For many, the air surrounding Brexit has been one of extreme uncertainty. But, for some industries, the vote to leave the EU has been a spark of growth as the UK was the fastest-growing economy in the G7 in 2016.

European Springs have felt this growth following the Brexit vote, especially in our Cornwall-based factory.

Cornish Growth

Bookings at our factory in Cornwall mirrored and excelled the overall growth in the manufacturing industry. The factory has seen their orders surge post-Brexit, which holds long-term encouragement for further gains following the year’s early budget announcement.

End of year results saw the Redruth industrial site post strong performance results with a £7m turnover in 2016, up by 15% on 2015.

Looking to the Future

Michael Gibbs, Managing Director of European Springs says: “UK manufacturing is going through tumultuous times. On the one hand, there is a significant investment with multi-million-pound facility expansions from Boeing and McLaren and on the other, Britain’s car manufacturers are suggesting instability.

“We have seen incredible growth across our business, witnessing an increase of 17% in our automotive sector with a high proportion of our suspension springs being used in the UK. The budget’s review of oil industry taxation can only have a positive impact on multiple suppliers to the oil and gas industry and is a welcomed statement for the industrial side of our business.”

“We’ve purposefully invested over £1.3m in new machinery in the past year to fulfil growing demand and secure UK production.

“Our team has expanded to 51 staff from 43 in the last 12 months but we have struggled recruiting. The budget’s investment in a new T-level system and £300m assigned to support STEM subjects will hopefully secure and encourage badly needed skills required within Cornwall’s growing engineering industry.”

“We are now not only recruiting more staff but are also actively looking to acquire more space, having recently extended and relocated from our former site in 2013.”

Gibbs concludes: “Our current trajectory and long-term strategies, boosted by the Government’s focus on the UK’s industrial strategy, forecast continual investment, recruitment and expansion in Cornwall, further adding to the £800m per annum contributed to the county’s GVA by Cornwall’s manufacturers.”

Overall, the future looks bright for the manufacturing industry even considering a tumultuous political climate. Whether it is pressings, springs, wire forms or more, we are confident that the industry is secure and our investments will only make our factories across the UK prosper as well as this Cornish gem.

Here at European Springs & Pressings, we’re always excited to work on something new and unique. Even with more than 60 years of experience, we can honestly say we haven’t seen it all when it comes to innovative designs, which means we jumped at the opportunity provided by tape dispenser company, TapePal!

What is TapePal?

Created by Karl Hurrell, who is also the company’s director, TapePal is a soon-to-be-released revolutionary compact hand-held tape dispenser, which we can’t wait to see on the shelves. After all, who doesn’t hate losing the end of their sticky tape when they most need to use it?

This is an issue that TapePal is going to solve! And the best thing about this ground-breaking product is that you can use your regular tape and won’t need to purchase a different one, meaning you can use it pretty much anywhere and for anything.

How European Springs & Pressings Helped

Karl approached European Springs & Pressings with a sticky problem; we were to create a tension spring that remained hidden but was at the heart of the design and ensured the tape dispenser worked exactly as it was envisioned by its inventor.

In Karl’s words: “Most companies I approached turned me away. It was only European Springs & Pressings that could give us what we needed. Not only did they recognise the potential of the product, they also showed belief in me and took the time to discuss my sketches, refining and engineering them into designed solutions, creating bespoke tools to deliver a manufacturing solution. The spring ‘finger’ they crafted is singly the most important element of the design and you could say they have completely ‘wrapped up’ the development and production of TapePal.”

Besides enjoying immersing ourselves into such a one-of-a-kind project, we also take customer satisfaction incredibly seriously. Our goal is always to make sure we can deliver our client’s dream, no matter how difficult it is – or how impossible it seems.

Stuart McSheehy, Managing Director of the Beckenham office of European Springs & Pressings could not have put it better. He says that “creating bespoke tool making equipment to manufacture a design solution for a specific pressed metal or wire form element is quite unique in comparison to other UK spring and pressing manufacturers.

