Work has commenced on a new UK facility in the West Midlands for Sandvik Coromant, a leading supplier of tools, tooling solutions and know-how to the metalworking industry.

Having been based in Halesowen since 1958, the existing building is being demolished and replaced by a new high-tech innovation centre. In addition to housing the company’s employees, it will act as a hub for manufacturing innovation and customer interactions, forming part of the established Sandvik Coromant Center global network.

Sandvik Coromant was the first company in the cutting tool industry to introduce application centres and, currently, there are 17 centres located around Europe, the Americas and Asia. They give customers the opportunity to get hands-on involvement and training with ‘state of the art’ machines, measure the return on investment of their projects and gain knowledge from the company’s engineers.

With a showroom that will host its own customer events and technology demonstrations, businesses from around the UK will be able to visit the centre and receive hands-on access to world-leading knowledge in cutting metal and working with machine tools.

In addition, the Halesowen site will provide a comfortable and high-tech working space for the company’s UK employees. With flexible, hot-desking space for 100 people, the site boasts an eco-conscious design. Key features include the installation of solar panels and 26 electric vehicle (EV) charging points, with the capacity to offer EV charging for all 130 parking spaces in the near future.

David Harbon, Sandvik Coromant UK sales director, said: “The revamp has been a long time coming. While we found our current space was no longer suitable for our needs, this new facility will be fully future-proofed.

“Not only will the cutting-edge, eco-friendly site offer an elevated experience for our UK staff, but we are transforming it into more than just an office space. Current and future customers will be able to immerse themselves into the Sandvik Coromant experience, and will receive a world-leading level of support. Our ambition is to create a true innovation hub for metal cutting in the UK.”

Helen Blomqvist, Sandvik Coromant president, added: “By investing in new application centres, the goal is not only to innovate, but to build on the success of existing locations and foster cross-centre collaboration

“This investment is a natural part of Sandvik Coromant’s focus on growth throughout the complete manufacturing value chain, by expanding our offer as well as reach. This is always done with our customers in mind and our expansion and investments are part of our journey to delivering enhanced machining solutions with an end-to-end impact.”

Work commences on the site in July 2021, with the new facility due to open in the summer of 2022. To learn more about the global network of Sandvik Coromant Centers, visit the website (www.sandvik.coromant.com).