Micro Metalsmiths £500,000 investment praised by Yorkshire Euro MP (Richmond Yorkshire Liberal Democrats)

Richmond Yorkshire Liberal Democrats <r2short@tiscali.co.uk>

Micro Metalsmiths £500,000 investment praised by Yorkshire Euro MP

May 26, 2009 7:00 PM
Originally published by Diana Wallis MEP

Diana Wallis MEP visiting Micro Metalsmiths Yorkshire MEP Diana Wallis and Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate Howard Keal today welcomed a £500,000 investment by a cutting edge Ryedale business.

Micro Metalsmiths was being visited by the duo as it celebrates the creation of a new machine shop taking its precision engineering business to new heights and an even bigger place on the world stage.

Diana Wallis, a Vice President of the European Parliament, said: "Seeing this kind of investment in an export led business is welcome at any time - but particularly in the midst of a recession. It proves there is a global market for excellence."

Howard Keal, who is also a county council candidate in Malton, said: "Here is a business that shows everything good about the spirit of industry and the value of manufacturing in this area.

"It has a highly skilled workforce, producing world-beating components in the heart of Ryedale.

"I'm deeply impressed by the commitment of Micro Metalsmiths to invest strongly in the future. It is winning new orders right now regardless of tough trading conditions because no-one is better at doing what they do."

Micro Metalsmiths has invested in new machine tools providing a line-up of specialist equipment and a "second to none" manufacturing capability at its Pickering factory.

The business makes everything from components for radar to keys for clarinets, parts for print machines, trains, planes and bottling plants, for markets across Europe, the USA, Japan, Taiwan and India.

Millions of people boarding jet aircraft also have Micro Metalsmiths to thank in part for their safe passage - the firm's components have gone into the storm detecting radar on the nose of every Boeing and Airbus since 1988.

Managing director Christopher Shaw, said: "We started the business in 1964 when most of the world's radar systems were made in the UK. That total has now dwindled to about 5%.

"Many other manufacturing industries have been lost to the country; so we are increasingly reliant on exporting to keep growing. We export over 40% of our regular metal components and about 85% of our output of microwave devices."

Seven new machine tools - each worth £70,000 - are now in place with another on order providing the capability to engineer components to an accuracy of five microns - equivalent to five thousandths of a millimetre.

"Our new equipment also means we can work three times more quickly and we are now making parts that 18 months ago we could not have considered producing," said Mr Shaw.

"No-one else is able to do exactly what we do."