PP Control & Automation

PP Control & Automation unveils £1m extension to support £40m sales target

PP Control & Automation — 04/04/2017

A new £1m factory extension has been unveiled today by PP Control & Automation as it singled its intention to double sales from £20m to £40m by 2021.

The company, which works with many of the worlds most successful machinery builders, had added a further 1,000 sq metres of production space to its existing 4,500 sq metre facility in Cheslyn Hay, in order to facilitate growth in new technology markets and interest from a wider international customer base.

With construction completed on time, work is now underway to kit out the dedicated logistics and material department with conveyor systems and state-of the-art barcode scanning to ensure goods are moved around the shopfloor quickly and efficiently.

Also planned is a new clean assembly area that will cater for an increasing need to assemble static sensitive electronics, as well as intricate mechanical parts that have more specialist assembly requirements.

We have very ambitious growth plans to double turnover and this will only be possible by ensuring we have a facility in the UK that can provide us with the space needed to meet our current and future customer requirements, explained Tony Hague, Managing Director.

The £1m investment, in the immediate light of the Brexit vote, shows our commitment to creating a world class operation and we will showcase our new capabilities to clients in the food processing & packaging, machine tool, medical, printing, semiconductor and scientific machinery sectors.

We are confident that our four-year plan to reach £40m will be achieved and we dont envisage Article 50 or Brexit having too much of an influence on what we do.

PP Control & Automation, which is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), has become one of the worlds largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions.

The company has benefitted significantly from the outsourcing trend being employed by machinery builders keen to reduce production lead times, secure greater manufacturing flexibility and ultimately reduce overall manufacturing costs and increase profitability.

Its not just investment in bricks and mortar either, added David Fox, Chairman of PP Control & Automation.

Over the last 6 months we have been steadily recruiting new members of staff across the business in production, engineering, sales and supply chain management.

He concluded: Our people, their skills and the culture they adhere to is vital to the way we do business and this is something that will be absolutely essential if we are to deliver the ambitious growth plans we set ourselves.

PP Control & Automation will hold a special event to mark the official opening of the extension later his year, as part of its 50^th anniversary celebrations.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP C&A launches ‘resource centre’ for machine builders and technology disruptors

PP Control & Automation — 11/08/2022

Machinery builders and companies looking to bring new technologies to market are set to benefit from a new resource centre being launched by PP Control & Automation (PP C&A).

The UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has pooled all its expertise and knowledge into an easy-to-use online hub that will provide crucial insights into the benefits of outsourcing and how common ‘pain points’ can be overcome.

Free of charge to access, the content will be a mix of downloadable documents, podcasts and video that will address key strategic outsourcing questions through a combination of guides, customer case studies and ‘thought leadership’ pieces.

There will also be specific white papers on UL standards, production and engineering topics and industry analysis and trends – all information that will educate and inform companies looking to grow and develop new technologies.

Richard Spears, Marketing Manager at PP C&A, commented: “We have always provided educational or informative resources as part of our approach, so there is a good back catalogue of content that we can direct people towards. A single area online was an obvious way to do that.

“The resource centre will turn the emphasis on to the audience – what if we give them access to build their own resource pack, based on exactly what they think will help them and what if we made that free, without an agenda, without a pay/subscription/sign-up wall?”

He continued: “There is a serious emphasis on building trust with the types of businesses we’re targeting, and we know that the vast majority won’t be ready to outsource right now but there’s a good chance they’ll enter the market when the time is right for them.

“So as a company, we want to build a positive picture of PP C&A and our capabilities early on and consistently, so we’re front of mind.”

PP Control & Automation, which employs 230 people at its world class factory in Cheslyn Hay, had a record sales year in 2021 of £28m with a future order pipeline suggesting further growth is on the horizon.

The strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has seen demand for its services rise by 25% on the previous year and bosses at the firm believe this is due to a combination of reshoring and an increasing number of high technology businesses bringing new innovations to market.

Members of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), the firm has recently widened its engineering and manufacturing capabilities to include a more comprehensive mechanical/pneumatic offer and a dedicated Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) area to support electronics integration.

The company’s new resource centre, which has only been live for two weeks, has already attracted 100 unique visitors and, with regular new content and releases planned, the ambition is for more than 1000 companies to tap into the expertise every year.

Richard concluded: “Since the pandemic, a new audience to PP Control & Automation has opened up – those with innovative technology that are finding outsourcing is the answer to getting their products to market faster.

