From high-speed Chinese trains to Olympic medals - inside Dundee company with global ambitions

Founded in 1978 and based at the city’s Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate, Rautomead creates equipment for everything from cabling for cars and high-speed trains to Olympic medals and commemorative coins. The company - which turns over some £10 million and employs about 50 staff - designs, manufactures and assembles equipment that processes non-ferrous metals and alloys for the global market.

End products range from brass fittings and welding tips to high quality wire and jewellery. Hundreds of Rautomead machines, built in Dundee, can currently be found in 49 countries.

The firm has recently welcomed new managing director, Stephen Hall, succeeding Brian Frame, who is retiring after 15 years at the helm.

Glasgow-born Hall, an electronics graduate from the University of the West of Scotland, joins the company following 18 years with FLEXcon Europe, where he held several positions including managing director for Europe.

He said: “From our Dundee operation, we enable world-class technology, designing and creating machinery that’s in high demand across the globe. With our technology already supporting the fastest high-speed trains across China, our future lies at the high end of the electrification of the world.

“For example, as the demand for electric vehicles grows, so will the need for copper conductor alloys, widely used in EVs due to their excellent electrical conductivity and resistance to corrosion.

“Having built a reputation for producing the best copper alloys in the world, I’m committed to taking the company to the next level. I’ll be driving the business to innovate, identify and explore new niche export markets where, collectively, we can make an even greater impact while contributing to the UK’s strategy towards net zero.”

The firm said it was committed to investing in “new and emerging talent” and currently employs six University of Dundee engineering graduates and a steady stream of apprentices. It also works closely with the university’s school of engineering, bridging the gap between academia and business to help address “industry-driven challenges” and develop new technologies.

The Prosperity Partnership, funded by Innovate UK, sees four PhD students engaged in active research and development around the design of continuous casting rigs that produce high-value, high-quality alloys. The partnership also provides the Tayside company with access to students and graduates.

Through this research and development work, combined with in-house trials, Rautomead invests nearly £1m annually, allowing the business to explore and develop new products, processes and materials.

Hall added: “As well as apprentices, we currently employ several University of Dundee graduates and regularly welcome students to complete bespoke design projects that go towards their degree. It’s encouraging to see that new talent coming through, and something we’d like to cultivate further.

“We are also committed to the ongoing development of existing staff, some of whom have worked here for over 40 years, whether supporting staff through PhDs or offering the latest training to progress their skills further. Only by investing in innovation and our people can we succeed in a globally competitive sector like ours.”