I believe what really sets us apart is our ability to take our customers ideas and concepts and engineer them into reality, ready for both low and high volume production. This is all about keeping it personal, listening to their needs and using our combined skill sets, and some of the very best manufacturing technologies available, to solve their problems and meet their demands.”

Our work with Karl Hurrell and TapePal highlights the importance we give to providing high-quality service to all of our customers, as well as to products manufactured with the latest technology and with the utmost integrity.

TapePal is soon to be released, so keep an eye out for this amazing product and enjoy a whole new way of dispensing tape, whether in your home, office or workshop.

Vital to share ideas and knowledge, exhibitions showcase the latest innovations in many industries. At European Springs we pride ourselves in keeping up-to-date with the latest developments and technology in sectors such as construction, farming, and other engineering industries. Here are the exhibitions you can find us in this year:

Subcon, NEC. 6-8 Jun, stand H17

Held in Birmingham’s NEC, Subcon will be having its 41^st edition this year. The event features ground-breaking insight into manufacturing and engineering design in sectors such as aerospace, defence and security, automotive, energy, and others. Working closely with these industries, here at European Springs we always look forward to this gathering of industries and innovations in the supply chain, advanced manufacturing, and engineering design.

PLANTWORX, Leicestershire. 6-8 Jun, stand PAVB H11

Similar to the other events, PLANTWORX features the latest technology in sectors such as such as plant and tool hire, contractors, highways, civil engineering, utilities, and demolition, among others. Specifically vital for construction equipment manufacturers, PLANTWORX is organised by the industry for the industry.

As the largest live construction event in the UK, PLANTWORX includes live demonstrations and site applications that are significant for everyone who works in construction. With the possibility of operating the available new, wide range of tools, equipment, and plant components, the event is promoted by the CEA (Construction Equipment Association).

Cereals Show, Lincolnshire. 14-15 Jun, stand 771

Cereals is a leading technical event for the Arable Farming Industry, focusing on showcasing knowledge on the future of farming. From advanced machinery to robotics and genetics, Cereals features industry professionals imparting advice that aids in the professional progression of a business.

Springs are vital components for the proper functioning of robotics, and at European Springs we work with the farming industry in order to ensure the optimisation of both design and manufacturing of springs.

We hope to see you there!

European Springs have been at the forefront of spring manufacturing for over half a century, from producing various types of springs for an array of industries to wire forms that are being used in some of the most high-tech industries in the world.

However, our key demographic isn’t the only thing that is expanding; our Yorkshire office and warehouse is expanding and relocating!

Our Position in the North

Currently, at European Springs and Pressings Ltd, there are two warehouses in Redruth and Beckenham that specialise in designing and manufacturing the highest quality springs and wire forms that are available in the European market.

There is also a stocking facility located in Elland, West Yorkshire, that focuses on supplying stock and gas springs around the UK. However, due to the expansion of European Springs and the increase in income, demand, and employees, some changes needed to be taken into consideration.

The relocation will have an increased capacity and capitalises on the enhanced transport links, improving the efficiency of people accessing and leaving the European Springs stocking facility. The new warehouse will have easy access to Junctions 23 and 24 of the M62 – the motorway that connects Liverpool to Hull via Manchester and Leeds.

The Managing Director of European Springs & Pressings, Michael Gibbs, said the “leaner logistics and increased stocking facilities now ensures long-term competitiveness for our customers… Our increased storage capacity will allow us to import larger volumes and hold an enhanced stock range, therefore decreasing the timeframe from order to delivery and dramatically reducing the associated costs”.

An Exciting Time for European Springs

This is the step in the right direction for European Springs in terms of expansion; due to the hardware and logistics that have been implemented over the past year, such as the Bruderer investment and the ISO 14001 certification for our London site, each aspect has added up to make European Springs a constantly improving company for our clients that we work with on a daily basis.

