Manufacturing collective targets £5m sales growth

A WEST Midlands manufacturing collective is targeting a £5m growth in new sales by the end of the year by utilising the combined skills of its members.

The move will help to support hundreds of jobs in the region’s crucial manufacturing sector.

The Midlands Assembly Network (MAN) is a group of eight sub-contract manufacturers based in the region, together with a specialist engineering design consultancy.

The network, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary, believes there is a growing demand from OEMs and tier one supply chain companies to outsource some of their non-core production.

It is hoping to win this business by focussing on the development of new sub-clusters, each comprising around two, three or four of the member companies to0 better match the needs of larger customers.

The group as a whole will also be targeting new untapped markets with specific offers to reduce costs, improve lead times and provide outsourcing solutions to complex production issues.

“The group was set up in 2006 by Government support to help firms work together to secure new business, especially in light of the MG Rover collapse and subsequent fall-out,” said chairman Tony Hague.

“I believe the vision was to jointly market the manufacturing capabilities of the region and the initial vision was to ensure that every aspect of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering process was offered, and importantly, there was no competition.”

Mr Hague, who is also managing director of constituent firm, PP Electrical Systems, said three of the group’s founding members – Alucast, Barkley Plastics and Brandauer – were still part of MAN and the group’s ethos remained the same.

“We work together to win work, to share best practice, training expertise, buying resource and to promote UK manufacturing to the rest of the world,” he added.

Over the last decade, the group has secured more than £35m of contracts and this in turn, has helped to support hundreds of jobs in the region.

“Our aim now is to build on this by the introduction of a host of specific cluster offers,” said Mr Hague.

MAN in 2016 comprises: Alucast, Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, Grove Design, KimberMills International, Mec Com, Muller Holdings, PP Electrical Systems, SMT Developments and associate partner Warwick Manufacturing Group.

The collective, which currently has annual sales of £70m and employs in excess of 750 people, targets business by offering a full service solution from initial design and prototyping to supply chain management and low/medium/high volume production.

It currently works for customers in 30 different countries, spanning automotive, aerospace, construction, electronics, F1, energy, food and drink, packaging, renewables and telecommunications.