Running over 40% faster than any of the company’s existing machines and producing up to 70% less process scrap, it will increase capacity and efficiency at the business, which manufactures welded steel mesh for high-security fencing, general fencing and industrial mesh panels.
In March 2021, the new LGR102 welding machine travelled from Austria, having been manufactured by EVG in Graz, to its new home in West Yorkshire where it joined the welded steel mesh manufacturer’s existing fleet of four EVG machines.
Utilising the latest medium frequency welding technology, the new machine will focus on the production of industrial mesh, freeing up capacity on the other machines and enabling the business to increase through-put as it continues to grow. This year, it has added a further nine trainee mesh operators, including two apprentices to its now 59-strong team, and the 126-year-old company is currently seeking another three recruits.
The latest EVG machine marks Siddall and Hilton Products’ most significant investment for 12 years and was funded by the business’s primary lenders, ABN AMRO, supported by £100,000 of grant funding from Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (the LEP).
Following an MBO in August 2019, the management team, led by Ian Thurley, has undertaken a programme of operational improvements and the company is seeing sustained growth.
