Alucast secures coveted automotive quality accreditation

Alucast, which is a specialist supplier of sand, gravity and pressure castings, has secured TS16949, a prestigious automotive quality accreditation, as part of its continuous improvement drive and believes this latest development will pave the way for 33 per cent growth between now and 2018.

Boosted by the industry-specific approval, the company is expecting to win a number of new orders, taking turnover from its current £7m level to £10.4m in three years, potentially creating 25 new jobs in the process.

“We’ve always offered outstanding manufacturing standards to our global client base, but in order to win more work with tier 1 and car makers we had to secure TS16949. It’s fast becoming a pre-requisite on tenders,” explained Martin Haynes, technical manager at Alucast.

“It is a quick estimate, but now we hold the accreditation we believe we can bid for more than £5m of additional work every year that could change our company forever. It’s a massive investment in time and money, there’s no escaping that. However, the additional measures we have put in place are already generating cost savings through reductions in waste and greater throughput of work. Our Parts Per Million (PPM) score has improved and ‘right first time’ is becoming the norm,” said Haynes.

Alucast, which is a member of the Midlands Assembly Network (MAN), has seen sales rise by five per cent this year to £7m.

Tony Sartorius, chairman of Alucast, said: “In addition to the accreditation, we have recently installed MagmaSoft casting software that is speeding up time to market and reducing the cost of prototyping.”

He added: “This is part of a £1m investment that also includes new CNC machines, replacement furnaces and building and layout improvements.”

Formed in the late 1960s, Alucast offers a single source manufacturing solution for sand, gravity and high-pressure aluminium castings.