Teresa Hands, Wilmat managing director, receives a commemorative plaque from the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Mike Leddy and Lady Mayoress Pauline Leddy watched by Roger Williams and Andrew Capella.

A UK manufacturing firm has celebrated its 50th anniversary with a special reception for the Lord Mayor of Birmingham and an open day for customers and suppliers.

In 1963, engineer Roger Williams spotted a gap in the market for a lightweight pedestrian stacking truck. Five decades after founding Wilmat, the company is still going strong.

One of its best selling product lines, the Diamond Stacker, is still based on one of Williams' original designs and has since evolved to meet a range of customer applications.

"Over the past half century, we've developed an extensive product portfolio that also includes tow tractors, scissor lift tables, stackers, prime movers, cranes and platform trucks," Williams says. "We've also established ourselves as a leading provider of bespoke handling products."

Wilmat says that maintaining the highest standards of British manufacturing has been key to its success, especially in the face of imports, particularly the Far East.

"There have been some tough times, but we've now survived four recessions. To do this, we've continued to innovate and evolve, but never lost sight of our commitment to customers," Williams says.

After a management buyout six years ago, Wilmat is now run by managing director Teresa Hands and technical director Andrew Capella. Williams has retained the role of chairman.

Speaking at Wilmat's birthday celebration, the Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Mike Leddy, said: "Birmingham is built on manufacturing, both big and small. It contributes greatly to the local economy.

"Today's GDP is heavily dependent on manufacturing and I am delighted to say the region is the only one that can boast a positive GDP, this is entirely because of the manufacturing business throughout greater Birmingham."

Wilmat Ltd designs and manufactures bespoke, pedestrian-operated materials handling equipment. All bespoke products are manufactured at Wilmat's factory in Birmingham. The company's clients include major companies like BMW, Ford, BT and Siemens.