Press Toolmaker

Pre-Met Limited is a precision manufacturer based in Redditch, Worcestershire, with over 50 years of engineering heritage. We produce complex metal pressings, stampings, wire forms, springs and weld assemblies for customers across automotive, aerospace, defence and industrial sectors — with components shipped to over 35 countries worldwide.

Our Tool Room is the heartbeat of the business. We run 500+ active tools across an 80+ press estate and have invested significantly in our in-house tooling capability — including an AgieCharmilles wire erosion centre — because we know that tooling excellence is what separates a good pressings business from a great one.

We hold IATF 16949 and EN 9100 certification and are recognised in the Grant Thornton Worcestershire Growth Index.

We are growing — through organic development and acquisition — and we want craftspeople who want to grow with us.

This is a hands-on, skilled trade role in a busy, well-equipped tool room at the centre of a growing precision manufacturer. You will build, maintain, repair and improve the press tools that go on our Bruderer, Bihler, Haulick & Roos, Chin Fong and Worcester machines — and you will take genuine pride in the quality of your work.

You will work alongside an experienced Tool Room team, including a Tool Room Manager with deep institutional knowledge of the business and its tools. The role spans new tool build, ongoing maintenance, breakdown support to production and continuous improvement of the tool estate. If you are a time-served tool maker who wants a role with real variety and a business that values the trade, this is it.

• Building new press tools from approved drawings and specifications — working to tight tolerances, using conventional and CNC machining, grinding and EDM/wire erosion equipment.
• Maintaining the active tool estate — carrying out planned maintenance, wear assessment, refurbishment and rebuild work to keep 500+ tools performing to standard.
• Supporting press-side breakdown activity — attending machine-side when tooling issues arise, diagnosing faults and returning tools to service quickly and correctly.
• Commissioning new tools through first-off trials and supporting PPAP and first article inspection submissions.
• Operating the AgieCharmilles wire erosion centre and other precision machining equipment to the standard the work demands.
• Working to engineering drawings, tool specifications and inspection standards without close supervision — managing your own workload and communicating progress clearly to the Tool Room Manager.
• Supporting and mentoring apprentice tool makers, sharing your knowledge and setting a high standard.

ESSENTIAL

• Time-served tool maker — recognised apprenticeship or equivalent trade qualification in tool making, tooling engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrable experience in press tool making — building, fitting and maintaining progressive, blanking, forming or compound tools.
• Competent on conventional machining — milling, turning, surface grinding, jig boring — and able to work to the tolerances precision press tooling demands.
• Able to read and work from engineering drawings, tool specifications and inspection plans without assistance.
• Self-managing, accurate and reliable — able to prioritise your own workload and work without close supervision for the majority of the day.
• Clear communicator — able to give a straight answer to the Tool Room Manager or production team on tool status and return-to-service timelines.
  

DESIRABLE:

• Wire erosion / EDM experience — spark erosion or wire cutting on press tooling applications.
• CNC machining centre experience — setting and operating CNC milling or turning to produce tooling components.
• Experience with Bruderer, Bihler, Haulick & Roos, Chin Fong or Worcester press platforms and the tooling they run.
• PPAP and first article inspection experience — familiar with the documentation requirements and the process of getting a new tool approved.
• Experience mentoring or supporting apprentice tool makers.
  

As part of the Pre-Met family, you will enjoy plenty of benefits:

• A permanent, full-time role in a stable, growing business with genuine craft heritage and a tool room that is invested in and valued.
• Access to modern, well-maintained tooling equipment including an AgieCharmilles wire erosion centre.
• A team environment where your skill is respected and your development is supported.
• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Benefits including — pension, holiday entitlement, overtime arrangements etc.