“Our resource centre could be very valuable to them, and the schedule of new releases will have those types of businesses specifically in mind, alongside our traditional targets.”

For further information, please visit https://www.ppcanda.com/resource-centre/ or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP C&A marks ten year ‘outsourcing’ anniversary with new Winbro Group Technologies deal

PP Control & Automation — 17/05/2022

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists has signed a major new deal to support the development of the world’s most productive EDM drilling machine.

PP Control & Automation, which employs over 230 people at its state-of-the-art facility in the West Midlands, will assemble the EDM generator module that forms the heartbeat of Winbro Group Technologies’ new HSD-351 model.

A new production cell manned by eight PP C&A experts has been set-up to complete the build, with work on the first 25 units set to begin shortly for use in drilling holes in complex aero and industrial gas turbine blades and nozzle guide vanes.

It is a mutually beneficial relationship that has spanned a decade and ten different model variants, with the decision to outsource continuing to provide production ‘flex’, reduced assembly time and improved supply chain management for the Leicestershire-based firm.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP C&A, commented: “If you are going to write a book about strategic manufacturing outsourcing and how it can work, I’d like to think this relationship would be in the case study section.

“To work with a company that operates in such a demanding field for ten years is some achievement and we are delighted to be entering our ‘testimonial year’ with a new machine tool to help them build.”

He continued: “The HSD-351 is an EDM machine that packs so much power in so little space and we have been instrumental in helping produce the heartbeat of the model – the EDM generator module.”

Manufacturers are increasingly looking to deliver more productivity via metre squared of space on their shopfloor and this drove Winbro Group Technologies’ decision to develop and launch the HSD-351 system.

With a footprint of just 2.5m2, this is the world’s most productive EDM drilling machine and boasts a capacity of almost 700 electrodes, across a range of diameters giving unprecedented lights-out machining capability.

It will more than meet a strategy of drilling the maximum number of right first-time parts within a square metre and is packed with the company’s usual technology and performance.

Gary Robinson, Vice President of Sourcing at Winbro Group Technologies, picked up the story: “The HSD-351 is proving that a small footprint can also be powerful, delivering more performance than our previous best-in-class model.

“At the heart of this capability is the EDM Generator module, which is assembled and built at PP Control & Automation to ensure we get the same repeatable quality in every unit.

“This machine really illustrates the strength of our relationship…it’s business critical. Together, we sat down and looked at the design for manufacture for the generator and, using the expertise of both firms, we were able to come up with an assembly process that is faster and more efficient.

He continued: “It also has the benefit of being fully UL 508A approved for the American market, something we now take for granted after working with PP Control & Automation for so long.”

Engineers at PP C&A’s world class manufacturing and assembly plant are just getting started on the first of 25 units over the course of the next twelve months, with design for manufacturing contributing to an assembly time reduction.

In a world where supply chain disruption is rife, PP Control & Automation is also managing the full bill of materials for the generator and using its purchasing power to secure hard-to-reach electrical components.

Gary concluded: “Historically, we enjoyed the challenge of retaining every element of manufacture in-house, an approach that doesn’t always produce optimum results. Instead, we chose the path of focusing on our core competences and then looked to outsource the parts of assembly that other companies were well qualified to handle for us.

“This was possibly the best decision we ever made, and, in PP C&A, we now have a strategic partner that offers us world class quality and delivery performance, tied in with the ability to ramp up or decrease volumes depending on demand.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or www.winbrogroup.com

Inventor-e targets £1m opportunity after signing PP C&A manufacturing deal

PP Control & Automation — 14/12/2022

Transforming inventory management is paying off for Inventor-e after it signed its latest deal to scale-up production.

The Solihull-based company has extended its working relationship with PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) to include the build of its latest model, the iVendScale+, and has already won orders to supply Mitsubishi’s vast factory in Scotland and Babcock’s Faslane and Coulport facilities.

Targeted at managing fast-moving consumables for manufacturers and Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) facilities, this is the firm’s largest inventory management system to date with four separate cabinets housing up to 72 weight sensor-controlled bins per cabinet that can store MRO consumables, PPE, fasteners, critical space and other industrial essentials.

End users receive full accountability as the software monitors what is taken by each employee, which will typically drive a reduction in consumption by between 20 to 40%.

