Manufacturing collective sees order book increase by £20m
The Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN) has seen a £20m increase in orders, with several contracts secured in the EU, the Middle East, and the Far East.
The group which consists of six sub-contract manufacturers, an electric motor consultancy and a specialist engineering design agency, is also investing £4.5m into new capital equipment, automation, MRP systems, and a Precision Tooling Academy that aims to train future toolmakers to meet future demands effectively.
It includes companies like Alucast, Brandauer, FluxSys, Grove Design, James Lister & Sons, KimberMills International, Nemco, and PP Control & Automation.
Together, they have over £100m in annual sales, employ over 900 people, and export products to over 50 countries from their 17 factories.
The latest increase in orders has led to the creation of 50 new jobs across member companies.
Tony Sartorius, chairman of Alucast, said: “A £20m boost in sales is some achievement and we believe this highlights a change in purchasing attitudes where customers are now looking for more strategic partnerships and suppliers who can add value throughout the entire process. We’re also seeing lots of new opportunities in electrification and light-weighting.
Tony Hague, chief executive of PP Control, said: “We’ve certainly lived up to our MANifesto, with more than £4.5m invested over the last twelve months. This has ranged from the purchase of a high-pressure die-casting machine and automated SMT assembly equipment to new forging simulation software, high-speed presses and, in our case, the latest automated cable harness production technology.
“Investment has been in people too, with many of our members committed to developing apprentices and offering opportunities to graduates through our work with WMG and other academic institutions. We can’t stand still – how we harness skills and technology to deliver more productive businesses will be crucial to building on a successful twelve months. One of our member companies – Brandauer – has even worked with In-Comm Training to launch and grow the UK’s first-ever Precision Tooling Academy. It has done this for the good of the industry and to ensure we have the volume of toolmakers the UK is going to need to be a world leader once again.”
