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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5. Building trucks for markets around the world
Guy Motors was still putting Wolverhampton-made vehicles on the international stage in January 1980, when the first of its new “super-tough” Landtrain trucks was inspected at the company’s Park Lane factory in Fallings Park. Designed for the demanding conditions of the Middle and Far East, Africa and Latin America, the trucks were built specifically for export markets. Jimmy Johnson and Brian Jones are pictured inspecting the new vehicle. Guy Motors was a major employer in Wolverhampton for generations. Do you remember working there, or know someone who did? What other local factories played an important part in your working life? | Express & Star archive
6. Making windows by hand
Workers at Alusuisse’s aluminium products factory in West Bromwich are pictured making windows by hand in August 1981. The 20,000 sq ft works and sales centre was being reorganised as part of an expansion, supplying window, door and patio frames to the home improvement market. Do you remember Alusuisse or working at the factory? Did you or someone in your family make windows or other aluminium products in West Bromwich? | Express & Star archive
7. Built in Halesowen for the world
Workers at Trenibord in Halesowen are pictured putting the finishing touches to the inside of a giant electric oven in March 1983. The 250-kilowatt oven was destined for a factory in Denmark, while associated company Hadendale Electrical Engineering fabricated and wired the oven and its control systems. At the time, the company was also completing contracts for the Chilean navy base at Valparaiso and a shipyard in Singapore, with around 60 per cent of its production exported overseas. The photograph is a reminder of the world-class engineering being produced in the Black Country during the 1980s. Do you remember working at Trenibord or Hadendale Electrical Engineering? What local firms do you remember exporting their skills and products around the world? | Express & Star archive
8. A new base for an engineering firm
AMEXON Engineering had opened two new factory units at Boley Park, Lichfield, by November 1982, offering a range of products for the thermoplastic construction industry. The photograph shows the reception desk and trade counter, where customers could buy pipes, fittings, valves and other equipment. Do you remember AMEXON Engineering or Boley Park in the 1980s? Did you or someone in your family work on the industrial estate? | Express & Star archive