Brandauer targets £500K of orders – by beating the Germans
A BIRMINGHAM manufacturer is looking to take on the Germans in their own backyard next month, with its first ever appearance at a major trade show.
Presswork and stamping specialist Brandauer is targeting more than £500,000 of new orders from customers in the EU with its debut at Productronica.
The Aston firm said it believed exhibiting its capabilities at one of the world’s largest electronics exhibitions was the perfect way to start the sales push.
The visit fits in with the company’s three-year plan, which aims to grow the business to £10m, with international opportunities likely to be a key factor in achieving this.
Five of the senior management will be travelling to Munich on November 10 to showcase the firm’s new £250,000 Special Product Division (SPD), which gives it the capability to work with clients on prototypes and small quantities before taking it through to mid and high volumes.
This new addition to the portfolio is already reaping dividends for the firm, with nearly £320,000 of new contracts secured, including lamination motors for use in aerospace and wind farms and complex compliance pins – also known as ‘needle eye pins’ – for the automotive and white goods sectors.
Graham Allison, Strategic Sales Manager, said: “Exporting to Germany has always been a difficult market to crack and it has taken a good two years knocking at the door to get our first few leads.
‘We have found there is a real capacity issue over there and in some other EU countries and we believe we can offer a viable alternative to clients looking for reduced lead times, flexibility in volumes and requiring additional added value assembly services.”
He said the introduction of the SPD facility had been a real game changer for the business.
“We can now work with the client on initial ideas for new components, then bring them to prototype stage to prove the process works and the product performs in the way it should,” he said.
“From there we can build the tooling for it and transfer it into medium or high volume production. The journey is seamless and we become a strategic partner rather than just a sub-contractor.”
The SPD is the result of a six-month project and provides a dedicated cell housing more than £200,000 of new machinery, including multiple low tonnage presses (3 tonnes up to 60), hydraulic presses, a sheet metal guillotine, laser marking, CNC lathe and a second operation/final assembly area.
Brandauer has also set up a self-contained tool room in the SPD, together with its first 3D printer, which is capable of producing initial prototypes at a fraction of the cost of setting up tooling.
