Historic Smethwick business James Lister and Sons is fighting back against COVID-19 and Brexit uncertainty with £300,000 of investment.

The engineering supplies company, which was founded in 1874, started as a modest ironmonger’s shop in Tipton. Now headquartered on Spon Lane South in Smethwick, the family firm still has three of the founder’s great great grandchildren on the management team, and employs nearly 150 people across seven sites in the West Midlands and South Wales.

Despite the current adverse conditions, the company is demonstrating its confidence in the future by investing in a new Enterprise Resource Planning system across all its sites and a new CNC pipe bending machine. It has also become the tenth member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, a collective of designers and manufacturers that work together to boost business.

It’s hoped that these measures will enable the firm to become more efficient, expand its tube manipulation division by 20 per cent and achieve annual turnover of £17m, creating a strong foundation for when the global situation has stabalised.

Think Sandwell wishes Lister all the best for its forward-thinking plans. To find out how we can help support your business at this difficult time, visit our regularly updated coronavirus support pages.