AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING LATEST NEWS FROM RDM GROUP
RDM GROUP
Sales boost for RDM Group as carmakers switch to more local sourcing
A specialist automotive supplier has secured a string of new contracts to help it bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic .
RDM Group , which provides electronic and software engineering , automotive wiring harnesses , CNC machining , carbon fibre and trim and upholstery , has seen sales rise past pre-lockdown levels after carmakers switched to sourcing more locally to reduce dependencies on long , global supply chains
This has seen orders jump 30 % on this time last year , creating up to 18 new jobs across manufacturing , software development , logistics and in the firm ’ s autonomous technology division Aurrigo , which has recently launched Auto-Dolly ® , the world ’ s first driverless cargo and luggage dolly for airports .
Bosses at the Coventry-based company are now looking to capitalise on this demand by investing more than £ 500,000 into increasing engineering capacity , capital equipment , further recruitment and the opening of an additional international office in Singapore .
David Keene , CEO of RDM Group , commented : “ We have definitely noted a shift in purchasing decisions by the big OEMs , who are experiencing significant supply chain issues from Brexit , Covid-19 and natural disasters .
“ The requirement for local sourcing has never been greater and we have certainly benefitted since lockdown was eased , both in immediate sales and future pipeline of opportunities .”
He went on to add : “ At our Advanced Engineering Centre , we have the capability to support design , development , prototyping and medium volume supply across a range of engineering disciplines .
“ This means customers can use us to single-source manufacturing solutions in anything from electronics and trim to injection moulding and carbon fire parts as lightweighting becomes increasingly important .”
RDM Group was founded twenty-eight years ago when David decided to take voluntary redundancy from MG Rover .
Over next three decades it has overcome a number of major economic and global shocks to remain a critical supplier of engineering services to some of the world ’ s best-known automotive manufacturers , including Aston Martin , JLR and Morgan Motor Company .
All components are manufactured to IATF16949 global quality standards and can be delivered in batches starting at one-offs right up to 50,000 units per week .
“ Our Autonomous Vehicle division Aurrigo continues to go from strength-to-strength , with the Auto-Pod ® and Auto-Shuttle ® resuming trials in Milton Keynes and on the roads in Cambridge respectively , whilst Auto-Dolly ® is enjoying massive interest from global ground handling specialists , airlines and airports ,” continued David .
“ The latter is a massive opportunity and this , combined with our Auto-Sim ® modelling technology , could deliver more than £ 10m sales over the next twelve months , which will generate 50 new technology jobs in the area .”
For further information , please visit www . rdmgroup . co . uk or www . aurrigo . com
42 PECM Issue 51