Thomas Dudley Limited was awarded the prestigious Company Achievement of the Year award at the Cast Metals Federation awards dinner in Coventry last night (Thursday 20th November).
The award recognises Thomas Dudley as a foundry that has ‘taken itself forward during the last 12-18 months’ and ‘developed long term sustainable improvement in business performance’.
The family owned Company has invested heavily to transform its Dudley based foundry in recent years, creating a world class team and state-of-the-art manufacturing facility. In addition, Thomas Dudley has supported the industry with ground-breaking training schemes and initiatives designed to help local schools encourage young people to consider careers in engineering and has worked proactively to improve the local community.
Mick Cramphorn, Foundry Director at Thomas Dudley explained “this is an exciting time for the industry and we are delighted and honoured to receive an award that recognises the operational improvements that we have made in our business through investment in both our people and our equipment. The fact that the award is voted for by the industry makes it all the more rewarding and we are really excited about the opportunities for continued growth in the future”.
In the last year, Thomas Dudley Limited has also launched an innovative website Careers in the Classroom (http://www.careersintheclassroom.co.uk/) to highlight how school subjects are used in careers, helped create a new foundry apprenticeship scheme, sponsored the Black Country Museum’s School Membership Scheme and opened a visitor centre with viewing gallery to allow young people to see a working foundry from a safe environment.
The Company is also recruiting for a number of management, engineering and apprenticeship positions within the foundry division to support its continued growth.
Yvonne Walker, Thomas Dudley’s Business Systems Director said “working with schools, trade bodies, the Black Country Skills Factory and other local employers, we are trying to encourage the young engineers of the future by showcasing an exciting working environment and ensuring training is relevant to employers’ needs”.
As well as a foundry, Thomas Dudley Limited also produces a comprehensive range of industry leading plastic plumbing products that are manufactured on its site on the Birmingham New Road in Dudley.