West Yorkshire MP praises “incredibly impressive” work from local manufacturer

Group Rhodes recently welcomed Labour MP for Wakefield and Shadow Minister for Transport, Simon Lightwood to its head offices and factory at Calder Vale in Wakefield recently to take a look at the “innovative” work that is carried out by the business.

The company’s CEO, Mark Ridgway OBE DL gave Simon Lightwood MP an in-depth tour of the premises, including showing him “state-of-the-art” clay preparation machinery to be used for the first net zero brick facility in the UK at Ibstock’s Atlas site in Walsall, West Midlands.

The company also highlighted the use of its technology at the South Kirkby Household Waste Recycling Centre where patented Group Rhodes machinery processes co-mingled household waste without the need for incineration.

Simon Lightwood MP was also given the chance to speak to Group Rhodes employees before watching a presentation on its main trading divisions: Craven Fawcett, Rhodes Interform and Hallamshire Engineering Services.

Following this, there was a discussion between Simon Lightwood MP and Mark Ridgway about R&D Tax Credits, advanced engineering skills and technological innovation in the Original Equipment Manufacturing sector.

CEO of Group Rhodes Mark Ridgway commented: ’’We were very pleased to welcome Simon Lightwood MP to the company, which gave us the chance to highlight our innovation in the aerospace, automotive and heavy ceramics sectors.

“Wakefield has a long history of engineering excellence and as Group Rhodes approaches its 200th Anniversary we need to ensure we have access to appropriate skills and investment strategies to develop this legacy.

“There are some important challenges facing us and other manufacturers on both a local and national level, and on these and other matters we very much welcome Simon’s support’.”

Simon Lightwood MP added: “It was incredibly impressive to witness the level of innovation operating from within Wakefield, and to hear about Group Rhodes’ recent export success. I was particularly interested in the technology invested in lightweighting structures used in the aerospace and automobile sectors which helps towards achieving net zero targets.”

Group Rhodes is a manufacturer of machinery and supplier of after-market services for Metal Forming, Material Handling, Waste Management, Clay Preparation, Concrete Working and Special Purpose applications. The business is celebrating its 200th year in 2024 and remains one of Europe’s largest Original Equipment Manufacturers in its field.

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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