Now Mr Peace has retired and the business has been bought by metal management and production expert John Stalker, backed by UK Steel Enterprise, South Yorkshire Invesment Fund and the Bank of Scotland.Mr Stalker plans to expand the company's role in the construction industry and oil exploration, with a new emphasis on volume production."Laser cutting is the future", he said. "There is no other way of cutting the intricate holes that engineers require for tubing and flat sheet. "This technology is very accurate and the response time can be very fast. We can have a drawing delivered and a sample for testing ready the next day, cutting out the cost and time delays in making tooling when bringing new products to market."
He is looking at opportunities for exporting to Europe and the USA, by capitalising on his contacts in global industry. He also plans to expand the flat sheet cutting side, which can handle almost any metal from armour plate to fine foils only 0.025mm thick. He will invest more than £500,000 in laser machinery."We must maintain a competitive edge by keeping up to date with the very latest technology".John McCartan of UK Steel Enterprise said: "This is a successful Sheffield company which now has a promising future with John Stalker at the helm. His ambitions do him credit and we will do all we can to help him to achieve his goals."Sheffield-based Hawsons Corporate Finance advised him on the buy-in, helped by the legal team at Taylor & Emmett.
