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The Blackwood Way Founded in 1946 as a general foundry, Blackwood Engineering began specialising in the production and supply of counterweights and castings during the 1970’s. Today the company has established a reliable reputation for the supply of high-quality, cost-effective counterweights and other ferrous casting products to the global construction equipment sector, as well as the material handling and lift truck industries. Construction Worx talks to Blackwood Engineering’s, Dominic Connor, Sales Director about the company and the journey from humble beginnings to a global success…
Q Explain in layman’s terms what Blackwood Engineering manufacture and where your products might be used? A: Blackwood Engineering is a global supplier of castings and counterweights to industry leading heavy machinery suppliers. However, we are not purely just a supplier of these products. We are a total solutions provider and a strategic partner for all our customers with a range of additional facilities and services. The Blackwood Way is what defines us and what sets us apart from our competitors. The Blackwood Way is all about providing quality castings to our customers worldwide. It is the added value we bring to the table and stops customers going direct. Our products are used on a wide range of heavy machinery such as excavators, telehandlers, access platforms, forklifts, material handlers, loaders and many other types of heavy equipment.
Q What lead Blackwood Engineering into counterweight casting? A: The company diversified and expanded its product range in the 1990’s to include ductile iron and steel, whilst also starting to focus on more complex engineered castings. Over the years, Blackwood Engineering has established a reliable reputation for the supply of high-quality, cost-effective counterweights and other ferrous casting products to the global construction equipment sector, as well as the material handling and lift truck industries. Q: Where do you source your materials for casting products? A: We have a range of partner foundries we work with all throughout China. Our customers’ requirements are continuing to evolve, we require a selection of partner foundries with different expertise and capabilities to deliver a quality product. We also started sourcing from India in 2015. India offers a viable long-term alternative manufacturing option. Unfortunately, it became unviable to continue our UK foundry a long time ago.
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