Released on October 8, 2009

Diecaster Zincast Foundry Ltd., Willenhall, West Midlands, U.K., has won an order from Makita Tools worth more than $1.25 million and hired six new employees in part due to government aid offered to British automotive suppliers.

According to a press release issued by the company, Zincast parlayed an approximately $27,000 grant from the British Automotive Response Programme (ARP) into the new work. The ARP is a government-created entity dedicated to jumpstarting the country’s domestic car making industry. The program offers car component makers up to nearly $80,000 to help with business consolidation, refinancing, new product introduction and supply chain improvement.

The funding, which all told is expected to exceed $7 million, is open to companies of all sizes, ranging from small to medium-sized businesses to Tier One suppliers and local car producers.

“This funding package is already making a difference to more than 100 companies in the West Midlands, and Zincast is a prime example of the business and economic benefits that can be achieved,” said Ian Austin, regional minister and chair of the West Midlands Taskforce.

Zincast specializes in aluminum and zinc alloy pressure and gravity die casting, employing nearly 50 people and serving customers in the automotive, white goods and construction sectors. The grant has been used to improve processes and efficiency, reduce costs and look at diversification through magnesium casting. The order from Makita includes belt sander parts and safety covers.

“Like many firms in our sector, we have had an uncertain year with sales fluctuating rapidly from month to month,” said Paul Heath, Zincast’s managing director. “With this in mind, we were keen to look at ways we could increase our sales through introducing new services and processes, and the ARP funding has given us a major boost in achieving this.”