Category: Engineering

With Brexit already having an impact across all industries, many manufacturers have taken steps to move their production lines back to the UK, and many more are set to do so in the coming years.

The pandemic has highlighted the instability of producing goods abroad that cannot make it to UK shores in the event of a crisis. Brexit already looks set to make transporting goods from the rest of the EU more difficult and/or costly.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we are proud to be a British-based manufacturer, as demonstrated by our official Made in Britain accreditation. Here’s a look at the Made in Britain organisation and what we can expect from the manufacturing industry over the next years.

What is Made in Britain?

Made in Britain is an organisation that brings the British manufacturing community together under one registered collective mark. This mark can only be used by members of Made in Britain that meet the criteria of being a British manufacturer. The mark helps consumers and buyers identify products that are made in Britain.

The Made in Britain mark is used by accredited businesses that sell goods that have been manufactured or undergone a final substantial change in Britain before going on sale. It is an internationally recognised trademark that helps to promote the very best in British manufacturing.

We are proud to be one of the thousands of manufacturers that are part of the Made in Britain organisation. The mark assures our customers that our products are British-made and that all of the labour that goes into the creation of our products is in Britain.

What are the Benefits of Reshoring?

The challenges brought by COVID19 and the concerns over Brexit has increased the importance of bolstering the UK manufacturing industry, ensuring that supply chains are ready for an uncertain future.

Manufacturers moved production to countries like China to produce their goods more competitively. Still, as the overseas price advantage dwindles, more focus is being put on local products, face-to-face personal contact, and quality assurance – and that is driving business back to the UK.

The recent crisis has illustrated how many companies struggled to get crucial components from existing supply chains when their offshore suppliers were unable to ship them out. It’s highlighted that UK manufacturers need to be more adaptable. Suppose the UK moves more towards domestic production. In that case, it will reduce the likelihood of shortages caused during a crisis, which will be necessary for the future resilience of the UK economy and the manufacturing industry.

Reshoring can also benefit delivery times, as businesses will not have to factor in waiting times for deliveries across the globe, which can be anything from a few weeks to months. Due to the small size of the UK, fast delivery times are almost guaranteed, and issues like returns can be resolved much more quickly.

Lower labour costs from offshoring was an attractive prospect to many businesses. Still, a British manufacturing survey conducted by Lloyds Bank found that 71% of companies intending to bring their operations back to the UK were doing so as they wanted to improve the quality of their goods. It’s a good indication of the high standards upheld by British manufacturers, and it has positive implications for the UK manufacturing industry and supply chains.

Reshoring can improve a company’s ability to be flexible, due to there being less order quantity limitations. There’s also more scope to develop a relationship with local suppliers, which is easier to do from the UK than with a seller overseas. Reshoring manufacturing can improve the UK economy, the job market and the overall quality of products produced.

Is Reshoring Happening Right Now?

The pandemic has highlighted just how reliant UK manufacturers are on overseas supplies, so re-establishing UK production is more critical than ever.

The Lloyds Bank survey showed that 37% of UK manufacturing firms said that they were planning to move manufacturing operations back to the UK that had previously been offshored. More and more manufacturers are joining Reshoring UK, a collaboration of industrial engineering associations that assist manufacturers with connecting to suppliers in the UK to help them transition their business operations back to British shores.

Industrial hardware specialist Albert Jagger re-shored to the UK after conducting a risk assessment of their supply chain and evaluating the financials of the process. They found that once they factored in shipping, handling and the environmental impact, the overall terms were better for the customer, and the outgoing costs would be cheaper for them. They invested in the equipment needed to manufacture in the UK and reskilled their workforce. The benefits for them moving operations back to the UK was that they could take complete control of their products from start to finish; they expect a significant increase in the number of units they produce each year and they saw a substantial rise in sales.

We can expect more manufacturers to make similar changes over the years as the instability of the pandemic and Brexit causes people to think more about the future.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we are expert spring manufacturers offering a bespoke spring and pressing design service that is manufactured in our factories in Cornwall and Kent. Contact us today to find out why we are the largest manufacturer of springs in the UK and discover what we can do for you.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we like to keep on top of everything in the engineering industry. This year, The Engineer released their Tech Trends 2021, taking a look at the next 12 months for the engineering sector, including a business confidence survey, which examines how UK engineers are feeling about the year ahead.

