Andy Street commissions new 5 Axis CNC machine and other equipment and meets apprentices.
Andy Street celebrates investment at A&M EDM driving sales over £6m
West Midlands elected Mayor, Andy Street commissioned new machinery at A&M EDM, precision engineers in Smethwick.
In 2018, A&M invested £750,000 on new equipment including a 5 Axis Hurco CNC machine, two spark eroders, handheld analyser for alloy identification and laser calibration for preventative maintenance of 22 CNC machining centres. his investment helped A&M achieve 32% growth in 2018, as sales increased to £6.1m.
Andy Street saw demonstrations of A&M’s CNC machining, quality inspection and spark and wire erosion capabilities. The company’s skilled engineers manufacture prototypes, precision components and tooling for aerospace, automotive, Formula 1 and production assembly customers.
Andy Street commissioned the new machining centre and met apprentices at work. He discussed skills development, A&M’s participation in the WMCA Thrive at Work Pilot trial and the role of advanced manufacturing and engineering as the dynamo of the region’s economy.
Andy Street said:
"A&M is a dynamic symbol of the West Midlands Economic Strategy in action, as an advanced manufacturing SME committed to sustained investment in new machinery, process innovation, developing apprentices and skills.
A&M demonstrates SMEs can access Government support by working in partnership with LEPs and local authorities.”
This investment was part funded by a £50,000 grant from the Black Country LEP’s Growing Priority Sectors fund, administered by Sandwell Council. The grant helped create five new jobs, with A&M’s workforce increasing by 10 new staff to 67 people in 2018.
Mark Wingfield, Managing Director of A&M said:
"It was a privilege to host the Mayor and discuss the importance of supply chain SMEs to competitive manufacturing in the West Midlands. We achieved record sales over £6m in 2018 and will continue investing in our capabilities, skills and apprentices. We value working in partnership with the public sector; the Growing Priority Sectors grant enabled us to accelerate investment and create new engineering jobs.”
