Wakefield manufacturer granted patents in Europe and China for bonding technology

Speaking on the achievement, technical director of Group Rhodes, Peter Anderton said: “This new innovation serves to enhance Superplastic Forming accuracy, reduce scrappage and improve productivity.

“The recent grant of patents in Europe and China reinforces Group Rhodes’ position as a leading global provider of this technology.”

Superplastic Forming and Diffusion Bonding play an integral part in performance improvement, carbon reduction and effective implementation of low-emission technologies.

The news follows Group Rhodes acquiring Barnsley-based BJD Crushers Limited in October of last year.

Formerly British Jeffrey Diamond, BJD Crushers is a manufacturer of size reduction machinery. The firm offers a variety of material processing equipment and high-capacity crushers designed to control product size.

Group Rhodes said that it expects that the acquisition will create at least one role imminently, that of business development manager and a further nine jobs over the next two years.

The firm added that the acquisition would complement its portfolio of two businesses, namely Craven Fawcett and Hallamshire Engineering Services, which manufacture machinery and spare parts for the heavy clay and materials handling sectors.

Speaking on the acquisition, Mark Ridgway OBE DL, CEO of Group Rhodes, said: “This is an important acquisition which forms part of a group strategy to strengthen our materials handling division to operate alongside our major metalforming and heavy ceramic operations.

“BJD is a strong strategic fit for us and the strengths of the combined operation will drive significant value for customers. It will help further develop our vision to be a major player in the UK material handling sector. We have an exciting future ahead of us.”

BJD can trace its heritage back to 1897 with its origins in Wakefield. The British Jeffrey Diamond name came into use in 1926, following the acquisition of the Diamond Coal Cutter Company of Wakefield by the Jeffrey Manufacturing Company of Columbus, Ohio.

BJD Crushers was a spin out from BJD Processing in 2001, with the company relocating to Barnsley in the same year.

Group Rhodes said BJD would initially continue to operate from its Barnsley headquarters until the end of 2023, with operations expected to transfer to Group Rhodes’ purpose-built factory at Calder Vale, Wakefield in early 2024.

The West Yorkshire firm said it was also planning on additional recruitment and investment to both support the business and also to strengthen Hallamshire Engineering’s synergistic material handling operations.

Group Rhodes is this year set to celebrate its 200th anniversary.

The firm manufactures and markets over 50 ranges of machinery from its facilities in Wakefield, which it sells to both the UK and global markets.