This week #madeinsandwell Monday celebrates AME Alloy Pressure Die Castings, a specialist castings manufacturer based in West Bromwich which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and being supported by the AIM for GOLD project which is part funded by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Founded in 1999, the company is a leading high-pressure precision zinc manufacturer and supplies zinc die castings worldwide to all sectors, including healthcare, marine, defence, automotive and aerospace.

Not only is AME celebrating two decades in business, but also a huge upturn in orders. Founder and managing director John Easthope said: “We’re leading into potentially one of the busiest periods in our history. In the last few months, we have picked up over £200k of new work and seen a considerable increase in enquiries, particularly in the healthcare sector. We’re also seeing increased volumes from clients across automotive, commercial vehicle and aerospace.”

He attributes the company’s success to its policy of continual improvement, investment in new technology and the dedication of the people that work there. The strong focus on staff development, policy of continual lifetime training and family atmosphere within the work force have led to high staff retention rates – over 40 per cent of the current employees have been with the company since it was founded.

To handle the increase in orders, AME is currently working alongside Sandwell Council’s business growth team to access support through the Aim for Gold programme, which has included a comprehensive business review and help with grant applications.

This has helped AME invest in new state-of-the-art equipment to boost capacity. A brand new fully automated die casting cell was installed in September 2018 – the first of its kind in the UK. Another was installed in June, and a third will be arriving in early 2020. It looks like AME’s 20th anniversary year is going to be an extremely busy one.

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