On Monday, September 2nd, the West Midlands Branch kicked off this year’s technical program with a successful event at Churchill’s venue in Wednesbury. A total of 33 attendees joined the session, with 24 participants physically present and 9 joining virtually from across the UK and around the globe.
The highlight of the evening was a well-organized and engaging technical lecture titled “Working Towards a Net Zero Foundry,” delivered by Jake Soloman, owner of G W Lunts foundry. Jake’s presentation was both insightful and inspiring, offering a clear explanation of his journey in transforming his foundry from a facility stuck in the past to a modern, forward-thinking establishment.
Jake’s talk emphasised his efforts to secure funding and grants available to high-energy manufacturers, a critical step in upgrading the foundry’s equipment and facilities. He shared how, with support from the local authorities in Birmingham and the Black Country, he successfully applied for environmental grants to make meaningful improvements. One of the significant achievements was replacing the traditional gas-fired furnace with a state-of-the-art induction furnace, reducing the environmental impact and bringing the foundry up to modern standards.
The lecture drew an impressive level of interest, as evidenced by a lively Q&A session that followed. Attendees praised Jake’s depth of knowledge and appreciated his sense of humor as he fielded questions with insightful answers. The session concluded with a well-deserved round of applause for Jake’s excellent presentation.
We were also delighted to welcome Jake to Wednesbury in person, and the buffet for the evening was generously sponsored by Lunts foundry Ltd.
This event marks a strong start to the branch’s technical program for the year, and we look forward to more engaging and informative sessions in the months to come.
