A Birmingham, UK-based manufacturer has sealed a £4m export order that will see it play a crucial role in developing the male grooming products of the future.Brandauer, which employs 64 people at its factories in Newtown and Aldridge, will stamp ultra-thin stainless-steel components for use in disposable razors produced by Lord International in Egypt.The deal has initially created two toolmaker positions.

Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer, says: “In 2020, we pivoted into producing precision parts for healthcare companies and one of our biggest growth markets was making a critical ‘frame’ that went into razors for a customer in the Middle East.From early successes here, we decided to tap into support from the Department for Business and Trade to spread the word about our capabilities, which directly led to the opportunity in Egypt.”

He adds: “The two contracts combined will generate close to £1m of revenue every year, whether that’s tooling for blade blanks or for the fames we stamp and supply for final assembly into razors.”

Diversification has been a critical part of the Brandauer ‘DNA’ for more than 163 years and during that time the company has evolved from manufacturing pen nibs to consumer electronic products, core automotive products and now to today’s eclectic mix of micron-tolerance components for electrification, construction and healthcare.

The move into the male grooming arena has seen it invest nearly £800,000 into the creation of three dedicated production cells and the development of complex four-module progression tooling for Lord International.

New presses, ancillary equipment and a fully automated turnkey line have all been installed and this means the firm now designs the tooling needed to manufacture the frames and a cell capable of producing up to 500 razor frames every minute.

More information www.brandauer.co.uk