For more than 31 years, British manufacturing has been at the heart of everything we do at The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company.
We have always believed that successful UK manufacturing depends on long-term investment, skilled local people, strong supplier partnerships and a commitment to making products in Britain rather than simply importing from overseas.
That commitment has driven significant investment across our business and supply chain. We support a wide range of UK industries, including steel processors, transport companies, powder coaters, tube bending specialists, CNC engineers, toolmakers, welders, injection moulders and automation providers.
Each year we purchase approximately 2,000 tonnes of steel sheet and coil and a further 2,000 tonnes of steel tube, helping sustain jobs and businesses throughout the UK manufacturing supply chain.
Over the last 14 years, we have invested more than £5 million in plant and machinery to improve productivity and modernise operations. In 2025 alone, we invested £500,000 in solar energy to support our Net Zero ambitions while reducing energy costs. We have also upgraded our facilities, invested in new vehicles, introduced an apprentice programme and continued to upskill our workforce without making redundancies through automation.
Today, we remain the only company manufacturing complete wheelbarrows in the UK.
This means British jobs, British wages, British investment and British tax revenue staying within the UK economy.
However, despite this commitment, we are increasingly concerned about the unintended consequences of the Government’s new steel tariff measures and the introduction of CBAM in 2027.
While we recognise the intention is to support UK steel production, many manufacturers rely on specifications of steel that are simply not available from domestic producers. Under the new legislation, imports above quota levels (currently set at just 40% of UK total demand) will face a 50% tariff, significantly increasing costs for UK manufacturers.
The risk is that businesses still manufacturing in Britain are placed at a competitive disadvantage compared with companies that have already moved production overseas.
Like many manufacturers, we are already managing rising employment, energy and operating costs while continuing to invest to remain competitive. These additional pressures threaten our ability to compete effectively.
As a result, we have reluctantly begun exploring overseas sourcing options to help offset the impact of future steel tariffs and CBAM requirements.
After more than eight decades and three generations of supporting British industry, we urge policymakers to consider the impact on manufacturers like ours.
Britain should be creating more reasons to manufacture here not introducing policies that risk driving production elsewhere.
Signed
The Thacker Family
