Capalax invests £500,000 in new equipment

Richard Owen, general manager at Capalex on the shopfloor

West Cumbria-based Capalex, an aluminium extrusion manufacturer and machining company with all extrusion, heat treatment, machining, fabrication, powder coating, and assembly facilities under one roof, is planning further growth as part of a £500,000 investment at its base on the Leconfield Industrial Estate in Cleaton Moor.

Having already invested in robotics technology to boost production, the company, which employs more than 50 people, is now looking to enhance its manufacturing capacity and capability further at its 5,700m² site.

The company exports its products around the world, with customers in Europe, the USA, South-East Asia and beyond, as well as throughout the UK. A ‘one-stop–shop’ aluminium extrusion manufacturing service, Capalex (Capital Aluminium Extrusions Ltd) serves a range of sectors including aerospace, architectural, automotive, aviation, defence, display, electronics, engineering, furniture, leisure, marine, product design, retail, rail and signage.

Its products are found in a diverse range of settings from aircraft seats to rail carriages, high-end audio to hospitals — they are even found in space as part of satellite systems orbiting the Earth.

Capalex general manager Richard Owen said: “This investment and our constant commitment to improve our processes helps us retain our position as a leader in our industry and is good news not just for Capalex but also for Cleator Moor and the wider community.

“The vast majority of people who work at Capalex live in the immediate surrounding area, many have worked with us for a long time and have developed their skills here and helped the company move forward with their proactive, problem-solving approach. We have a great team and we are very proud of the way we develop our people.”

Capalex’s approach means it offers a bespoke service, which is particularly valuable to those working in emerging markets.

Mr Owen continued: “Our customers range from very small engineering companies and start-ups to some of the biggest multi-nationals, spanning every market sector. We provide a greater range of alloys and more flexibility on profile design, tolerances, quantities and lead times than many of the larger scale commercial extrusion companies. This can be particularly helpful to designers developing new products and for industries where flexible lower quantities, better tolerances and responsive quick deliveries are paramount.”

Once the new equipment arrives, Capalex is planning a number of environmental improvements at its facility including creating a wild flower meadow. The wider redevelopment of the Leconfield site forms part of the regeneration programme being delivered across West Cumbria by iSH, the Industrial Solutions Hub.

John Maddison, iSH managing director, said: “What Richard and the team at Capalex are delivering through innovation and investment, as well as environmental improvements, and all the positive impacts that has on the wider community, including for jobs and opportunities, is great to see.

“There are so many businesses in West Cumbria delivering pioneering solutions not just across the UK, but all around the world. It’s what makes iSH so excited about how working collaboratively, and joining the dots, we can achieve even more together. These are exciting times for the region.”