Huge investment shows their metal (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Keighley firm plans £500,000 upgrade of base

9:16am Thursday 24th June 2010 in Business By Chris Holland

A 90-year-old Keighley firm has invested £100,000 in 21st century laboratory technology as part of a major modernisation and development programme.

Keighley Laboratories is also looking to invest another £500,000 in expanding its South Street site to enable it to develop new services.

The firm, originally launched in 1920 as a consortium of firms in Bradford and Leeds, is a UK leader in the analysis, testing and heat treatment of metals. The new investment has been made to upgrade its laboratory test house to meet more exacting customer requirements.

This move is part of a modernisation process that will include new buildings and facilities over the coming months to put the company at the cutting edge of heat treatment and metallurgical sub-contract work.

Investment in the laboratory has introduced new hi-tech equipment that enables manual to semi-automated sample preparation for handling the latest generation of superalloys and powerful metallurgical microscopes for examining the microstructure of specimens.

It will enable evaluation of the effect of the latest drilling and machining techniques on high grade components, such as advanced turbine blades used in power plants and jet engines.

Other capital investment includes a new CNC lathe for manufacturing sample pieces, an X-ray fluorescence analyser, a non-destructive digital ferrite meter, and complete refurbishment of the test house.

The proposed new building will house heat treatment for hardening, tempering and stress relieving and metallurgical testing services.

Debbie Mellor, managing director, said: “Working for today’s technically-demanding industry sectors we have to deliver excellence and innovation across all of our metallurgical services.

“That’s why we have invested in state-of-the-art test house equipment and, in due course, will be redeveloping our South Street site, paving the way for more advanced surface engineering technologies.

“This will strengthen our overall capabilities and help cement our relationships with customers across all sectors.”