A new £50,000 furnace has enabled a Spalding Common firm to improve output, become more efficient and safeguard jobs.
South Lincs Pattern Shop and Foundry’s second furnace is making a big difference to the niche work which the business attracts.
Foundry owner and managing director David Harriman said: “We do a lot of work with prototype people, who might be not quite sure what materials they want to use.”
The foundry is also busy with custom from owners of vintage cars such as Aston Martin, Rolls Royce, Bugatti and Bentley, through the manufacture of replacement parts such as cylinder blocks.
Mr Harriman said: “We identified that one of our challenges was capacity and we needed to invest in a second furnace.
“It has allowed us to improve flexibility by allowing us to do smaller batch melts and has reduced costs through energy efficiency.”
The new furnace was bought with the help of £12,000 grant support from South Holland District Council’s Grants4Growth programme.
The grant application was facilitated by Andy Aldridge, of Consult3A, who said: “What we have done is to take a strategic approach to looking at the business.
“This grant is testimony of what can be done.”
The company employs 20 people and the investment has further safeguarded those roles.
