Foleshill Plating invests £750k in electrophoretic coating line

Foleshill Plating, which employs 24 people at its Bayton Road facility, has recently installed a state-of-the-art electrophoretic plant which it claims offers greater automation, speed and, thanks to a built in pickling process, a much cleaner finish. The investment follows strategic and financial support from the Manufacturing Advisory Service–West Midlands Auto project. Foleshill Plating, which supplies Aston Martin and JLR, is now aiming to increase turnover from £1.4m to £2m over the course of the next 12 months. Foleshill's Gurpal Thadwal (pictured) said the company "had to move with the times to ensure we offer something different" because the automotive manufacturing sector had undergone major changes over the last decade. He added: "We've moved away from chrome, nickel and decorative plating as it is difficult to comply with current environmental legislation. Instead we have focused our efforts on retaining and securing new work through zinc electro-plating and our e-coating arm of the business…this helped us withstand the recession and emerge with our order book intact." The investment in the new line brings the latest robotics to Foleshill Plating, which was first established in 1978 by managing director Mohan Singh. It was designed by environmental specialist Chris Waterhouse of EPD Consultants and, explained MAS-WM Auto's Rachel Eade, "puts Foleshill in an excellent position to take advantage of a resurgent automotive sector."