We will outline this survey’s findings and give our own ideas and predictions about how we feel European Springs & Pressings will fair in 2021.

First Survey of Business Confidence

This is The Engineer’s first annual business confidence survey, and it aims to reveal Engineer’s attitudes and feelings towards the next 12 months, including any concerns or expectations for what’s to come.

With 2020 proving to be an incredibly challenging year for many businesses across the entire globe, it’s no wonder that anxiety levels skyrocketed during the last 12 months. Both the pandemic and Brexit have proven extremely challenging for many, and it’s safe to say that businesses are likely to have many concerns going into 2021.

The emergence of the COVID-19 vaccine is the beginnings of newfound hope that 2021 could be the year that coronavirus is no longer the barrier it has been. But there will be lingering consequences, and the impact on the economy could be felt for many years yet.

The Results

The Engineer asked their readers from the sector about how they felt about the year ahead, what areas they expected to dominate and how their organisations will fair in 2021. There were 389 respondents from various sectors, with manufacturing being the biggest group with 121 respondents. 90% of the overall sample group were at senior engineering level or above.

Here is a breakdown of the responses from different sectors:

• Manufacturing – 31%
• Medical – 4%
• Oil and Gas – 4%
• Academia – 5%
• Aerospace – 8%
• Automotive – 8%
• Defence and Security – 4%
• Electronics – 4%
• Energy – 5%
• Food and drink – 4%
• All others – 15%
• None of these – 9%

The results found that just over 50% of respondents were feeling confident about the prospects for their business over the next year. 31.6% said they were uncertain about what was to come in 2021, and just 16% were feeling concerned about their prospects.

These confidence levels varied depending on the sector. Areas of engineering less affected by the pandemic, such as telecoms and consumer goods, were unsurprisingly, more positive about the future. This includes sectors that will be vital to the UK’s economic recovery, such as renewables and healthcare.

As can be expected, sectors with the most concerns were those hardest hit by the pandemic, such as those in the aerospace or automotive sectors.

When asked for the reasons for their views, those who felt positive cited reasons like healthy order books and continued demand for their products. For those more concerned about the future, they were still feeling the effects of COVID-19 along with fears about the impact of Brexit.

When respondents were asked to rank key trends in their industry in order of importance over the next year, digitalisation and automation were some of the main areas identified to watch out for. These fields have been observed for their growing priority for a number of years, with the goal to improve the UK’s productivity. However, undoubtedly the pandemic has further highlighted the need for these products and technologies to be adopted. In fact, 54% of the survey respondents stated that the pandemic had been a spur for innovation in their organisations.

Plans for the Future

As the UK reels from a pandemic and a huge change in the form of leaving the EU, investing in the future will be critical. When asked whether respondents would be investing in research and development (R&D) and new product development (NPD) in the next year, the response was mixed.

Just under a third of respondents were expecting to increase or reduce investment. There were significant variations according to the sector, with those with the highest confidence levels anticipating the greatest levels of investment. The biggest decline in investment came from the automotive and aerospace sectors, with 33% of respondents from the automotive sector and 40% of those from aerospace expecting to reduce their R&D over the next year.

The future challenges will require high levels of collaboration between sectors that have previously operated in isolation. This is backed by the survey’s respondents, with almost half reporting that they expect to see high levels of collaboration over the next 12 months – only 8% said they didn’t anticipate any collaboration at all.

When asked about why collaboration is becoming important, a range of factors were stated including wanting to tap into new skills, the changes in technological landscape and that, at a time of scarce resources and limited budgets, partnering with other organisations could be the way forward. However, some expressed concerns that social distancing regulations made collaboration difficult and suggested the mass adoption of remote conferencing tools.

2021 for European Springs & Pressings

The last 12 months have been a strange and challenging time for many, but here at European Springs & Pressings, we are incredibly proud of all our staff for pulling together and making it work. We have continued to operate throughout the last year, putting stringent hygiene and safety procedures in place to ensure that we could continue to manufacture and supply bespoke pressings safely and in compliance with government guidelines.

We are looking forward to 2021 and can’t wait to rise to the challenges of the year ahead, so if you’re looking for expert spring manufacturers who can provide you with springs and pressings made to your exact specifications, contact us today.

