Wed, 23 Apr 2025 | BUSINESS SALE
A Black Country manufacturer which dates back to the 19th century and supports car and motorcycle businesses such as Morgan Motor Company has bought Cheesman Products.
Thriving in exhaust system design, with the introduction of presswork and washer solutions since the early 2000s, and most recent addition of bollards and barriers in 2023, Birchills Automotive cater to diverse industries with a focus on delivering tailored engineering solutions.
Cheesman Products (Automotive) Ltd. was founded in 1973 by John and Mary Cheesman. Its products and services include exhaust systems and tube bending.
The father and son management team at Birchills of Andrew and Oliver Wellings accessed advice and guidance from business growth adviser Gail Jennings. Part of the assistance was on navigating the different support programmes in place, which has led to an almost £30,000 grant from Walsall Council to support the £60,000 purchase of a new tube bending machine.
"We are very niche in what we do and there aren't many companies that have the technical manufacturing capabilities in place to make exhaust systems that are compliant yet give off the right acoustics," said Oliver Wellings. "It's the complete turnkey package for four-wheel, two-wheel, industrial, off road, marine and MoD vehicles. From concept, CAD design and prototyping to development, jig manufacturing, tooling, production, quality, assembly and testing.
Oliver, who originally worked in the property world, joined the family business at the tail end of Covid-19. The initial remit was to support the firm's core exhaust system work but he identified an opportunity to repurpose the scrap waste it was producing every month, creating a spin-out sculpture business.
It secured three initial commissions – a wolf, stag and eagle – used for the King's Coronation event in Dubai and now currently on display in Dubai International Financial Area.
Jennings said: "Birchills Automotive initially needed help incorporating Cheesman Products into its Black Country factory following the acquisition and that’s what we’ve helped it to do. From there, we also identified the possibility to secure funding towards the new tube bender that will help it take advantage of new opportunities and Oliver is continuing his business education with the peer-to-peer group. It's exactly the type of company we want to see more of in Walsall, a world class manufacturer with a passion to grow and make the most of its unique ‘niche’ in exhaust systems."
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