We are extremely excited for the relocation of the Elland warehouse. The new site is located at Spring Moor, Lindley Moor Road, Huddersfield, and is fully operational from August 2017, so make sure to check out our Facebook and Twitter for the latest news and updates!

Manufacturing is one of the most important sectors of the UK economy; we know this, as European Springs have been manufacturing high-quality springs and pressings for nearly 70 years. Because of this, it’s important to understand the trends that are occurring within the industry.

January saw a disappointing result in the manufacturing industry; the Office of National Statistics, or the ONS, reported that manufacturing output fell by just under one percent in January. In fact, the exact decrease was 0.9%, however, experts suggest that the reason for this downfall is because of the massive decrease in pharmaceuticals.

The pharmaceutical industry experienced a production decrease of 13.5% but the industry can be highly erratic. The good news is that, compared to January 2016, the total production output increased by 3.2%, with manufacturing as an entire sector having a production output increase of 2.7%.

From the same report, it was found that, when comparing the last quarter to the previous quarter, as of January 2017, the manufacturing sector’s total production also increased by 2.1%, which was found to be one of the biggest quarterly increases in under seven years.

With all these increases and decreases in production within the manufacturing sector, experts in the industry aren’t too concerned. Even though the pound is currently weaker than it was previously, this has provided an increase in exports; exports increased by 6.3% and imports also increased by 2.7%.

However, this doesn’t give us a clear indication of what the future of this industry will be like in the years to come. Currently, despite the decrease in manufacturing output, it is much better than previous months and the past year, and the reason for the decrease has been associated with the erratic nature of the pharmaceutical industry.

But we don’t know what the next set of results will provide for us. The next set of statistics that will be released by the ONS will focus on the index of production in February 2017, which will give us a better indication of how the sector is managing in our constantly changing economy.
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Friday 10th March marked the start of one of the most popular educational weeks in the British calendar; British Science Week. It’s a week that is incredibly popular amongst children and adults across the UK, and it gives the chance for people to learn more about this discipline and understand why it is important. But what exactly is British Science Week?

The Purpose

The purpose of British Science Week is to encourage people of all ages to get involved in various scientific disciplines, such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – any STEM discipline.

It also tries to focus on engaging young people with these disciplines, as there is a real drive within the education system to encourage the development of future scientists.

Why is Science Important?

Science helps us to understand the world that we live in, and it also helps provide solutions to difficult problems in real life situations. They can manifest as simple things, such as working out how much force is required to lift an object, or something much more complex, such as determining the number of exoplanets that could harbour life.

Science-related disciplines are also very important to the UK economy. The aerospace industry in the UK is one of the largest in the world and contributes to over £20 billion each year, and the manufacturing industry accounts for a large proportion of the UK’s GDP.

It’s also important to understand that science and technology have been a massive part of the history of UK, with some of the world’s most important theories hailing from the UK, such as Isaac Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, and Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution. As such, it is important to ensure that this is consistently maintained for the years to come.

What Happens in British Science Week?

Since the purpose of British Science Week is to encourage the younger generations to get involved in scientific disciplines, the most common thing that you see during British Science Week is different companies, associations, institutes, and groups hosting scientific activities.

For example, there are various places in London, such as the British Museum, Trafalgar Square, and the Hunterian Museum, that are hosting their own events to help promote science to the masses. Some of these events could be about any scientific discipline, such as astronomy, biology, engineering, mechanics, or technology, but they all share the same message; getting the younger generations involved.

There are also minor event days that occur during British Science Week; one of which is known as Demo Day, and it will be on Thursday 16th March this year. Demo Day is a yearly campaign that aims to inspire teachers and technicians to explore new concepts, encourage discussion, and generate excitement during science experiments. This has been a massive success, and we hope for it to continue for years to come.

As experts in the manufacturing sector, we understand the importance of British Science Week for the UK and for the younger generations, and we love to see young people following their dreams and paving their way in the scientific community; whether it is in engineering, manufacturing, or technology, we are all part of the same scientific principles.

Category: News & Updates