A Black Country manufacturer is doing well despite the tough economy and exporting around 80 per cent of its work mainly to the Far East markets.
MTI Welding Technologies Ltd, which makes special purpose machinery to carry out friction and resistance welding for the aerospace industry and other sectors, has increased its base at the flagship Pensnett Estate in Kingswinford, which is owned and managed by London and Cambridge Properties Ltd (LCP).
It is the company’s second expansion since moving to Pensnett in 2008. It has given up a smaller unit for one of 10,618 sq ft – a net gain of 4,000 sq ft – and also retained its original one of 6,000 sq ft.
MTI’s Operations Director David Wilkes said: “We are continuing to expand the business in the key areas of aerospace machine orders and have turned our original unit into a sub contracting welding shop which will give us the ability to manufacture new machines and produce component parts.
“We have recruited nine more people, ranging from machine builders to a European sales manager, to take our workforce to over 30. The company originally moved to the estate to enable it to consolidate.
David said: “Pensnett is a well run estate with excellent security and we like the flexibility we have here. LCP is very accommodating and whenever we want to expand or move it is arranged quickly and with the minimum of fuss. That flexibility has allowed us to expand at a sustainable rate.”
Managing Director Richard Jones attributed the continued success to the different market sectors that MTI serve and the global sales presence. In 2008 the company made the strategic decision to take 6,000 sq ft and combine a small machine build facility with a small sub contract facility employing 12 people.
He said 2011 had been the company’s most successful and profitable year to date and, with the flexibility that being based on the Pensnett Estate had given, the owners and management made the decision to separate the sub contract facility from its build facility. “The new 10,618 sq ft facility will allow us to build friction welders up to 300 ton forge capacity together with friction stir welding machines only previously built at our parent company in the USA,” Richard added.
MTI is part of a worldwide group with its headquarters in the USA and bases in China and India.
Accommodation available to let at the 185 acre Pensnett Estate ranges from offices of 113 sq ft to a newly refurbished warehouse/production unit of 55,736 sq ft at the prestigious Vantage Point development which is close to the main entrance. This can be let as two units of 22,766 and 32,970 sq ft.
Kingswinford based LCP is one of the UK’s largest private owners of industrial and retail property. Its total commercial property portfolio in excess of 14 million sq ft is held for long term investment purposes.
