Member Feature - Charles H Coward Ltd

20th January 2021

As with many businesses throughout 2020 the Charles H Coward Ltd Group of Companies has certainly had its resolve stretched and tested.

However, vitally the right decisions were made at the right time and the company as a whole has actually thrived and saw turnover increase by 8% above forecast throughout the year with overall profitability also showing positive growth.

Over the years the key words for the business owners have been diversity and quality - evolving into new sectors and new lines of business and providing the best quality possible is what has grown the company from a traditional foundry in the industrial backstreets of Sheffield into a modern day manufacturing hub where those traditional skills are still found hand in hand with the latest in design and manufacturing technology.

It is this diverse way of thinking and those skills that has helped the company claim two prestigious awards in recent years with it being crowned the 2020 Yorkshire Family Business of the Year and being awarded the 2019 Excellence in Manufacturing Award from the Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber.

Growing as well is their skilled list of employees with 4 new additions to the team within the last 12 months, including the first school leaving apprentice in the company’s history who will now learn his trade alongside long serving skilled workmen.

2020 also saw a new addition to the CHC family as they welcomed the takeover of long standing customers Photocast Products of Liverpool, a plaque and sign making company whose global reputation for quality is unrivalled.

It wasn’t the start CHC had hoped for, completing the takeover deal on the 19^th of March 2020 and instantly having to close the doors on the 23^rd as their key customers and suppliers alike closed their doors as “non-essential” retailers.

Production was restarted on the 1^st June and the company enjoyed a successful year under the guidance of CHC, finishing the year only 8% short of initial forecast and winning its own British Sign Awards prestigious décor award.

The company moves into 2021 with much anticipation and predictions for yet further business growth. Plans have been actioned early and work is already underway to double their melting capacity for copper based materials as well as upgrades to both their furnace cooling systems and sand reclamation to once again reduce the company’s environmental impact and productivity.

For further information on the CHC Group and its companies visit their website at www.chcsheffield.co.uk or for more information on their newest addition Photocast Products please visit www.photocast.co.uk