Aldridge-based In-Comm Training (www.in-comm.co.uk) is spending £1.5 million on an extension that will more than triple the size of its facilities.

The company has joined forces with Coventry-based work-holding specialist Hyfore to develop an Advanced Manufacturing Technology Centre next door to its current site.

Backed by the Black Country LEP’s Growth Deal, the expansion will create an additional 16,000ft2 of space that will be fitted out with the latest CNC machine tools, robotics and fluid power systems, plus a dedicated electrical and electronics section.

It will also house material testing, material handling and grinding areas, as well as a 16-seater Mastercam and CIMCO CAD/CAM studio.

Gareth Jones, managing director of In-Comm Training, said: “This extension will create a world-class training hub that will provide an additional 420 Apprenticeship Trailblazer places between now and 2022.

“We will also aim to provide over 1,200 up-skilling courses in prototyping, R&D, operational excellence and data analysis.”

In-Comm will be tapping into Hyfore’s experience in advanced engineering, turn-key projects, CNC machining and prototyping to fit out the centre with the latest equipment and in finalising some of the new Trailblazer Apprenticeship courses.

The company has also enlisted the support of the Engineering Technology Group for the CNC machine tools, Halter for the robotic systems and Mastercam and CIMCO for the design of the CAD/CAM suite.