He continued : “ All of this means we are now more competitive than ever , and this is encouraging companies to return to the UK or increase local content .”
PP Control & Automation , which employs 230 people at its world class factory in Cheslyn Hay , is on course to post £ 28m sales for the last twelve months , with a future order pipeline suggesting further growth is on the horizon .
The strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has seen demand for its services rise by 25 % on the previous year and bosses at the firm believe this is due to a combination of reshoring and an increasing number of high technology businesses bringing new innovations to market .
Member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network ( MAN ), the firm has recently widened its engineering and manufacturing capabilities to include a more comprehensive mechanical / pneumatic offer and a dedicated Electrostatic Discharge ( ESD ) area to support electronics integration .
“ The opportunity is there , but UK manufacturers need to be bold and brave to ensure they take advantage of it ,” added Tony .
“ We need to invest in people , process and automation in order to create manufacturing models that are agile and flexible . Focus and spend in areas where you have really strong core competences and ensure you partner with experts in their respective fields .”
He concluded : “ Companies do not need to get bogged down with high levels of vertical integration , it just causes higher overheads and can lead to lack of flexibility when capacity and demand cycles changes .
“ Get this balance right and there ’ s no reason why UK manufacturers can ’ t overcome international rivals by delivering design for manufacturing support , security of supply and more added value .”
For further information , please visit www . ppcanda . com or follow @ ppcanda on twitter
Issue 56 PECM 37