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Metelec , the UK ’ s only millowned center of excellence for extruded copper , has a history that dates back over two decades . Acquired by the Gindre Group in 2002 , the company has undergone significant transformation , particularly under the leadership of Kevin Draper , who has been at the helm for over three years .
“ When I joined , Metelec was a very traditional metal stockholder ,” Kevin explains . “ Although it was successful , it had hit a ceiling with a turnover of around £ 20 million . Recognizing the potential for growth in the copper market , especially with the rise of data hosting , electrification , and green energy , we set out to expand .”
With a well-established operation , the business needed a well-oiled team . When asked about the company culture , Kevin describes it as open and engaged . “ There ’ s no demarcation ; we ’ re one team ,” he says . With the consolidation into a new , unified workspace , operational challenges have been overcome , fostering a sense of unity among employees . Kevin also emphasizes the importance of building a motivated and dependable workforce , as well as a high caliber management team composed of industry experts from various sectors . Leveraging supply chain principles , they analyze order books and customer segments to forecast demands accurately . “ We took a punt two years ago and said , ‘ I ’ m confident I ’ m going to be 80 percent right that these are the product demands for the year ,’” Kevin explains . “ Through experience we now have the ability to reserve capacity by machine with our parent supplier , this effectively gives us a four-week lead time , a significant advantage in a market with up to 22-week lead times for some products .” He confirms the team has been exceptional .
Taking the business ’ manufacturing one step further , Kevin expresses that sustainability is also key to Metelec ’ s ethos .
“ It ’ s the heart of the brand ,” he says . With a pedigree of 200 years , Metelec ’ s parent company , Gindre , is vertically aligned through ownership to Montanwerke Brixlegg , a primary smelter , based in Austria , on a site that has been smelting copper for over 500 years . Situated in the Alps , Montanwerke Brixlegg operates with a focus on sustainability , recycling copper from 100 percent recycled material .
Minimizing environmental impact
“ They ’ ve developed processes to recover and upcycle all grades of copper from sources such as production scrap , electronic equipment , motors , and mobile phones , and then extract valuable materials like tin ,
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