An 112 year-old Black Country manufacturing business is set to close its doors this week after recent financial struggles, as seventeen people are to be made redundant.
Sturge Industries Ltd, who made ball chains for blinds, was set up in Birmingham in 1914, before moving to its current residence on Narrowboat way on Blackbrook trading estate in Dudley.
Sturge made quality steel ball chains in the Black Country and exported them to Europe and across the world.
The companies will shut its doors on Thursday August 27 after financial struggles in the last 3-4 years.
Sturge's general manager Jo Haden-Thompson sites a changing steel industry, government quotas and rising operational costs as the factors leading to the demise of the stalwart of Black Country manufacturing.
The general manager said: "Gas and electric prices have gone through the roof, and as a manufacturing company we obviously used a lot."
"The government is putting too many costs on the manufacturing business, manufacturing in the Black Country is suffering, as well as across the whole of the UK."
"Brexit also effected us massively."
"We are not able to compete with the Asian market, it is significantly cheaper to buy from China now" added Ms Haden-Thompson.
"A particular problem is the government's quota on steel, you can only import so much tonnage at a time, and you have to pay a duty charge on top of tax."
"We have no steel manufacturers left in the UK, but the government approach it like they expect us to get our steel from within the country."
"There is also the pump tax that adds a cost to importing to America, which was a significant market for us."
Sturge's general manager also cited high minimum wage and apprenticeships wages as another problem for the manufacturer.
Seventeen people are set to lose their jobs at the company and be made redundant, some of which have been at the company over four decades.
"Out of the three machinists who have lost their job, the one with the shortest time at the company was 34 years, we have many people with us who have worked at the company straight of school and been with us over 20 years."
"I love manufacturing, but manufacturing it the UK is dying."
"I network quite a bit, and everyone in the manufacturing industry that I speak to, apart from those who work in AI, say the sector is dying " added Jo Haden-Thompson.
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