A Midlands design technology specialist is raising a glass of milk to a new £60,000 order.
HME Technology, of Saxon Park in Bromsgrove, better known as a schools equipment supplier, has won the business off giant dairy company Arla Foods UK.
Managing director Julian Davis praised the group for buying British.
HME Technology, both a manufacturer as well as a distributor of other people’s products, is supplying items from its own make Union range which encompasses the likes of saws, drills, polishers, lathes and grinding machines.
Arla is the UK’s top dairy company and the largest supplier of butter, spreads and cheese in the country. Brands include Cravendale, Anchor, Kerrygold, Lurpak and Tickler. Supplying major retailers and foodservice customers, it has a yearly milk pool of around 3.2 billion litres, a turnover of £2 billion and employs 4,000.
The HME Technology equipment is going into an in-house workshop at Arla’s new £150 million, one billion litre, fresh milk dairy at Aylesbury, set to create almost 700 jobs.
It is something of a coup for HME Technology which is looking to do more for industry and business.
Mr Davis said: “We produce state of the art design and technology equipment and, in terms of meeting health and safety standards, Arla wanted the best they could find so they turned to us.
“We are very proud of winning this work. It is a great advert for our company and a statement that we can deliver for even the biggest customers. We are hoping others will have noticed and further orders will follow.”
HME Technology has supplied equipment to 22 Birmingham schools in the last few years along with many others around the UK.
Founded in 1984, products include forges, brazing hearths, furnaces, welding tables, fume extraction systems, kilns, woodworking equipment, wood dust extraction systems, metal finishing and CNC machines. It also supplies fume cupboards and ventilation systems for science departments.