Brandauer and WMG
Tuesday 12 May 2026
WMG supports Brandauer to boost turnover, achieve a 60% waste reduction and 10% cost savings
A 15-year partnership delivering £100k+ of innovation support, driving sustainable growth, strengthening competitiveness and securing a strong future for the business.
Evolving through innovation
Founded in 1862 as a fountain pen nib manufacturer, Birmingham-based Brandauer has evolved into one of the world’s leading metal stamping and tooling specialists, supporting customers in 15 different sectors and across 26 countries.
Celebrating its 165th anniversary in 2027, the company has benefited from £100k+ of innovation support from WMG’s SME Group, leading to substantial cost savings, waste reductions and successful diversification into electrification on a global stage.
“Collaboration with academia is vital for a thriving SME. Recognising this, Brandauer has worked with WMG on multiple collaborative projects and, as a result, we have been able to successfully develop several new technologies and customer opportunities.” - Stuart Berry, Manufacturing Director, Brandauer.
Scaling a Midlands manufacturer to a global contender
Brandauer’s 15-year partnership with Warwick Manufacturing Group (WMG), University of Warwick, has supported the business to evolve its precision-focussed engineering, from traditional manufacturing into electrification, and achieve its scale-up ambitions through a range of collaborative projects with WMG. These focused on:
- Integrating sustainable processes, through a collaborative net-zero project, reducing packaging-related carbon emissions by over 60% (around 9.5 tonnes of CO₂) and reducing packaging costs by 10%.
- Unlocking new opportunities in electrification, through a future leader mentoring scheme, developing practical strategies to explore the potential for solderless PCB connectors, a multi-pin connection system. Brandauer is now a global leader in the supply of Elopin terminals, press-fit connector pins.
- Delivering new products, through a surface treatment feasibility project to assess the viability and cost-effectiveness of a new tool steel finish, which supported the introduction of a new thick gauge stainless steel grab ring range, expanding Brandauer’s product offering.
- Launching a UK-first EV lamination bonding system, including capability assessment developed through APC funding, which is an integral part of electric motors for EV production in the UK.
- Unlocking £250k of new business by partnering with Jaguar Land Rover, through an E-machine stack project, assessing quality, volume and cost, and ultimately addressing a gap in the UK’s electric motor supply chain.
- Building strong connections as founding members of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN Group): a collaboration of complementary UK manufacturing firms working together to share best practice and win contracts both at home and abroad.
- Developing a magnet-free electric motor supply chain, through the UK Alumotor programme.
- Securing a sustainable future for the business, through impactful internship projects, moving production in-house, strengthening internal capabilities and quality systems.
“We had minimal knowledge of the world of electrification to start with. However, working with WMG gave us the confidence to apply our engineering expertise to new applications, developing multiple new technologies, including lamination stamping, stacking, interlocking, bonding and welding.”
– Rowan Crozier, CEO, Brandauer.
“Just a few years on from starting the project and we now have fifteen clients across five sectors - all taking advantage of this unique UK supply chain capability in electric motor technology.” – Rowan Crozier, CEO, Brandauer.
Long-term journey delivering measurable impact
"Universities have a lot of resources, a lot of knowledge, a lot of technology and so many networks you can tap into. WMG has been a key ally in our evolution as a world-class manufacturer, and I’d recommend other businesses to explore how they can help transform the way they operate.”
– Rowan Crozier, CEO, Brandauer.
Brandauer continues to tap into WMG’s academic expertise, facilities and skills, using the partnership as a catalyst for sustained innovation, growth and competitiveness.
From its multiple partnerships, internships and research and development projects with WMG, the company has benefited from £100k+ of innovation support from WMG’s SME Group and nearly £1.5m funding from Innovate UK.
Through the funding, WMG has supported Brandauer to:
- Achieve 60% reduction in packaging emissions
- Gain 10% cost savings through net-zero alignment
- Improve productivity by 10% whilst breaking £10m annual turnover
- Secure £1m+ per annum future sales growth
- Diversification and entry into EV supply chain
- Develop a new revenue stream by moving press-fit pin tool production in-house
“Key to our new ten-year plan is a continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of innovation in manufacturing. The UK has a massive opportunity to drive the world in new mobility solutions, and I'd love Birmingham and the West Midlands to lead the charge.” – Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer.
“WMG is focused on translating research into real-world impact. This sustained partnership is vital as it strengthens supply chain resilience and builds the capabilities needed to deliver the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.” – Dr Mark Swift, Director of SME Engagement at WMG.
Major grant success accelerates EV market diversification
Brandauer is continuing its long-term partnership with WMG, now collaborating through the West Midlands Supply Chain Transition Programme.
Brandauer successfully applied for £199,500 through the programme to develop a new manufacturing process for a critical component used inside electric vehicle motors, strengthening the UK’s position in the growing electric vehicle supply chain.
Through the programme, businesses like Brandauer are supported to diversify their customer base by winning new orders in growing areas of the economy through workshops, one-to-one coaching with supply chain specialists, leadership and change management training, and access to R&D grant funding.
“The real winning formula for this project was the combination of Brandauer’s expertise in precision engineering with WMG’s amazing access to deep research.” – Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer.
The West Midlands Supply Chain Transition Programme is funded by Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, through the West Midlands Combined Authority’s Investment Zone programme, and is delivered by the Supply Smarter West Midlands Consortium. The Consortium includes C&W Business Solutions, the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC), Birmingham City University, Coventry University, the University of Wolverhampton, and WMG.
“We’re pleased to deliver this project through the Supply Chain Transition Programme, continuing WMG’s 15-year partnership with Brandauer, further supporting the company to strengthen its position in advanced manufacturing, while continuing to diversify into emerging markets.”
- Dr Federico Melotti, Principal Engineer, WMG.
Want to know more about this project? Read the full update hereLink opens in a new window.
Are you looking for support to scale your manufacturing business? Get in touch todayLink opens in a new window to secure the future of your SME.