Anochrome Ltd plans to stop using cyanide at its Walsall site after a toxic spill last year, aiming for safer, more environmentally friendly processes.
Last week, they submitted plans to replace their current processing line with a safer option. This new technology will be installed in an existing storage building on-site.
If approved, there won’t be any changes to their business size or staffing. The number of vehicles coming in and out will stay the same too.
Anochrome, founded in 1946, specializes in metal finishing. They have six companies, mostly in the West Midlands and two in Europe.
Currently, 58 people work at the Walsall site. Their clients include big names like Jaguar Land Rover and JCB. They claim to be the largest independent metal finishing company in the world.
In August 2024, the Environment Agency linked Anochrome to a cyanide spill that affected Walsall’s canal network. About 4,000 liters of sodium cyanide leaked, closing a 12-mile stretch of the waterway.
Five months later, pollution levels are down, but a small part of the canal is still closed.
