NEW JOBS PROMISE AS FIRM EXPANDS

An aluminium fabrications company is hoping to take on up to 30 staff at a new Black Country factory unit after expanding into the West Midlands.

Ross-on-Wye-based EDMO Ltd has taken on a five-year lease at Unit 1, Parkway Business Park – a 19,219 sq ft industrial unit in Wednesbury – after tripling its turnover from £5 million to £15 million in the past six years.

Parkway is a business park comprising five units, all of which are now fully let. It is located close to the A41 Black Country Route and just four miles from junction 1 of the M5.

Andrew Stride, managing director at the aluminium extrusion profile specialists, said it chose the single-storey detached unit because it provided excellent transport links.

Opening the West Midlands plant would also significantly reduce its logistics costs because the metal it uses is delivered weekly to Bilston.

Having looked at about a dozen units around Birmingham and the Black Country, Mr Stride chose Parkway Business Park.

LCP spent £250,000 refurbishing the steel portal frame unit, which also features four electric roller shutter doors, first floor offices, and a paved visitor and staff car parking area.

“We have expanded hugely over the past five to six years and have found our Ross-on-Wye plant is fit to burst but because we cannot expand on site there, it was the ideal opportunity to expand into the West Midlands,” explained Mr Stride.

“The metal we import comes into the West Midlands and we spend time moving it south to Ross-on-Wye before transporting it again across the Midlands and elsewhere in the country. Because of that, it made sense to open a satellite operation here in the Black Country, which will also allow us to undertake added-value work for our customers.

“We’ve already taken on some staff but I expect to have up to 30 based in Wednesbury by the end of the year, all of whom have been employed from the local area, which is great news.”

Andrew Preston, industrial property manager at LCP, said Parkway Business Park had proven to be popular, with the estate now fully let. Ban-Air Systems, part of ECL Solutions, has recently taken a six-year lease on Unit 2 – a 9,484 sq ft warehouse/industrial unit. Other tenants on the estate include Anixter Ltd and Signpost Solutions

“This is a prime location and premium quality unit and we are very pleased that EDMO Ltd has chosen to open a new plant at Parkway Business Park,” he said. “The fact that the park is now full is testament to the quality of the units there. It is great to see business thriving in the area.”