Pre-Met has added another AgieCharmilles wire erosion machine to expand tooling capacity and improve cutting precision. The move follows a £500,000 investment at its Studley Road factory in Redditch to integrate Quality Springs & Pressings. Pre-Met has also met all compliance requirements to be listed on JOSCAR, the supplier qualification portal used by major OEMs and supply chain companies across the UK and Europe.
“I like to think of our toolroom as the heartbeat of the business and it’s arguably one of the most experienced in our sector,” commented toolroom manager Matt Harrison, who celebrated 20 years of service at the firm.
“This latest investment will deepen the equipment available in this critical department, delivering faster turnaround times, greater control on complex tooling builds and, importantly, the opportunity for us to undertake more development to do more of our own tooling.”
He continued: “The latter is really important, as we’re beginning to see enquiries come in from the defense, construction and transport sectors that require us to be involved in the design stage, from early concept onwards.”
“Our wire erosion machine will dovetail into our existing tool room, alongside other existing machines and perfectly complements existing soft machining, surface grinding and cylindrical grinding equipment, as well as wire and spark erosion and fast hole burning.”
Pre-Met is adding skilled roles, including a tooling design engineer, to strengthen its tool room as the business grows. The team supports press tool design, manufacture, refurbishment, and upgrades, carrying work from initial design through trials and into production.
James Leng, managing director of Pre-Met, added: “The additional equipment and team growth has been driven by us winning new contracts. This drove the need for additional capacity to service and maintain over 500 active press/stamping tools that are used for client contracts, alongside a further 100 used to produce our own standard product range of fasteners and fixings.”
“There’s a real sense of excitement in the toolroom and I know everyone is looking forward to seeing where the business goes from here.”
Source: Pre-Met
About Pre-Met
Pre-Met, based in Redditch, UK, has been operating since 1973, originally producing high-value pens, cufflinks, and telecommunications parts. Over time, the company has transitioned into a specialized supplier of precision metal pressings, spring components, and assemblies for sectors such as aerospace, automotive, medical technology, electrical, construction, and transport. It offers a complete production lifecycle – from concept and design through prototyping to full-scale manufacturing across low, medium, and high volumes. The company is certified to ISO 9001 and IATF 16949 standards and is listed on the JOSCAR supplier accreditation system, which is used in defense and aerospace. In 2023, Pre-Met acquired Quality Springs & Pressings, expanding its capabilities in wire form and spring manufacturing and increasing its workforce to 60. The acquisition also adds new press capacity and introduces both robotic and manual welding. The combined operation aims to scale revenue toward £10 million through expanded production capacity and technical capability.