The workholding and machining firm Brown & Holmes achieved record levels of growth in 2012 with sales hitting £5m for the first time.
Kevin Ward, joint director at Brown & Holmes, says the increase in business is down to a resurgence in demand for UK engineering expertise.
The workholding and machining which employs 52 people in Tamworth and is an SME partner to the Manufacturing Technology Centre – part of the High Value Manufacturing Catapult – says it is confident of further growth. “We are currently forging relationships with overseas partners to supply our products on a global scale,” explained Mr Ward.
Investments in capability and capacity at Brown & Holmes are also being made to sustain its ability to meet demand.
Brown and Holmes invested in larger vertical CNC machines and in equipment which is set to reduce the firm’s reliance on subcontracting work in 2012.
Also included in last year’s total investment of £450,000 were improvements to the design department. Having spent £30,000 on additional soft- and hardware, the company hired two new designers to further build on its expertise in the latest 3D design and solid modelling techniques.
In addition to capital investment, staff training has been key to the burgeoning confidence at Brown & Holmes. Technical development areas have included courses in hydraulics and PLC logic while customer support training has proved central to the increased sales achieved last year and the company is now working with a sales consultancy, in order to improve the efficiency of its management systems.