Inventor-e CEO Dean Henry is expecting sales for this system to hit £1m this year and, in order to cope with a rise in volumes, has used the strategic manufacturing outsourcing expertise of PP C&A to manage the final electrical design and build of iVendScale+.

“We had already built a strong working relationship with specialist engineering design agency Grove Design on previous Inventor-e models, so the process of getting the initial plans ready for manufacture was completed relatively quickly – another key benefit of long-term strategic outsourcing,” explained Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation.

“The challenges this time were speed to market (to build on existing and new customer demand for a larger solution) and the development of an inventory management system that is easier to maintain and offered more configurations than ever before.”

He continued: “Everyone plays to their strengths. Grove has unbelievable design experience and used this knowledge to develop a mechanical build solution that would make accessing the wiring easier, whilst our electrical and automation expertise meant we could reduce the number of cables used without jeopardising any performance benefits.

“The main iVendScale+ cabinet changed from a fully welded approach to a flat pack construction that is assembled by riveting the pieces of metal work together. This immediately gave staff the ability to service and maintain the system without continually moving out the shelves and the wiring.”

A production cell for the new system has been added to the existing Inventor-e manufacturing lines at PP Control & Automation’s world class facility in Cheslyn Hay.

Lead times of iVendScale+ have been drilled down to between ten and twelve weeks if all materials are in place, a situation that has improved greatly after the two companies chose to overcome global supply chain disruption by buying a considerable amount of stock and electrical components up front.

Dean Henry, CEO of Inventor-E, went on to add: “The supply chain issue is just another example of how you need clear transparency in a strategic manufacturing outsourcing partnership. Disruption was rife and we had to address it together to make sure we could keep up with potential demand.

“We expect to generate over £1m of revenue from iVendScale+ over the next twelve months, but the bigger picture is a £50m global opportunity.

“Thanks to the relationship with PP C&A, we have brought a new solution to market quicker than our competitors, a new solution that will change the way factories manage their inventory for years to come.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter. More details on Inventor-E can be found at www.inventor-e.co.uk

Needham Group aims for laser technology expansion with PP C&A manufacturing deal

PP Control & Automation — 13/12/2021

A new strategic deal - born in the heart of the West Midlands - is set to create one of the UK’s leading authorities on laser marking.

Needham Group, which employs 70 people at its Whitchurch base, has selected PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) as its new manufacturing partner responsible for the assembly of its N-Lase range of products.

The initial agreement will see up to 10 laser systems being built every month at a dedicated production cell at PP C&A’s world class facility in Cheslyn Hay, with the prospect of monthly volumes rising to 20 units as sales increase towards the £10m mark.

This will eventually include the N-Lase Desktop, Desktop Pro, Benchtop, Handheld, Workstation and Integrated Solutions models.

Aled Ellis, Managing Director of Needham Group, picked up the story: “Our ‘USP’ is not in building the machines, but in developing the innovative uses and applications for laser technology - that’s where we come into our own and where we anticipate the real growth to come from.

“Once PP Control & Automation proved it could build the prototype machine successfully, it made complete sense to look at a more strategic arrangement, first starting with the Desktop and Desktop Pro models and then, over time, moving on to the rest of our range.

“We have handed over the complete assembly process, including management of the supply chain.”

A few weeks into low volume production and the strategic partnership is already reaping dividends, with lead times halved to just two weeks from the bill of materials arriving at PP C&A.

Quality guidelines have been surpassed and several efficiency improvements have been identified that could speed assembly up even further or give Needham Group designers the opportunity to modify standard models to encompass additional features.

Four people are directly employed on the dedicated assembly line, plus a wider support team covering the shared functions of Engineering, Supply Chain and Customer Services.

Tony Hague, PP Control & Automation’s CEO, went on to add: “It’s all about making sure we fine tune the build and explore ways in which we can standardise processes to make assembly and customisation slightly easier than it is at the moment.

“The longer-term picture is that we will need to be in a position to build over 300 laser marking machines every year, something we can comfortably do at our site in the West Midlands.

“Our aim is to become a true partner in every sense of the word and to play an important role in Needham Group achieving its £10m ‘laser’ blueprint, delivering capacity, efficiency and, as the relationship develops, innovation in design.”

A spin-off benefit of the outsourcing deal is creating more capacity in Needham Laser Technologies’ special projects team.

