A WORLD-beating engineering company is celebrating 45 years in Redditch next week with a host of international guests and former local employees dropping in to say hello.
Washford-based Gardner Denver makes air and gas compressors through its well-known subsidiaries Hydrovane, BellissMorcom and Reavell and exports them all over the globe.
The Claybrook Drive firm employees over 300 people and runs an active apprenticeship scheme as well as sponsoring trainee engineers through university.
And it’s success prompted a visit from Redditch MP Karen Lumley who dropped in on Monday to take a look for herself.
“I’m here to celebrate the success of a unique company for the UK, a company that’s a great success story for Redditch.
“As a government the economy is absolutely key for us and so companies like Gardner Denver are very much to be encouraged.”
Product director Trevor Perry said business was good with demand for their products was worldwide.
“I would say that 99 per cent of companies that make a product will use a compressor somewhere as part of the process,” he said.
“In many respects it’s easier to say which countries we don’t export to rather than list the ones we do go.”
He also praised the company’s loyal workforce – people like Anwar Dil who has spent all 45 years with the firm and Charlie Downes, the fourth generation of his family to work at Gardner Denver.
“One of the attractions of this company is that we produce a rolls royce product, we used to be part of Rolls Royce at one stage, and the quality here is still A1,” said Mr Din.
