Company
History
Metro Engineering and Plating Works Limited was incorporated
on 4 November 1946 by Mr Charles Etheridge. The company
moved to its
current purpose built premises in 1991 under the management
of Mr Arthur Etheridge and is still owned and managed on
a
day-to-day basis by the third generation of the family. Simon
Etheridge is the Production Director and has worked for the
company since 1987, gaining vast technical expertise in the
treatment of aluminium. The Finance Director, Mark Etheridge,
qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1991 and has managed
the company’s finances since that date, before joining
the business on a full time basis in January 2004.
Aluminium
Specialists
We believe that our company history supports our claim to
be one of the oldest family owned and managed, dedicated anodising
businesses in Europe.
Furthermore, as 99% of our business is generated solely from
the treatment of aluminium, our key strength is the focus
of our expertise and vast experience in one specific area
of metal finishing. A high proportion of our dedicated factory
team have not only worked in the aluminium treatment business
for over 15 years each but all this experience has been gained
at Metro, giving us an unrivalled skills base in the UK anodising
market.
Extended
Working Hours
We usually operate continuously from 7.00am Monday to 1.00pm
Friday each week. Our night shift enables us to process urgent
jobs around the clock to satisfy customer requirements. This
is particularly important where components need to be forwarded
for secondary treatment processes, such as painting, where
time constraints are often applied. We are also able to offer
weekend/Public Holiday processing to satisfy specific customer
requirements on a pre-arranged basis only and subject to a
minimum charge and premium rate.
Prestigious Clients
We currently have a customer base of over 600 companies in
the UK and Europe, ranging from small owner managed businesses
to blue chip multi-national companies.
The key industry sectors which we service on a daily basis include:
Components processed by Metro are currently being used in all corners of the globe, on land, underwater and in space.
Quality
We operate to the highest quality standards, and in 1991 gained full CAA approval, however, since the CAA stopped accrediting smaller sub-contractors in 2005, we do not hold any quality approvals other than specific customer accreditations following their supplier audit procedures. We continue to operate our quality system which was approved by the CAA and we place the highest priority on quality, whether that be through the production management documentation that follows each job around through the factory, the quality control checks we make either visually or with our Fischer Isoscope surface coating thickness tester, the regular checks we carry out on the chemistry of the process solutions, or the continuous investments we make in our facilities and equipment. We also operate a fully computerised production control system specifically written for the metal finishing industry and have a clear timeline of improvements going forward to ensure that we are always providing our customers with the very best. We always welcome customer quality visits as we believe that this process gives our customers a greater understanding of the service we offer.
Skilled
Workforce
The companies most important asset is our highly skilled workforce.
The average term of service within our company is 15 years,
with many employees being with the company for 30 years or
more. We rely on the skill of our production operatives to
ensure the highest levels of finish possible through attention
to detail whether that be in the preparation, treatment, drying
or packaging. Everyone at Metro Plating does their best.
Free
Delivery and Collection
We run a fleet of 3 Volkswagen vans and offer a free
delivery and collection service across much of Middlesex,
Berkshire, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire,
Surrey and Bedfordshire. To check for availability please
call. Click here for
a map of our delivery and collection catchment.
