A new equipment investment, which began at the beginning of this year and will be completed by quarter one of 2016, includes the addition of an optical inspection machine, a collar header and a shoulder bolt cell, enabling AFSR to strengthen its foothold in the automotive, construction and civil engineering sectors.
Established as Huck Fasteners in 1985, the company was acquired by Alcoa and renamed Alcoa Fastening Systems in 2002. In 2014, it became Alcoa Fastening Systems & Rings (AFSR) following the acquisition of global jet engine part maker Firth Rixson.
Throughout its 30-year history in Telford, AFSR has maintained regular contact with the local business and education community. Through its Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects with primary schools, support for Young Enterprise Shropshire, offer of technical and manufacturing apprenticeships leading to degree-level study, as well as its community engagement through the Alcoa Foundation, AFSR promotes the benefits of working in engineering to all ages. The employees it attracts, mainly from the Shropshire and West Midlands region, are trained to the highest level across all disciplines, a business ethic which has maintained its consistent staff retention rate of 85% since 1985.
Operations director Jonathan Craven (pictured) said: “Our aim has always been to provide world class fastening solutions for complex geometries, to fulfil challenging corrosion performance requirements, as well as providing safety-critical and multi-material combinations for hybrid structures across a variety of markets. These customer expectations are exceeded and delivered by a highly-trained, organised, happy and empowered workforce, with health and safety at the heart of everything they do.”
