Slaithwaite, West Yorkshire, UK - Salamander Fabrications has expanded its premises and invested in new equipment, including a 900 sq m shop floor extension to house a new high-tech laser cutting machine for range of metals. It has an automatic loading system that enables it to run for up to eight hours unaided.
The investment means Salamander can react quickly to customers' requirements, from initial concept and design to the final product being delivered to the door. The investment has given the company extra capacity in the profiling of metals and brought an increase in the volume of work to all areas of the business, leading the firm to recruit more shop floor and office staff.
The firm employs 35 workers, including skilled welders, CNC machine operators, 3D CAD designers, technical sales, electro-mechanical assemblers, and powder coating paint sprayers.
Salamander subcontracts for a wide variety of industries, including automotive, railway, agricultural, construction, banking, shopfitting, vending equipment, catering equipment, and street furniture.
The company is forecasting "an extremely busy" 2013 with more projects in the pipeline to streamline its operations.
"The next year is going to be extremely busy for us as a business with lots of internal projects to streamline the way in which we work," said Michael Haskell, managing director.
The company, founded in 1973 by Michael's father, Brian Haskell, started in a modest way with just three employees working from premises not much bigger than a modern double garage.