A GERMAN aluminium manufacturer has shown its faith in a post-Brexit Britain by opening a new premises in Bromsgrove.
WMH-Group, which produces items for the aerospace, automotive and general engineering industries, opened its WMH UK Ltd branch in Alcester in 2009 using a ‘rent a desk’ scheme.
On Monday, it launched its first official office at The Courtyard, Buntsford Gate.
In 2009 Dagmar Rathbone, the UK sales manager, was the only member of staff based here but at the start of the year the WMH Group, Germany, undertook a management restructuring programme and decided it was going to make the UK a main focal point.
She has been joined by Peter Hemming, who is both general manager and director of WMH-UK Ltd and responsible for sales teams in Germany, Aljosha Lemberg as business development manager and Lynn Hodges as senior administrator.
Dagmar said: “After the country decided on Brexit the parent company in Germany immediately decided that this was not going to be a stumbling block or that we would stop operating in the UK.”
She added at that time there were no plans for expansion but now, with the UK being a main focal point, the company planned to widen its horizons, gaining customers in Asia, USA, New Zealand, Spain and Italy.
The firm’s UK customer base is also growing.
Dagmar added: “We are here to support British manufacturing, Brexit or no Brexit, we are here to stay and we will deal with whatever happens.
“Our parent company in Germany, WMH-Group Germany, fully supports the team here in the UK and we hope to take on another member of staff shortly.
“We are a success story despite Brexit. I am proud to have started this and nurtured it to what it is today.
“With the support of the rest of the team we will succeed in making it future proof.
“Brexit can come – we are ready.”
