For many people across the Black Country and Staffordshire, the 1980s meant factories, workshops and industrial estates were a familiar part of everyday life. The sound of machinery, the smell of oil and metal, workers arriving for shifts and lorries coming and going were all part of the local landscape.
These photographs take us back to a decade when traditional skills were being joined by new technology. Engineers, machinists, printers, foundry workers and factory teams were keeping production moving, while local firms invested in new machinery, developed new products and won orders from around the world.
From Wolverhampton and Willenhall to Walsall, Dudley, Stafford and beyond, these pictures capture the people, workplaces and businesses that helped shape the region.
Do you remember any of these factories or firms? Perhaps you worked in one of them, or had a family member who did? Take a look through and see how many bring back memories - the pictures are in no particular order - and share yours in the comments.
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53. Inside Power Train's engine testing workshop
Testing was a serious business at Power Train in June 1980, with a section of the new factory devoted entirely to making sure every engine met the required standards before leaving the works. Engines were put through their paces on dynamometer test equipment designed to simulate different operating conditions. Each one spent at least four hours being tested, including running-in and maximum-load checks, with any faults sent back to the fitting shop for repair. The photograph gives a glimpse of the careful testing behind the engines produced at the factory. Do you remember Power Train or its factory? Did you or someone in your family work in engine manufacturing during the 1980s? | Express & Star archive
54. Yale looks to Willenhall for European expansion
Yale was preparing for a major push into European markets in July 1988, with exports already accounting for one sixth of the company’s business. The Willenhall manufacturer aimed to treble that figure by 1992, when the single European market was due to come into effect. The company had doubled its sales and marketing team and opened a new distribution centre in Rotterdam as it developed products for different European markets. Yale was already exporting around the world, including to Australia and the Far East. Do you remember Yale’s Willenhall factory? Did you or someone in your family work there during the 1980s? | Express & Star archive
55. Final checks at a Wednesfield factory
Graham Wood and Geoffrey Giles are pictured carrying out the final inspection of shell casings at Snyder Auto in Wednesfield in February 1980. The photograph offers a glimpse of the careful checking involved in local manufacturing, where precision was essential before products left the factory. Do you remember Snyder Auto or its Wednesfield works? Did you or someone in your family work there during the 1980s? | Express & Star archive
56. Bilston firm prepares for European expansion
Allen-Martin Conservation was celebrating the first anniversary of its new Bilston factory in March 1989 as its workforce and turnover continued to grow. The company had moved into its 20,000 sq ft Oxford Street premises with 40 employees the previous year; by March 1989, the workforce had risen to 86 and turnover had reached £2.25 million. The award-winning firm, which made high-tech energy management systems, was planning to set up a distribution company in Europe within 12 months as it looked to build on its success. Managing director David Perks is pictured showing computer equipment to Wolverhampton Mayor Phil Richards, deputy mayor of Sandwell Bill Edis and his wife, Joy. Do you remember Allen-Martin Conservation or its Oxford Street factory? Did you or someone you know work there during the 1980s? | Express & Star archive