Prior to this agreement, R&D experts and engineers were limited to how many custom machine builds they could take on, but these restrictions have now been lifted and could pave the way for a new £multi-million opportunity.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or www.needham-group.com

PP offer ‘smart’ insight into the factories of the future

PP Control & Automation — 17/05/2017

More than 20 machine builders and manufacturers were given an insight into how modern manufacturing could look as part of the latest interactive workshop by PP Control & Automation.

Smart Machines for the Future, which was hosted at the companys 5,500 sq metre facility in the West Midlands, featured a day of exciting talks on Industry 4.0, the Industrial Internet of Things (IIOT) and Virtual Reality.

Delegates including, Mazak, Winbro, Inca Digital, ASMPT DEK and GKN Wheels and Structures also had the opportunity to see a firsthand demonstration of collaborative robots from Comau and the increasing role they can play in securing greater process efficiencies.

There has been a lot of talk about Smart Factories, but very few people actually fully understand the concept, and more importantly, what it will involve for manufacturers in all parts of the supply chain, explained John Armstrong, Sales Director of PP Control & Automation.

We wanted to help change that by offering a detailed insight into what it could look like on the shop floor, and the only way we could do this was by assembling some of our technical partners who are experts in their field.

He continued: It appeared to be a line-up that really worked, with some delegates confirming that, as OEMs, they are being driven by their customers to provide not only highly automated, but connected machines that can drive productivity and achieve the agility required.

The Smart Machines for the Future event also featured the following talks:

- B&R discussed Industry 4.0 and its impact on factories and machines of the future.

- ePLAN spoke about Innovative engineering processes and how to significantly reduce engineering and project design time

- Lutze focused on the importance of reliable power circuits in supporting the IIoT concept.

- PP Control & Automation explained how the benefits of Strategic Outsourcing can lead to increased Growth and Profitability.

David Evans, Operations Manager (UK) for Heller Machine Tools, added his support for the seminar:

This was my first technical seminar at PP Control & Automation and I was very impressed. It was a very topical issue to address and certainly gave me a deeper insight into how Industry 4.0 and its different facets could have a positive impact on what we do as a CNC machine tool manufacturer.

The line-up of presenters provoked a lot of debate around collaborative robots, how automation is being taken to the next level and how Industry 4.0 can be used within electric cabinet/components.

He continued: Ive definitely taken a lot of useful information away, which Ill share with my colleagues at Heller Machine Tools.

It has recently completed a £1m extension to its state-of-the-art manufacturing plant, creating an additional 1000 sq metres of production space to facilitate growth in new technology markets and satisfy interest from a wider international customer base.

John concluded: As part of the event, we also gave delegates a guided tour of the factory and many of them admitted they didnt realise the scale of our operations, and how our unique manufacturing solutions and processes, that are individually tailored to an OEMs needs, can really assist in driving their growth and profitability.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP Control & Automation Helps Bring Tele-Optometry Solutions to Market

PP Control & Automation — 07/10/2020

Made in the Midlands members, PP Control & Automation are working with Aston University School of Optometry to bring tele-optometry solutions to market. The eMap™ product will be the world's first edge to edge, fully digitised, remotely accessible lens analysis system. This Midlands partnership will be vital for helping meet global demand.

The leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists are helping EYOTO™, a spinout from Aston University’s School of Optometry one of the leading and best-known Optometry programs in the world, are working together to bring lenses to life at a click of a button. Along with incredibly advanced surface inspection and full-colour power maps in just 55 seconds.

The first machines will go into production by the end of 2020 and have already received huge interest.

Garry Myatt, Sales Director at PP C&A, commented: “EYOTO had been let down badly and needed a partner they could trust to pick things up and put in place a full manufacturing line that would deliver substantial quantities within the first six months.

“Our ability to have the right skills available in engineering competence, cable preparation and creation, electro-mechanical build and assembly meant we had the majority of what we needed under one roof and then it was simply a case of designing the build process.

“One of the key things we did was to invest over £150,000 into a new dedicated Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) and Complex Box Build manufacturing area specifically for eMap™ and similar products going forward.”

He continued: “This ensures that the customer requirements and legal compliance to the recognised standards are met and involves the installation of special flooring, benches and test equipment - all grounded to earth to ensure that life of the electronics is protected from potential electrostatic discharge.”

A joint ‘Design for Manufacturing’ exercise undertaken during the first few machines builds, quickly identified a number of aesthetic improvements and functional changes behind the enclosure covers.

