Merger sees LA Elwell steel a march

Two of the Midlands' leading manufacturers of cold rolled steel profiles for the construction, fenestration and commercial vehicle industry have joined forces in a bid to become the premier player in their sector.

Wolverhampton-based LA Rollform has merged with West Bromwich-based Elwell Sections to form LA Elwell, taking gross turnover to over £20 million.

The new company builds on Elwell's 52-year heritage and LA Rollform's dynamic use of cutting edge technology and innovative design.

LA Elwell's extensive product range covers everything from modular building systems and structural profiles to window reinforcement, partitioning, racking and shelving and specialist transport industry sections. In particular, the 100-strong company is capable of offering bespoke solutions tailored to suit individual customer needs and boasts its own in-house tooling department and CAD platform design service.

Andrew Lamsdale, managing director of LA Elwell said: "This merger creates a strong, technologically advanced business which can compete at the highest level both nationally and internationally.

"As one of the UK's few remaining independent steel roll formers, we're able to avoid the red tape and bureaucracy that weighs down many of our competitors, leaving us free to concentrate on delivering state-of-the-art products and outstanding service."

Mr Lamsdale continued: "We already have a solid customer base in the construction, transport and fenestration sector and our ambition is to significantly develop this over the next five years. Our merger is a catalyst for growth and we're looking forward to exciting times ahead."

Its ambitious agenda for growth sees LA Elwell looking to capitalise on London 2012. The firm has invested heavily in the very latest roll form technology and handling equipment to enable it to further enhance its extensive range of light steel framing and structural beams.

"Events like London 2012 are a major opportunity for us," said Mr Lamsdale. "As a leading manufacturer of cold rolled steel profiles for the modular building sector, our TechFrame(tm), TechBeam(tm) and TechSpan(tm) range of products are suitable for a variety of construction and general engineering applications and they are already being successfully used across the UK in hotels, hospitals, schools and temporary housing. We've established strong links with some of the key players in this sector and we have identified it as a major growth area for us."

LA Elwell has also identified growth opportunities in the window reinforcement sector. The company already supplies top brands including Synseal, Veka and Spectus and it favours a partnership approach, with customers being encouraged to treat its business services as an extension of their own.

LA Elwell currently works with over 100 key customers across 12 market sectors. The company purchases over 30,000 tonnes of predominantly British steel annually and is capable of manufacturing steel profiles from 0.5mm to 6mm in thickness and from 10mm to 450mm in width.

For more information, contact LA Elwell on 01902 871111 .