A MANUFACTURING firm founded at the same time Redditch was designated a new town has celebrated its 50th anniversary.
The Micro Spring and Presswork Company (MSP) welcomed Redditch MP Karen Lumley to the company’s base on the Enfield Industrial Estate site last Friday (June 20) to help mark the occasion.
A display of nine Royal Enfield motorcycles, dating back to 1942 and all of which were made on the estate, have also been brought in for the anniversary.
The company started out life in August 1964 making garter springs used in seals and was run by Barry Woodward and partners. Mr Woodward kept the company going until his death about eight years ago.
It was then bought in February 2008 by Nevis Capital and earlier this year was acquired again by Swedish conglomerate Indutrade AB.
The company manufactures a range of safety-critical parts for the aerospace, defence and oil and gas and defence industries, exporting to 17 countries.
In the last six and a half years it has gone from strength-to-strength increasing staff from 27 to 46. There are plans to take on more with deals worth in the region of £2million having already been signed or in the pipeline.
Managing director Keith Gardner paid tribute to the workforce for keeping the business at the forefront of the industry over the last 50 years.
“Anyone can buy the machines but it is the people who operate them and the skills behind them and they are not learnt overnight,” he said.
Jean Govier has worked for the company for 32 years and her husband Martyn for 49 years before his retirement. She said the company had witnessed dramatic change over the ups and downs of the last half a century.
“We’re a lot busier now than we were. When 9/11 happened we could clock on Monday morning and not do any work until we clocked off on Friday afternoon.”
Neil Matthews, operations manager and who has been with the company for 14 years, added: “The company is now a shadow of itself, it has diversified incredibly from the business it was six years ago.”