COVID-19 has brought many challenges to industries across the globe, and manufacturing has been hit hard in particular. With all the different working parts involved in manufacturing, as well as the often close proximity of factory and warehouse workers, a global pandemic has certainly created problems for fulfilling orders, especially for those companies that are reliant on imports from abroad.

But along with the challenges, the pandemic has also meant that many companies have entirely rethought their processes. Some of these changes could be implemented permanently even as the virus is brought under control. Here’s a look at how manufacturers have been coping with COVID-19, including what European Springs & Pressings has been doing to ensure continued and safe operations throughout.

Increased Visibility

Visibility is vital when it comes to optimising a supply chain. So when the pandemic hit, and there were disruptions throughout the industry, it was more important than ever that manufacturers could understand the cascading impact these disruptions were having on the rest of the supply chain. Visibility can also help manufacturers prepare for problems in advance, allowing them to prepare alternative supply routes to arrange raw materials for delivery.

When selling goods, manufacturers need to know the schedules of their suppliers, where they are located and when they encounter any disruptions of their own and how it might affect their own business. Manufacturers can do this by using technologies like RFID tags, GPS tracking software and fleet tracking to monitor their entire supply chain. When manufacturers have complete visibility over their operations, they can prepare for upcoming disruptions and implement solutions before they happen.

Following COVID-19, manufacturers are now aware of where the pandemic caused them the biggest headache, and have no doubt already put contingency plans in place, including increased visibility. With this extra knowledge, they should be ready to tackle any future pandemics, hopefully allowing them to continue to operate as usual.

Acceleration of 4.0 Technologies

Digital solutions are already on their way, but COVID-19 has undoubtedly accelerated this uptake with manufacturers.

As companies restore operations, the benefits of digital solutions can already be seen. Remote collaboration, digital work instructions and augmented reality are all ways that can help businesses succeed in a time when social distancing needs to be adhered to. There’s also the problem of forecasting. Traditional forecasting algorithms are relatively simplistic and rely on variables such as previous sales and future demand. With the shockwaves caused by COVID-19, it’s clear that this traditional forecasting method is no longer sufficient.

Autonomous planning uses artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms that utilise not only internal data but external datasets from suppliers, customers and broader economic indicators. Including these variables helps companies respond to changing dynamics efficiently. With this kind of technology available, manufacturers can better prepare for, and respond to the onset of, say, a new pandemic in the future.

Digital technologies also aid with social distancing by enabling remote work and collaboration. Location-tracking and mobile apps also help factory workers to maintain a safe distance on the factory floor when working from home is not possible.

Delivering finished goods also poses problems during a pandemic, as COVID-19 reduced the availability of transportation methods and introduced issues like the new requirements for safe packaging and contactless delivery. Digital solutions increased not only visibility but also the performance of these tasks. With the likes of fleet management, route optimisation and carrier analytics, transport can be optimised and increase a company’s resilience against a crisis.

Automation can be implemented into the warehouse with the likes of shuttle systems, automated retrieval systems, smart shelves and picking robots. These Industry 4.0 solutions can assist manufacturers in making picking multiple orders much easier and more effective and eliminate social distancing problems caused by the pandemic.

There are so many ways that Industry 4.0 can transform a manufacturer’s operations, and COVID-19 will likely accelerate the uptake of these technologies.

COVID-19 Procedures at European Springs & Pressings

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we have been taking precautions that are in line with government guidelines to ensure that we can continue to operate safely while providing our customers with everything they need. We have put in the following COVID-19 safety measures:

• We have implemented Perspex barriers between desks onsite to help lessen the probability of staff members passing germs to each other.
• Automatic hand sanitisers have been strategically placed around the premises so that employees can regularly sanitise and ensure their hands are clean, helping to prevent germs spreading.
• COVID-19 safe practices have been outlined to all staff, which they adhere to. We are also continually reviewing these guidelines in line with the most recent government updates to ensure everyone is staying safe.
• Employees who are in close contact with one another wear PPE in our factories.
• Employees who can work from home are doing so, such as the majority of our accounts and admin team.

At European Springs & Pressings, the safety and wellbeing of our employees is very important to us, which is why we have brought in these safety measures to ensure everyone feels safe coming into work. We’ve been fortunate in that our operations haven’t been too badly affected by the pandemic, and that’s thanks to our diverse client base from a range of different industries.

