Given that the firm is the largest employer in the region, it is setting up a refurbished Schmutz line worth GBP 600 thousand (USD 180 thousand) at its spacious facility on Stourbridge Road. With this initiative, the firm is now able to enhance its ability to finish thinner gauge materials in-house.
The equipment, installed and upgraded by skilled engineers, is set to handle the slitting and winding of thin-gauge aluminium reels for customers throughout Wales, the EU and the US.
By March, the commissioning will be completed and in the next few months, the firm will start with 24.7 operations. The focus of the firm will be on the key areas and introducing new molten metal filtration equipment to cut down on impurities in the casting process.
Additionally, with this investment, the firm is positioning itself as a global frontrunner in flat-rolled aluminium coils for various applications, including lithography, packaging, cooling and heating, electrification and data uses.
Adrian Musgrave, Commercial Director at BAL, said, "It has been a really positive start to 2026, with export orders up, new domestic clients secured and some major advancements in capabilities well on the way to being completed. This is all being achieved against a backdrop of global uncertainty and is real testimony to the long-term strategy the management team has put in place and the way our 330-strong workforce responded to a difficult time for our business in 2023.”
He further added, "Every penny we spend futureproofs our factory in Shropshire and reinforces our commitment to remaining the UK’s last remaining producer of flat rolled aluminium coils. The Schmutz line has also sparked a mini recruitment drive, with a 10 per cent increase in our finishing team that work flexibility across several of our lines."
