Produmax takes off with American contract
PRECISION engineering company Produmax has won a multi-million pound contract to supply flight control machined parts and assemblies for a US commercial aircraft programme.
The Otley-based company develops innovative manufacturing techniques for a wide range of industries including aerospace, medical, oil and gas and telecommunications.
It has landed the contract with US-based Moog Aviation and won the contract in the face of strong competition from China and India.
Moog Aviation provides two systems on a number of commercial aircraft which control the primary and secondary surfaces, horizontal stabiliser, leading edge slats and trailing edge flaps in response to pilot commands.
Jeremy Ridyard, the managing director of Produmax, said that the contract win was “a shot in the arm for British manufacturing”.
Mr Ridyard said: “This high-profile international contract with Moog is a ringing endorsement of the quality of the work that we do at Produmax.
“It also underlines the importance of investment in both capital equipment and people, which we believe is the key to our success.”
Mr Ridyard, who runs the business with his wife Mandy, led a management buyout of Produmax in 1997 and opened a new 5,000 sq ft factory at Yeadon, near to Leeds-Bradford International Airport in 2009, to cope with increased demand.
He added: “It is our aim to maintain double digit year-on-year growth and increase our manufacturing output, which will lead to new jobs and the opening of a new manufacturing facility.”
The company increased turnover to a record £4.7m last year following investment of £1m in machinery.
Produmax has worked closely with accountants and business advisers Garbutt & Elliott to expand the business.
Nigel Shaw, partner of Garbutt & Elliott, which has offices in Leeds and York, said: “Produmax is a tremendous Yorkshire success story, with which we are delighted to be associated.
“I think it is impressive that critical parts of a new state-of-the-art international airliner are being supplied from a Yorkshire manufacturer. Produmax is one of the region’s best-kept manufacturing secrets.”
Produmax’s other clients include Bombardier, GE Aviation, Ronaldsway and Goodrich Aviation.
