Bespoke engineering firm expands thanks to business growth grant

Black Country-based Evans and White Manufacturing has been able to expand its engineering operations, improve efficiency and retain staff, thanks to a Grant for Business Investment (GBI) through Advantage West Midlands (AWM).

The company, which was established in the 1950s, was being held back by being in cramped premises in Canal Street, Stourbridge, and suffered flood damage in 2008/09. It also needed to invest in new machinery to enable it to compete.

A £74,000 grant from AWM means the company has now invested nearly £250,000 in expanding to premises in Wartell Bank, Kingswinford.

Evans and White manufacture special purpose machinery and wanted to take full advantage of the latest computer numerical control (CNC) technology. They had already expanded their current base to include a whole range of markets, including marine, environmental, quarrying, and the food and steel processing industries.

The company is currently designing and manufacturing Heavy Strip Process equipment for a German processor based in the north of England. This converts steel coil to steel strips which can then be sold on for further processing to make steel components for a wide range of manufacturing uses.

That means Evans and White, which employs 18 people, can now offer a full range of processes, from welding right through to final machining of their own or customer components.

And the expansion has safeguarded four skilled jobs for the region.

Works manager Dave Cook said: "We are proud that we have survived and grown over the past few challenging years - particularly in the face of flooding and recession. It's onward and upward for us with the help of this grant."

Stuart Parkes, AWM Economic Development Grants Officer, said: "Evans and White are a classic example of how the regional development agency can encourage and retain home-grown manufacturing and skills in the region."