All deadlines have been met on schedule and production improvements have been incorporated to make it easier to manufacture going forward – this is vital when scaling up and targeting global retailers who demand products swiftly.

Claire Mchaddan, Vice President of Product Development at EYOTO explains:

“We went from being in a very difficult position with no manufacturing partner to meeting all of our forward production targets…better still, we now have a dedicated cell to help us scale up eMap™ volumes and embed future technology launches.

She continued: “This is just the start. We have a major technology roadmap in place that will involve the regular introduction of new products, especially with Covid-19 increasing the importance and need for remote ophthalmic equipment.

“We are confident that PP C&A has the capacity, skills and design for manufacturing expertise to play a crucial role in all of these new product introductions.”

EYOTO is already well on the way to launching its next tele-optometry solution, this time bringing one of the eyecare sector’s most traditional pieces of equipment into the 21st century.

The first product in the tele-optometry platform will allow an Eye Care Practitioner (ECP) to conduct an eye examination from a remote location – from a different room to a different continent. This will be followed by a complementary pipeline of remote and mobile technology offers.

£150,000 solar investment powers PP C&A’s green credentials

PP Control & Automation — 26/10/2021

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists has increased its green credentials after investing more than £150,000 into a new energy solution.

PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), which works with 20 of the world’s largest machinery builders, has completed the installation of 450 sq metres of solar panels on the roof of its world class facility in Cheslyn Hay.

This should provide enough power to reduce the factories electricity consumption by 40% and will save more than 35 tonnes of CO2 every year.

“We are continually looking at ways we can save energy, whilst also being kinder to the environment,” commented Ian Knight, Chief Operating Officer at PP Control & Automation.

“The solar panel installation was an easy decision to make as we can nearly halve our energy bill in one go. Working with our supplier, we’ve installed 108 photovoltaic panels and this investment will pay for itself within four years.”

He continued: “There’s a longer-term ambition to head towards carbon neutrality and losing 35 tonnes of CO2 per year is a pretty good start to this commitment.”

Reducing its carbon footprint is a company-wide effort at PP Control & Automation, with all its 230 staff encouraged to offer ‘green improvement’ suggestions thorough its Continuous Improvement schemes.

This has led to the reduction of single-use plastic on the shop floor and several recycling initiatives, all governed by its accreditation to the environmental best practice ISO:14001 standard.

Earlier investment had also seen the installation of LED Lighting, contributing to energy saving as well as improving the workplace environment.

“Renewables and greener technologies – both through developments in electrification and wind power – is a big opportunity for our business and we’re already helping customers build machines that offer new solutions in these markets,” added Ian.

“The UK has a great opportunity to lead the world in carbon reduction - we just have to be brave and bold in the decisions we make and invest in creating a supply chain that can deliver the expertise and volumes that will undoubtedly follow.”

PP Control & Automation has been fully operational throughout the entire pandemic, providing strategic outsourcing solutions to customers involved in food and drink, packaging, renewables and medical.The company’s expertise in control and automation and contract manufacturing, combined with the ability to quickly set up new production cells, saw it supply critical wiring harnesses to the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium and a host of new Covid-19 inspired technologies designed to protect people and reduce the spread of the virus.

With the UK hopefully emerging from the pandemic, PP C&A is targeting 20% growth this year after it saw sales surge post-lockdown.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

Growth still the fastest way to profitability warns manufacturing chief

PP Control & Automation — 27/06/2017

The boss of one of the UKs leading automation specialists believes manufacturers should target growth rather than cost-cutting to help them increase profits.

Tony Hague, Managing Director of PP Control & Automation, has seen his firm secure a number of contracts from OEMs looking to boost their capacity through strategic outsourcing and feels this is an approach more of industry needs to adopt.

He points to the overwhelming benefits of being able to offer immediate solutions to capacity issues, reductions in production lead times and achieving greater flexibility in managing costs during periods of fluctuating volumes.

We are up about 20% over the course of the last twelve months and the majority of that work has been from customers looking to outsource more of their non-core manufacturing activities, explained Tony Hague.

The ways in which machinery builders pursue profit growth is vastly different, depending on both their culture and the markets they serve. In essence, there are only two ways to achieve this holy grail and the first one typically focuses inwardly on cost cutting.

