One of Birmingham’s longest-established manufacturers has been awarded a six-figure grant to help it cater to the growing electric vehicle market, from a programme helping regional businesses strengthen their supply chains and diversify into new, high-growth markets.
Brandauer & Co Ltd successfully applied to the West Midlands Supply Chain Transition Programme for £199,500 to develop a new manufacturing process for a critical component used inside electric vehicle motors, strengthening the UK’s position in the growing electric vehicle supply chain.
The programme is helping small and medium-sized enterprises like Brandauer to diversify their customer base by winning new orders in growing areas of the economy through workshops, one-to-one coaching with supply chain specialists, leadership and change management training, and access to R&D grant funding.
It is funded by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, through the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Investment Zone programme, and is being delivered by the Supply Smarter West Midlands Consortium, which includes C&W Business Solutions, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG) at the University of Warwick, Birmingham City University, Coventry University and University of Wolverhampton.
Brandauer, a global precision metal-stamping and tooling specialist, will finish the 12-month project in May 2027, delivered in partnership with WMG, to improve how it manufactures lamination stacks, the layered stacks of ultra-thin electrical steel sheets that form the magnetic core of an electric motor.
Each stack is built from more than 3,000 individual laminations and their precision directly affects how well a motor performs, how efficiently it uses energy and how reliable it is over time.
While automotive has historically formed a significant part of its customer base, Brandauer has been expanding into aerospace and defence, including emerging drone technologies, and has already secured new orders in this cluster.
Rowan Crozier MBE, Chief Executive and co-owner of Brandauer, said their current process suffers from inconsistency which means too many parts are scrapped and faults are often caught too late in production which makes it harder to compete for larger, high-volume contracts from major vehicle manufacturers and their Tier 1 suppliers.
He said: “For Brandauer, this project was taken on as a strategic way to both develop Brandauer’s internal capabilities and solve real world problems for both current and future customers, adding huge value for everyone involved.
“The real winning formula for this project was the combination of Brandauer’s expertise in precision engineering with WMG’s amazing access to deep research.
“The result will be a repeatable and scalable approach to bonded motor lamination stacks and after accessing WMG’s capabilities, we are confident the manufacturing process will be a success.
“This new process will give customers greater confidence in the quality, performance and scalability of all lamination projects.
“It’s also important not to forget that this investment has provided the UK with a crucial sovereign capability, which is becoming increasingly non-negotiable for more markets than ever.”
The project is the latest example of how business support is helping established West Midlands manufacturers strengthen their position in high-growth markets.
Andy Davis, Project Lead for the Supply Chain Transition Programme, said Brandauer had already shown a willingness to diversify after moving into aerospace, defence and drone-related technologies.
“Brandauer is exactly the kind of business this programme exists to support, a well-established manufacturer with real expertise, looking to move into higher-value, higher-volume work rather than standing still,” he said.
“Its move into aerospace and defence shows how an established SME can apply its existing strengths to entirely new products and supply chains rather than starting from scratch, and this project builds on that by opening up the electric vehicle market as well.
“Getting the lamination stack process right will let Brandauer compete for contracts with major vehicle manufacturers that would otherwise be out of reach.
“That matters for the region as much as for the business because it means more resilient supply chains and more skilled jobs here in the West Midlands.”
Dr Federico Melotti, Principal Engineer, WMG, added: “We’re pleased to deliver this project through the Supply Chain Transition Programme, continuing WMG’s 15-year partnership with Brandauer, to further support the company to strengthen its position in advanced manufacturing, while continuing to diversify into emerging markets.”
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