{"id":1850,"date":"2020-06-19T11:02:46","date_gmt":"2020-06-19T10:02:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.becgroup.com\/?p=1850"},"modified":"2023-02-09T12:40:14","modified_gmt":"2023-02-09T12:40:14","slug":"6-reasons-why-uk-sme-manufacturers-will-ensure-the-uk-emerges-wiser-from-covid-19","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.becgroup.com\/news\/6-reasons-why-uk-sme-manufacturers-will-ensure-the-uk-emerges-wiser-from-covid-19\/","title":{"rendered":"6 reasons why UK SME manufacturers will ensure the UK emerges wiser from COVID-19"},"content":{"rendered":"

As one of many SME plastic injection moulding<\/a> manufacturers in the UK, BEC are proud the team have had the expertise and agility to step up over the last few months, working with talented innovators and design agencies to develop new products, fast.<\/p>\n

Collaborating on a national scale with other highly skilled manufacturers, to answer the COVID-19 emergency call to engineer critical PPE for those working quite literally in the face of coronavirus.<\/p>\n

Digital manufacturing magazine \u201cManufacturing Global<\/a>\u201d asked for BEC Director, <\/strong>Geoff Elvy\u2019s<\/strong><\/a> opinion on the current state of UK manufacturing and the position of SME manufacturer\u2019s as we emerge from this pandemic.<\/p>\n

Geoff explained \u201cIt\u2019s small to medium sized UK manufacturers who are best placed to meet customer demand as we emerge from COVID-19.\u00a0 It\u2019s just frustrating that it\u2019s taken a pandemic to make UK buyers realise the vulnerability of the UK supply chain from overseas and see the wealth of manufacturing and engineering talent, right under their noses.<\/p>\n

Another Chance<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Who knows what the landscape will look like once we\u2019re out the other side, but what\u2019s likely is a degree of caution as companies start to resume their operations, reluctant and financially unable to tie themselves to huge supply commitments, until they understand the full impact of the Coronavirus crisis.<\/p>\n

As Julia Moore, CEO of UK\u2019s GTMA<\/a> (Trade association for Engineering Companies and Manufacturing Associations) says; \u201cRelying on overseas production for so much of our engineering infrastructure has almost brought us to our knees. It\u2019s vital that UK Manufacturers safeguard their future security by including UK engineering companies in their supply chains, so that we harness these skills in the UK. If we don\u2019t, we stand to lose these companies and then where will we be?\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

As we emerge from the crisis and, dare I say it, Brexit (remember that?) we\u2019re seeing mounting evidence of a move towards a more nationalistic approach to sourcing, proving that it\u2019s the agile and experienced SME\u2019s who are poised, ready and best-equipped to step up.<\/p>\n

Procurement Trends<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As established manufacturers, we have watched as UK buyers focus their procurement criteria more and more on price, turning to low cost manufacturing countries to drive down costs without considering the permanent loss of experience and value that comes from buying closer to home.\u00a0 Paradoxically, a dwindling number of engineering firms have been forced to quietly but determinedly adapt, invest and hone their capabilities.<\/p>\n

We have witnessed companies sourcing tooling from low-cost centres only to see that tooling produce inferior products, often the result of miscommunications that impact on cost, quality or delivery of a new product. The ‘tooling’ budget often in a different column from transport, subsequently resulting in the cost of getting the tools back to the UK not making commercial sense.<\/p>\n

High Quality UK Manufacturing<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As the original founder of \u00a0BEC Group<\/a>, I\u2019m immensely proud that 41 years on we are still innovating, stepping up to the challenges set by clients and delivering high quality design, tooling and moulding services, all from under one roof, in one location.<\/p>\n

Proud of our team and the projects that have proved our innovative capabilities; from the first tumble dryer filter<\/a>, 1million+ filters manufactured annually for the automotive industry, 50 bespoke VISA contactless payment bands for VIPs at the American Superbowl and 150,000 cable liners to support power cables for a new electricity interconnector inside the Channel Tunnel, to name but a few.<\/p>\n

Proof of Agility<\/strong><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s because of those decades of experience that we\u2019ve been able to stay agile, scaling up or down, collaborating with clients and suppliers quickly.\u00a0 We\u2019ve proved it in the last few weeks, stepping up to the UK\u2019s urgent need for critical PPE<\/a>, collaborating with other UK suppliers.\u00a0 Firstly, with Capit for clip-on visor shields for frontline delivery drivers (Lead time: 7 days from company set-up, design, tooling and into production) and secondly, with Protecting Heroes who we\u2019ve assisted in large scale manufacture of NHS protective face shields (Lead time: 3 weeks from sign off, to design, tooling, trials, approval from Public Health England and into production).<\/p>\n

Julia adds \u201cAn incredible feat. I hope that our brilliant manufacturers, who have turned from their specialist industries to medical devices, will now recognise and applaud the UK engineering companies who have responded with their extensive knowledge and flexibility to produce and deliver high volume quality parts in record time.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Liquidity and Flexibility<\/strong><\/h3>\n

While large companies are making commercial decisions based on cost, they\u2019re not taking into account the benefits of choosing local manufacturing where reduced stockholding and increased cash flow improve liquidity. \u00a0It\u2019s this short-sighted view of profitability that\u2019s now coming home to roost as Britain struggles to get the items they need to resume manufacturing.\u00a0 And whilst global companies have built illogical hurdles preventing smaller companies from passing the initial audit, it\u2019s the resilient SME\u2019s who are adapting and focusing on what they do best.<\/p>\n

In-house Speed & Capabilities <\/strong><\/h3>\n

We watched in the early 2000\u2019s as companies sourced from further afield, causing toolrooms to close across the UK.\u00a0 But instead, we invested in ours, seeing the value in having everything under one roof, rather than shipping tooling overseas and risking projects getting lost in translation and clients losing control, deadlines, quality and customisation.<\/p>\n

We have helped customers with reshoring, so we know how the process works, what needs to be done and how to ease the transition to our factory.\u00a0\u00a0 Everything is made easier with the team in one place.\u00a0 A product design can go from CAD sign off to a full Design for Manufacture review and then into the toolroom for manufacture in a matter of hours, not days.<\/p>\n

Within the UK, buyers can request fewer quantities, maintain tighter control, communicate directly (either in person or online) with the designer, anticipate CAD improvements, tap into engineering expertise, guidance and wizardry to get a better end product, tighter lead times and visit the factory to sign off at every stage, getting into production quicker.<\/p>\n

As the American billionaire investor Warren Buffet says; \u201cPrice is what you pay, value\u2019s what you get\u201d and he knows a thing or two about business!\u201d<\/p>\n

Geoff Elvy, Founder & CEO, BEC Group<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We are agile, we have the ability to collaborate, innovate and respond…quickly.. Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1854,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1850","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n6 reasons UK SMEs ensure the UK emerges wiser from COVID<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"BEC Group sets out why it is innovative and agile UK SME manufacturers like us that will help the UK emerge from Covid-19. 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