He continued: The alternative is to grow market share and, more times than not, this will deliver you the best outcome. For example, imagine a machine builder that produces 10 machines a month, each machine sells for £200,000 with an average profit of 10%.

If that company could build and sell 12 machines a month - with the same overheads and direct costs - this would put £40,000 a month on to the bottom linethats almost £500,000 per year. You would have to cut a lot of costs to get that level of profit.

PP Control & Automation, which employ over 200 people, has become one of the worlds largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions.

It has recently completed a £1m extension at its Cheslyn Hay facility giving it a further 1000 sq metres of production space and a new dedicated logistics and material department, complete with state-of the-art conveyor systems and barcode scanning.

This additional capacity gives the company a perfect platform to take on more outsourcing work for clients supplying into the machine tool, printing, packaging, food processing, scientific, semiconductor and medical equipment markets.

Its all about strategic partnerships and firms realising the huge benefits of being able to let someone else take control of non-core manufacturing, leaving them free to concentrate on what they do best, added Tony.

Weve taken it a step further by working with our clients to develop the process, improve design and functionality. This has led to a reduction in future costs and better product performance.

He concluded: Its clear that strategic outsourcing, if done properly, offers an infinite amount of possibilities for machine builders who are prepared to question their own core capabilities and not just accept that because we have always done it this way, it will always be the best way.

PP Control & Automation aids expansion at print equipment manufacturer

PP Control & Automation — 15/01/2019

An East Yorkshire print finishing equipment manufacturer has turned to PP Control & Automation to help it achieve major production efficiencies and boost capacity to cope with an increase in sales.

ABG International, which employs nearly 350 people at state-of-the-art plants at Bridlington, Driffield and in Germany, has been partnering with PP Control & Automation for more than nine years and in that time has seen its turnover grow almost 50%.

The expanding business has tapped into the West Midlands-based firm’s expertise in connectivity to reduce lead times and, importantly, create the platform to scale up to producing 250 digital print finishing machines in 2018.

“We operate in very similar ways and, once we had seen PP Control & Automation’s capabilities at its world class facility, we knew there were lots of synergies and a relationship to forge,” said Phil Robson, Operations Manager at ABG International.

“PP was originally tasked with producing the electrical back panels on our new Digicon 3 digital print finishing machine and then delivering them to our Bridlington factory where we would fit the cables and harnesses, a labour-intensive job that would usually take between two to three days.

“It didn’t take long until engineers from both companies came up with a new way of assembly that involved developing a more standard enclosure system, which would allow the panel to be easily slid into the machine.”

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation, continued: “Once we had come up with the enclosure design, we then started considering the cable harnessing and the interconnectivity around the machines.

“It became apparent that a modular approach would be a lot more effective and we worked together to design a process that would see the modules assembled in the West Midlands.

“Working with the modular concept, means engineers at PP can look at the specific machine ‘make up’ and configuration and immediately calculate both the circuit protection requirements and the cable lengths, based on standard routings - providing a quicker installation for the team.”

ABG and PP engineers took just six months to redesign the controls architecture into the new modular format.

This gives the end customer a huge amount of flexibility when specifying the exact machine requirements they need, whilst ensuring ABG is not having to redesign constantly, rather selecting and configuring modules in a manner that provides a bespoke solution to the user.

In fact, the East Yorkshire business can now offer over 20 different configurations on its Digicon 3 platform.

Mr Robson added: “Full interconnectivity solutions being designed/ introduced and creating a ‘plug and play’ scenario not only speeds up initial build, but also supports very efficient machine commissioning in the field - allowing machines to be up and running more quickly on site.

“The ‘plug and play’ approach is 60% faster than the previous assembly process and has eliminated 700 days of production each year, which can now be re-allocated to other areas of manufacturing and thus increasing our machine build capacity.”

ABG International is the world leader in digital finishing equipment that produces high quality labels and packaging for 2500 customers across the world.

It manufactured 250 machines in 2018, with plans in place to increase this to 300 as more firms adopt the many benefits of digital printing.

“PP has also given us the additional capacity that allows us to go after new business safe in the knowledge we can quickly ramp up production to cope with it,” said Mr Robson.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter. More details on ABG International can be found at www.abgint.com

Pictured from left: Tony Hague (PP Control & Automation) with Phil Robson and Garth Williams.