If you’d like to learn more about any of our products, contact us today. We are expert spring manufacturers and wire form manufacturers, able to provide you with a bespoke design and manufacture service of custom springs.

Significant changes are coming to manufacturing in the UK. With both Brexit and the aftermath of a pandemic on the horizon for 2021, the focus for the manufacturing industry is going to be on reshoring to the UK from abroad.

The pandemic has highlighted the instability of producing goods abroad that cannot make it to UK shores in the event of a crisis. Brexit also looks set to make transporting goods from the rest of the EU more difficult and/or costly. Many manufacturers have already moved their production lines back to the UK, and many more are set to do so in the coming years.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we are proud to be a British-based manufacturer, as demonstrated by our official Made in Britain accreditation. Here’s a look at the Made in Britain organisation and what we can expect from the manufacturing industry over the next years.

What is Made in Britain?

Made in Britain is an organisation that brings the British manufacturing community together under one registered collective mark. This mark can only be used by members of Made in Britain that meet the criteria of being a British manufacturer. The mark helps consumers and buyers identify products that are made in Britain.

The Made in Britain mark is used by accredited businesses that sell goods that have been manufactured or undergone a final substantial change in Britain before going on sale. It is an internationally recognised trademark that helps to promote the very best in British manufacturing.

We are proud to be one of the thousands of manufacturers that are part of the Made in Britain organisation. The mark assures our customers that our products are British-made and that all of the labour that goes into the creation of our products is in Britain.

What are the Benefits of Reshoring?

The challenges brought by COVID19 and the concerns over Brexit has increased the importance of bolstering the UK manufacturing industry, ensuring that supply chains are ready for an uncertain future.

Manufacturers moved production to countries like China to produce their goods more competitively. Still, as the overseas price advantage dwindles, more focus is being put on local products, face-to-face personal contact, and quality assurance – and that is driving business back to the UK.

The recent crisis has illustrated how many companies struggled to get crucial components from existing supply chains when their offshore suppliers were unable to ship them out. It’s highlighted that UK manufacturers need to be more adaptable. Suppose the UK moves more towards domestic production. In that case, it will reduce the likelihood of shortages caused during a crisis, which will be necessary for the future resilience of the UK economy and the manufacturing industry.

Reshoring can also benefit delivery times, as businesses will not have to factor in waiting times for deliveries across the globe, which can be anything from a few weeks to months. Due to the small size of the UK, fast delivery times are almost guaranteed, and issues like returns can be resolved much more quickly.

Lower labour costs from offshoring was an attractive prospect to many businesses. Still, a British manufacturing survey conducted by Lloyds Bank found that 71% of companies intending to bring their operations back to the UK were doing so as they wanted to improve the quality of their goods. It’s a good indication of the high standards upheld by British manufacturers, and it has positive implications for the UK manufacturing industry and supply chains.

Reshoring can improve a company’s ability to be flexible, due to there being less order quantity limitations. There’s also more scope to develop a relationship with local suppliers, which is easier to do from the UK than with a seller overseas. Reshoring manufacturing can improve the UK economy, the job market and the overall quality of products produced.

Is Reshoring Happening Right Now?

The pandemic has highlighted just how reliant UK manufacturers are on overseas supplies, so re-establishing UK production is more critical than ever.

The Lloyds Bank survey showed that 37% of UK manufacturing firms said that they were planning to move manufacturing operations back to the UK that had previously been offshored. More and more manufacturers are joining Reshoring UK, a collaboration of industrial engineering associations that assist manufacturers with connecting to suppliers in the UK to help them transition their business operations back to British shores.

Industrial hardware specialist Albert Jagger re-shored to the UK after conducting a risk assessment of their supply chain and evaluating the financials of the process. They found that once they factored in shipping, handling and the environmental impact, the overall terms were better for the customer, and the outgoing costs would be cheaper for them. They invested in the equipment needed to manufacture in the UK and reskilled their workforce. The benefits for them moving operations back to the UK was that they could take complete control of their products from start to finish; they expect a significant increase in the number of units they produce each year and they saw a substantial rise in sales.

We can expect more manufacturers to make similar changes over the years as the instability of the pandemic and Brexit causes people to think more about the future.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we are expert spring manufacturers offering a bespoke spring and pressing design service that is manufactured in our factories in Cornwall and Kent. Contact us today to find out why we are the largest manufacturer of springs in the UK and discover what we can do for you.