MAN members partner up to tap into £5m of opportunities

A WEST Midlands manufacturing partnership is looking to tap into business worth more than £5m after launching a new cluster operation.

Three members of the nine-strong Manufacturing Assembly Network are combining as part of the new cluster, which aims to tap into the demand from larger companies for greater levels of strategic outsourcing.

Mec Com, PP Control & Automation and SMT Developments have joined forces to give original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) the chance to access fabrication, electronic and electrical assembly services through a single source.

It comes after the trio saw a 25% increase in the number of outsourcing ‘wins’ secured over the last 12 months. It will also provide a new dedicated resource for clients looking to outsource non-core activity, whilst investing more resource on critical manufacturing operations.

By sharing its resource, knowledge and expertise, the cluster promises to reduce customer lead times, increase capacity and reduce overall production costs.

“Every year we set out a 12-month strategy for growing the MAN Group and this time we decided to focus on splitting into clusters to target specific customer groups,” said John Rowley, managing director of electronics manufacturing specialist SMT Developments.

“The first cluster that immediately leapt out was providing outsourcing solutions to OEMs, something we were doing individually and occasionally together. There is definitely a trend towards the more progressive firms looking to recognise non-core activities within their business and identify supply chain partners that have greater expertise.”

He said the benefits were many, especially in terms of stock and work in progress reductions, greater production flexibility and eliminating the need for scarce and costly skilled sub-contract labour.

“However, the main driver is reduction in production and sales lead times for our customers, this is a common theme across all sectors,” he added.

MAN will make the most of this new cluster by embarking on a six-month marketing campaign to target potential customers in automotive, food processing, machine tools, packaging and the energy sectors.

Richard Bunce, managing director of fabrication experts Mec Com, said: “A lot of people offer outsourcing, but very few can offer a single source to fabrication, electronics and electrical assembly. That’s what makes this different.

“We have worked on numerous contracts together and understand the way each firm works. For the customer, you just get one lead member who controls the complete interaction. The feedback has been great.”

MAN is unique in offering customers access to 800 highly skilled staff working across 15 factories in three continents.

It spends more than £5m on new technology and capital equipment every year and currently exports to 35 countries.

Other member companies include Alucast, Barkley Plastics, Brandauer, Grove Design, KimberMills International and Muller Holdings.