Siddall and Hilton Products Ltd has made its largest investment in 12 years with the purchase of a new £2m specialist welding machine that has increased capacity and efficiency at its Brighouse manufacturing site, as well as creating up to 12 new jobs.
Under the leadership of chief executive Ian Thurley, the management team has undertaken a programme of operational improvements and the new machine will play a key part in bringing about further efficiencies and enabling the business to expand production to meet increasing demand for industrial mesh panels.
The new LGR102 welding machine, which has recently gone into full production, utilises the latest medium frequency welding technology and is manufactured by EVG, based in Graz, Austria. It has been configured to manufacture 100% of Siddall and Hilton’s industrial mesh product range and will be the fifth in the company’s fleet of EVG machines. The investment has been supported by Siddall and Hilton’s primary lenders, ABN Amro, with the support of a Business Growth Programme grant from the Leeds City Region LEP.
The new machine is capable of making panels up to 8 feet wide, allowing panels to be manufactured in landscape rather than the traditional portrait format. This maximises the number of welds per cycle and means that it will run 40% faster than any of the other machines in the business.
This exciting new phase in the business’ development also means that we will be expanding the team and we are actively recruiting mesh operators with a mechanical aptitude as we need to increase our pool of skilled employees. The company has established its own in-house training programme and feedback from our first intake of trainees has been extremely positive; they are enjoying their new roles and are learning rapidly. We see this as the entry point into an exciting career with a growing business, with many opportunities for personal development and career progression.
Located in Foundry Street, the business’ history dates back to 1895 when Richard Redfearn and Samuel Bedford founded Redfearn & Bedford; the company merged with Siddall and Hilton in 1958.
Today based in West Yorkshire, Siddall & Hilton Products Ltd are the UK's largest manufacturer of industrial welded mesh. Get in touch through the microsite today.