The Sertec Group, recently invested £7 million in its manufacturing capability, including the introduction of a new 800T servo press, in the latest chapter of a success story that began over 60 years ago.
In 1962, the founders of Sertec Harry Mosedale and Ken Everett began what was a tool and jig making business for the white goods industry. Their first home was Unit 8, Wincaster Factory Estate on Aston Brook Street – a humble beginning that laid the foundations for Sertec to develop into the £210 million turnover and multi-site business it has become today.
Sertec Group, a leading global components manufacturer specialising in automotive Body in White and EV products, now has over 1200 employees across six global locations. These include four UK manufacturing sites, a manufacturing site in Aszar, Hungary, and a tooling technical centre in Dongguan, China.
Back to 1965 and Sertec landed its first automotive account for the Standard Triumph Motor Company. The story of that first contract win has become part of both Sertec folklore and the values and ethos of the business.
Harry Mossdale won work on just one part as a trial and then drove to the Standard Triumph factory in Speke, early in the morning. He was given a tool and some material for the job, which he put in the boot of his car.
He was asked to deliver the parts by the end of the following week. Harry returned to Birmingham, pressed the parts and delivered them back to Liverpool that very same day. He was told “Come back tomorrow… but this time bring a van!”
This began the forging of links with the automotive industry that would forever shape Sertec’s business direction and drive its future ambition.
The Standard Triumph account win was followed in 1972 with a first Land Rover contract, the beginning of a hugely successful supplier relationship that endures to this day. In 1981, Sertec’s drive into the automotive sector accelerated further with its first passenger car contract.
Sertec’s next significant milestone saw the opening in 1984 of its first light stampings site at Holborn Hill, in Aston. A year later, current CEO Grant Adams joined the Sertec Group – the first of a series of senior appointments during the next decade which would shape the existing Sertec Group senior management team.
In 1991, Sertec acquired Jones Brothers Pressings – a large stamping specialist in Gorsey Lane, Coleshill. It cements Sertec’s presence in Coleshill and marks the beginning of its heavy stampings operation.
Sertec goes on to acquire 11 further stamping companies, including GN Hicks, in doing so continuing the growth of Sertec infrastructure in line with The Rover Group’s desire to work with more stable suppliers. A year later Sertec Group Holdings was formed, with sales in excess of £10 million and a restructuring of the board.
As we move into the 21st century, Sertec’s development as a modern, manufacturing heavyweight is well established with further acquisitions, innovations and business expansion. In 2003, Sertec acquired both market rival Frederick Woolley Ltd, and three years later Smethwick based MRX Automotive, a producer of high volume, low margin components for the automotive industry – with the latter takeover proving a significant acquisition for the company’s development.
In 2008, a new project and tooling operation opened in China and in 2011, Sertec acquired DPE Automotive, Tyseley Division, and set up Sertec Tube and Pressings Ltd. In 2014 the Chancellor George Osborne opened Sertec’s new Wincaster House headquarters in Coleshill – a move that helps drive further business expansion.
Just two years later, Sertec revealed a £16 million investment in its new press shop at Gorsey Lane. In the same year, Sertec announced its largest ever takeover with the 100% acquisition of WILD automotive (AWC Industries Ltd) which includes 10 manufacturing plants across the UK, Germany and Hungary.
Finally, to complete a hugely important strategic year, a £20 million funding package is secured by Sertec, enabling a £1.7million investment into its R&D programmes, to develop the UK’s first mass production assembly line for electric vehicle batteries.
With it is the capability to produce in excess of 40 million electric vehicle battery busbar assemblies per year, marking a vital step forward in electric vehicle technology for both the Midlands and the UK.
The busbar technology has helped to supercharge Sertec’s standing in the sector. This has resulted in new contracted work, a major nomination for battery covers and further industry recognition through various award wins as Sertec continues to grow in the EV components sector.
In 2003, Sertec won Gold in the Ford World Supplier Awards, and followed this up in 2011 by winning the ‘Best Supplier, Quality Performance’ JLRQ award. In competing against 1,200 suppliers worldwide to win JLR’s top supplier accolade, Sertec achieved one of the most hugely significant award wins in its history.
More recently in 2024, Sertec won the prestigious Confederation of British Metalforming’s (CBM) 2024 Company of the Year – with the judging panel particularly impressed by Sertec Group’s ‘Journey to Excellence’ strategic plan. Sertec was also honoured in 2024 as The Manufacturer MX Awards ‘Smart Factory’ winner and ‘Operational Excellence’ finalist.
In winning the MX award, widely regarded as the gold standard in the manufacturing industry, Sertec was celebrated for its development of digital solutions that combined manufacturing with data to drive efficiencies across the Group. They were also commended for their focus on the future, sustainable solutions and the competitive advantage their approach gave them in the market.
The ‘Journey to Excellence’ is an apt description to summarise Sertec’s rise from small toolmaking business to a global manufacturing operation. It’s been a meteoric rise and given Sertec’s pivotal role in accelerating electric vehicle development, and a newly established presence in other sectors, Sertec is set to continue to write more chapters in their ongoing success story.
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