Kingswinford-based Arford Steel Profiles, which has almost doubled its turnover since owner and managing director Diane Kimberley took over in 2006, is to invest £300,000 in a high-tech plasma cutting machine from Nottingham-based Esprit Automation www.espritautomation.com to strengthen its portfolio.

Ms Kimberley said: “The arrival of plasma technology will increase our capacity at a stroke and should make us more responsive to our customers. People ordering steel profiles increasingly demand the highest-quality work, carried out to a tight time-scale. They want jobs done quickly, but they also want them done more precisely than ever before.”

The arrival of the Plasma Viper machine will mean new jobs at Arford, which currently employs 13 people. Ms Kimberley added: “It’s a big decision to spend so much on one machine, but it was something we felt needed to be done to take the business forward.

"We’ve been turning over £2.5 million consistently, but there was no potential to increase capacity. You can’t afford to stand still for long in any business, and we were determined not to do that. Demand is consistently strong at the moment, and I’m trusting that this will bring in more business. I’m confident that it’s the right time to invest for the company’s future.”