IN the shadow of Newport's most famous link with industrial history a new emblem of modern business is rising from the ground.

It represents a major initiative by Precision Cast Components, who are erecting an 8,000 sq ft factory to house a new arm of their operations.

The new building stands behind PCC's existing factory almost beneath the Transporter Bridge, and will bring 30 quality jobs to the town as PCC expands into a new service to its customers in a £750,000 investment.

PCC was set up in 1987 by Mark Isaac, who quickly established a thriving business, becoming the first winner of the South Wales Argus sponsored Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

The watchword was always total commitment to the customer, and as a result those customers are now famous names around the world, in the medical, military, mass transit and other sectors.

The quality of work was acknowledged in March of this year when Precision-Cast Components (Mouldings) become the first company in Wales to achieve the sought-after ISO 9000 2000 accolade.

The company was launched offering precision aluminium casting, and to this was quickly added metal spinning. By the time the company had moved to the present site in 1992, PCC was working on major contracts producing aluminium castings in the refurbishment of rolling stock for the Piccadilly Underground Line in London, Scot Rail, and the Mass Transit line in Hong Kong.

PCC was responsible for the smart new look on many of London's Underground trains, making elegant parts for grabrails, covings and grills to the highest standards. The quality of their work was appreciated by the Underground, and now PCC is preparing to work on the new-look trains on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines as large sums of money are poured into making our transport system better.

Mr Isaac said: "We realised there was synergy between different aspects of the business, and that by adding new services this would increase still more.

"With this in mind, we decided to move into phenolic moulding, widening the range of products and giving customers more choices to fulfil their needs."

The figures behind this synergy are striking. "In an Underground carriage there may be £20,000 worth of aluminium casting work, while the amount of phenolic work could be as much as £90,000. Clearly now we will be well positioned to do all the work, which is more efficient as far as the customer is concerned."

There is also an important safety aspect in using phenolic moulding. In a fire, traditional glass fibre resin components produce deadly gases, while phenolic material vapourises harmlessly.

The dangers of glass fibre resin were tragically illustrated in the ski train fire in Austria two years ago where many holidaymakers lost their lives.

The opportunity to move into the phenolic moulding market came when an established polyurethane company went into receivership, and PCC bought the assets.

Using this as a basis, £750,000 has now been invested in the new building and state-of-the-art equipment, including a five axis routing machine.

Mr Isaac said: "Our customers are delighted that they can now get the whole package under one roof. One client came to see us, and I was able to offer a far more efficient way of doing what he wanted and save him a considerable amount of money."

This new service is not the only good thing happening for PCC's customers. In June a CAD facility will be added using Pro Engineer, giving all customers an electronic interface to help them design the product right first time.

Mr Isaac said: "This will be a vital link between us and the customer. Data can be downloaded instantly, the files edited using our vast experience of casting and moulding design."

The expansion will mean the PCC will now have a workforce of 80, with turnover doubling to £4.5 million in 2002 and heading up to an anticipated £6 million the following year.