Investments lead to record growth for Midlands workholding firm
Tamworth based workholding and machining firm Brown and Holmes Ltd has achieved record levels of growth, with sales hitting the £5m for the first time in its history. Plans are in place to further increase the turnover to £8m over the next three years.
With a particular focus on future market requirements, Brown and Holmes Ltd has heavily invested in larger vertical CNC machines and in equipment which is set to reduce the firm’s reliance on sub-contracting work. Also included in last year’s total investment of £450k are improvements to their design department. Having spent £30k on additional soft- and hardware, the company also hired two new designers to further build on its existent expertise in the latest 3D design and solid modelling techniques.
Commenting on the growth of the company, joint Director Kevin Ward says, “I believe we are enjoying a resurgence in British manufacturing thanks to the high level of engineering expertise in the UK. In order to continue our growth, we are currently forging relationships with overseas partners to supply our products on a global scale.”
Staff training has been another key to the firm’s success. All 52 employees have received job-specific training over the past years, including hydraulics and PLC logic courses as well as customer support training. According to Ward, “everybody from apprentices up to Directors is included in our training plan which is being reviewed on a regular basis. Whilst we were originally focusing on capital investments, we realised very quickly that it is more important to invest in our own people to strengthen the business as a whole.” Currently, Brown and Holmes Ltd is working with a sales consultancy in order to improve the efficiency of its management systems, involving all its staff.
In addition to training its own staff, Brown and Holmes is also working closely with local educational institutions in an attempt to attract young people to their business. In the last year alone, the firm hired two more craft apprentices for its shop floor and two postgraduates for its design office.
Notes to the Editor:
Brown and Holmes Limited is a Tamworth-based company specialising in precision workholding and machining solutions. Established in 1939, the business has built a reputation for delivering superior quality to a wide range of customers within the aerospace, automotive, defence, pump and valve and energy industries. Apart from being the sole UK agent for the FORKHARDT workholding range, Brown and Holmes Limited is also a partner in the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), helping to bridge the gap between university-based research and the development of innovative manufacturing solutions.
