German-owned Guhring Ltd which supplies the likes of BMW, JLR, Airbus and BAE Systems, is to become the second foreign firm to locate to the Advanced Manufacturing Hub (AMH) in Aston, Birmingham.

The manufacturer of precision cutting tools, which has been based in Castle Bromwich since 1990, says that its new facility will carry out both manufacturing and R&D work.

Its £12 million investment at the site will create 50 new jobs and safeguard a further 75.

To complete the move, Guhring has received a £650,000 grant from the Advanced Manufacturing Supply Chain Initiative.

This funding was secured through Finance Birmingham, whose chief executive, Sue Summers, said: “Guhring’s plans to
establish an R&D centre highlight how manufacturers are using local talent to remain internationally competitive.

“As a respected supplier to major automotive and aerospace firms, its new capabilities will certainly have a positive impact on other manufacturing firms right across the region.”

Managing director Mike Dinsdale said: “This move will be a huge step forward for our UK business, which initially focused on distributing standard products made by our parent company in Germany. We will now be able to design, develop and manufacture cutting tools specific to the needs of our customers in Britain for the first time.

“We have ambitious plans to realise our full potential, and we are aiming to treble |in size and double our workforce within five years of moving to the AMH.”

Guhring has taken 3.5 acres at the hub to build a 60,000sq ft facility, with further space for expansion available.

The firm spent 17 years at Abingdon in Oxfordshire before moving to Castle Bromwich, where it employed 20 people.
The AMH is one of six economic zones in Birmingham that offer tailored space and services for companies in target sectors such as advanced manufacturing.

The first foreign company to announce a planned move to the AMH was the US hydraulics manufacturer HydraForce, which is building a 120,000sq ft facility there.