INDUSTRY NEWS
Brandauer strategy to accelerate revenues
One of the oldest manufacturers in Birmingham( UK) has secured two major automotive contracts months after announcing its intention to become a longterm engineering partner for its global clients. Brandauer, which completed an historic management buy-out( MBO) in September 2025, is now working with Ford Motor Company and a leading Tier 1 supplier from eastern Europe on projects to produce tooling and precision components for use in electrification.
Both partnerships are tapping into the company’ s early-stage consultancy and design for manufacturing support, before following the production journey from tool design, manufacture and try-out to process automation and volume production. The early wins reinforce Brandauer’ s new strategic growth plan, outlined after the MBO, and“ has accelerated the firm’ s move towards £ 12m revenues by 2029”, it told ISMR.
Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer, commented:“ When Stuart Berry, Dave Chapman and I spoke after the recent deal, we highlighted our desire to move from a traditional stamping business to a precision engineering provider. This move will transition us from a sub-contract stamping specialist to a one-stop partner, who can scale precision metal / plastic assemblies from concept stage and prototype development, through to production ramp-up( ultimately capable of millions of component assemblies supplied globally every week).”
Above, L-R: David Chapman, Rowan Crozier and Stuart Berry of Brandauer( Birmingham, UK).
Tooling and production
Employing 67 people at its Newtown facility, Brandauer has made history with the Ford Motor Company project, manufacturing a > 2500mm diameter lamination progression tool for the first time. This includes integrated automation to stamp, bond, stack and skew larger diameter, thin-gauge stacks for EV applications, which are set to change the way electric motors are produced going forward.
The global car maker used design for manufacturing workshops for validation, in-depth tool design services, laser-cut prototyping and machine selection knowledge to ensure the right press was utilised to achieve project budgets. A full tool is now being manufactured and, once this is complete, collaborative learning will be shared across both businesses by exploiting Brandauer’ s Precision Tooling academy, run in partnership with In-Comm Training. Brandauer has committed to securing the global IATF
16949 automotive certification by 2027, complementing existing ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 quality standards.
Rowan added:“ The Tier 1 automotive work is based on a similar approach. This time, we are working with the client to create a fully automated production assembly line, with three world-class production tools at its heart— delivering maximum efficiency and tolerances.”
60-year stamping relationship
Brandauer and Bruderer UK also marked 60 years of precision production with a £ 700,000 investment. Brandauer worked with Bruderer UK to specify and install a new BSTA510-150B2 press and associated ancillary equipment, capable of producing millions of precision razor frames every week.
The £ 700,000 machine line delivers 51 tonnes of power at up to 1050 strokes per minute, with a 1500mm press bed facilitating the adoption of a four-element, fully modular progression tool. In addition, a BBV191 precision mechanical feed was specified to cater for high-tensile stainless steel that is 0.15mm thick.
Adrian Haller, Managing Director, Bruderer UK, commented“ The latest project means we have now placed 38 different machines into Brandauer’ s Birmingham factory since the early 1960s.” n
https
:// brandauer. co. uk
TRUMPF upgrades Haguenau production site
TRUMPF is modernising the production areas for machine frames and the painting facilities at its Haguenau( France) site and is strengthening sustainability through photovoltaics and heat recovery. The Haguenau plant specialises in the manufacture of machine bodies for TRUMPF punching and laser machines. More than 110 employees work at the site.
“ With the modernisation that has now begun, we are making a targeted investment in the future viability of our Haguenau site— and in doing so, we are being resourceefficient with a focus on competitiveness and quality assurance,” said Till Küppers, Managing Director of Production, TRUMPF Machine Tools.
“ The modernisation of the plant secures jobs, improves the infrastructure for our
colleagues and sends a clear signal not only about the competitiveness of European production sites, but also about sustainability in practice. We want to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions— we will achieve this through the planned photovoltaic installations and heat recovery systems. I am particularly pleased for our employees that the plant modernisation coincides with our 40th anniversary at Haguenau,” added Tomas Wolf, head of the Haguenau site.
The modernisation will increase the production area by around 6,100m ² to 27,800m ², which is equivalent to almost four soccer fields. The construction measures include relocation of parking areas, to create construction space and optimise internal logistics, and the construction of a new production hall with modernisation of the paint shop to optimise production processes and ensure manufacturing quality standards. This also includes relocating the shipping area for machine frames. n
www. trumpf. com
16 | ismr. net | ISMR March 2026