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Metal Treatments Birmingham Ltd Heath Mill Lane

My dad worked there as Works Manager for 25 years or more, he left in the very late 1970s to set up his own business (in competition really).
He was known as Mick Ellis, given name Thomas Michael. In my youth, maybe 10-12, he occasionally took me in on a Saturday morning, if he had work to do. I just used to mess about really, and one day wrecked the office typewriter (never used one before) and he was presented with the bill for repairs...also remember going out for the day with the driver, (in the Bedford truck in the top picture!) delivering & picking up stuff. We went to a transport cafe for a cup of char & a wad. Was his name Sid? The owners were the Stembridge family - dad wasn't so keen...he lost his best mate there in the mid 1970s, Bill Bishop, who I think was a director. Lovely chap.
 
My dad worked there as Works Manager for 25 years or more, he left in the very late 1970s to set up his own business (in competition really).
He was known as Mick Ellis, given name Thomas Michael. In my youth, maybe 10-12, he occasionally took me in on a Saturday morning, if he had work to do. I just used to mess about really, and one day wrecked the office typewriter (never used one before) and he was presented with the bill for repairs...also remember going out for the day with the driver, (in the Bedford truck in the top picture!) delivering & picking up stuff. We went to a transport cafe for a cup of char & a wad. Was his name Sid? The owners were the Stembridge family - dad wasn't so keen...he lost his best mate there in the mid 1970s, Bill Bishop, who I think was a director. Lovely chap.
Metal Treatments moved to a new factory in Cherrywood Road, I believe in the 1980's where they had/have two units. If my memory serves me well, one unit concentrated on subcontract electropaint or powder coat finishing for different outlets, including automotive. The other unit was treatment of aluminium mostly for architectural purposes. I believe that they closed down in 2012
 
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My dad worked there as Works Manager for 25 years or more, he left in the very late 1970s to set up his own business (in competition really).
He was known as Mick Ellis, given name Thomas Michael. In my youth, maybe 10-12, he occasionally took me in on a Saturday morning, if he had work to do. I just used to mess about really, and one day wrecked the office typewriter (never used one before) and he was presented with the bill for repairs...also remember going out for the day with the driver, (in the Bedford truck in the top picture!) delivering & picking up stuff. We went to a transport cafe for a cup of char & a wad. Was his name Sid? The owners were the Stembridge family - dad wasn't so keen...he lost his best mate there in the mid 1970s, Bill Bishop, who I think was a director. Lovely chap.
welcome simon...nice memories...thanks

lyn
 
Hi Pedro!
Yes, I was aware they moved, I thought they went to Bromsgrove?
My dad was heavily involved in bringing in their powder coating process, I still have tools he put through their systems; he thought it was amazing, after all those years of spraying & dipping.
They did all sorts of work - I remember seeing panels from the inside of National buses, the single deckers used by Midland Red in the 1970s; they also painted the metal ship displayed on the front wall of the pub on Digbeth - was it the Royal George?
 
This is what happened to it. Extract from the Royal George thread. The pub was demolished in October 2017.

And a photo showing the colours of the ship. Viv.

Screenshot_20230710_195152_Chrome.jpgScreenshot_20230710_194953_Chrome.jpg
 
That's the very one - I remember seeing it on the floor of the works - this was probably late 1960s/early 1970s. I thought it was copper/bronze coloured? That may have been a later incarnation, I can't remember what I saw really, in my head it was bronze colour, but that may come from what I remember it was in real life on the pub.
 
Probably originally copper-coloured if you saw it in the 60s/70s - I'd think it would have been about the time the 'newer' Royal George was built (ie the one in the photos).

Viv.
 
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