenary with Black Country food and plenty of nostalgia

Bosses at Metallisation LTD held a party with a historical slant for employees, suppliers and customers past and present with traditional Black Country food and entertainment and plenty of nostalgia.

Metallisation LTD started providing metal spray and thermalisation equipment in 1922, the year the Austin car was launched at Longbridge, centre court at Wimbledon was opened, the British Empire covered one quarter of the world and the BBC started radio broadcasts with a licence fee of 50 pence.

The company was formed with just two employees in Pear Tree Lane having acquired the exclusive rights for Great Britain of the master patents of Dr Max Ulrich Schoop from Zurich, the inventor of the thermal spray process

In 1909, Dr Schoop successfully patented the use of a combustion process using oxygen fuel to melt wire and propel it directly onto a substrate. He secured his second patent in 1911, which incorporated an electric arc as a production heat source, as an alternative to the oxygen fuel. And so the the technology of thermal spraying was born.

Originally the company was part of the John Thompson Engineering group who were well-known Black Country engineers and boiler makers in the 1800s and it started in a small corner of their factory before moving to its own premises

They helped support the country during world war two, building parts for Spitfires, and their products have developed from the early flame spray systems to today, where there is a full range designed, engineered and supported on the same site as the founders.

Metallisation now employ nearly 50 people and are recruiting after a record year in 2021. Clients include bridge and ferry operators, aerospace engine repair companies, wind turbine manufacturers and even film producers, with products distributed all over the world.

Current staff, former staff and invited suppliers enjoyed a centenary celebration which included a 3D cake representing a spray system, Black Country food and entertainment from actors and magicians reflecting their 100 years in business. The whole event was started with the sound of an air raid siren to mark their contribution to the war effort between 1939 and 1945.

Managing director Stuart Milton said they were proud to be operating from the same site in Dudley from where they started and whilst some techniques and equipment had changed, they still used the same basic thermal spray process patented well over100 years ago.

In an address to the guests he said: "Despite the age of the technology, we will continue to innovate and support our customers, old and new, as we journey together through the next century. It is a great achievement to be going successfully for 100 years and to me we are still using the principles of a fascinating product and process.

"At the core of everything we do has always been the people. The factory is just four walls and a roof without the people inside and the office is just a rest home for IT and desks if the people are not there.

"Collectively, past and present, we the people are the heart and soul of Metallisation Limited. I hope you all appreciate the part that you play and take a short time to reflect with some self and mutual congratulation on this special celebration day.

He added: "Technology has obviously come into play and things have changed a lot over the years but we have long standing customers and staff who have been with us for a long time and have been able to embrace those changes. "