PP Control & Automation on course for £3m of new business with ‘Ready 4 Electrification’ support

PP Control & Automation — 16/10/2019

Tapping into expert academic support is helping a manufacturing outsourcing specialist access up to £3m in new business in the niche vehicle sector.

PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), which already works with many of the world’s largest machine builders, is one of the first participants of the Ready 4 Electrification Programme run by WMG, at the University of Warwick, and is already reaping the benefits of an initiative designed to get the supply chain ready for new opportunities.

The company has completed a feasibility project that assesses how ready it is to enter the automotive electrification arena, identifying barriers to overcome and, importantly, opportunities where it can transfer its technology and engineering expertise into the marketplace.

The information gained here has already been used to successfully approach and secure work for two customers involved in niche vehicle manufacture, with PP C&A supplying electrical box builds and cable assemblies, as well as using its design for manufacturing experience to support standardisation in order to reduce variety and complexity.

“There is such a groundswell of movement towards reducing emissions in the automotive sector that we knew it was a market we had to try to get involved in and electrification appears to be doing most of the driving,” explained Tony Hague, Chief Executive of PP Control & Automation.

As an SME, we don’t have the immediate available resource to research into such new and complex vertical market sectors. That’s where WMG comes into the equation.”

He continued: “They have the experts in the field, who have the technical/commercial knowledge and understanding, not to mention a host of new contacts. We have a long-standing relationship with WMG so had no hesitation in becoming one of the first firms in the country to take part in Ready 4 Electrification.

“Feasibility has been completed, with the next step being to finalise a strategic project we can work together on that will help us gain commercial advantage in the sector.

“We’re already delighted with the results. Two new contracts with niche vehicle manufacturers have been secured and there’s another in the pipeline…it has been a great start.”

WMG’s Ready 4 Electrification programme is supported by the WMG Centre High Value Manufacturing Catapult and provides assistance to support companies of all sizes to make the most of opportunities in electrification.

The initial support is awareness sessions followed by part-funded feasibility studies to help firms develop their EV roadmap and to provide masterclasses in key disciplines, including batteries, motors, power electronics and supply chain capability.

From there, participants can benefit from a strategic project that will deliver action plans around collaborative R&D, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Internships, with manufacturers also able to access technical support with production processes and rapid prototyping.

Simon Garwood, Innovation Manager at WMG, added his support: “PP Control & Automation is a fantastic example of how the intensive research and coaching provided by the Ready 4 Electrification programme can upskill teams in companies and deliver real commercial advantages in a short space of time.

“Our experts understand the pressures faced by manufacturers and how important it is to tailor the support to overcome specific barriers and unleash the potential in our supply chain.

“We can deliver data, research and access to networks of specialists, not to mention the world-class advanced test and manufacturing facilities available at WMG.”

He concluded: “The UK has a fantastic opportunity to lead the world in vehicle electrification, but we can only achieve this vision if industry taps into the vast academic expertise and research at their fingertips.”

Ready 4 Electrification has already reached over 200 companies through four regional networking events, with another three planned for 2019.

It has visited over 50 firms and is currently completing in-company pilot feasibility projects. In total, it has the capacity to support over 200 businesses between now and 2020.

Manufacturers turn to ‘outsourcing’ to combat economic uncertainty

PP Control & Automation — 20/01/2020

An increasing number of manufacturers are looking to mitigate their risk by choosing to use strategic outsourcing according to one industry boss.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation, believes recent uncertainty, Brexit and global trade wars are making firms reassess how they balance short-term term pain with the medium and longer-term picture and how they can best manage capacity and inventory whilst protecting their cash.

He warns that if companies react to the uncertainty by cutting too deep, too soon it can remove their ability to respond when things start to pick up, leaving them unable to meet existing or new customer demand.

“Placing this risk with a strategic outsourcing partner is a viable way of avoiding ‘Russian roulette’ when it comes to the future of your business,” explained Tony Hague.

“We currently work with over 25 world class companies on this basis, spanning over 12 different markets. Together, we have developed relationships that allow our clients to focus on their core competencies, leaving us us to take care of non-core manufacturing processes.”

He continued: “The customer benefits from reduced operating costs, the elimination of unnecessary stock and reduction in work in progress and, importantly, improved manufacturing lead times.

“This is massively important at the moment. Quite often in these volatile times, sales order lead time can be the difference between an order being won or lost for a machine builder.

“They also gain immediate ‘agility’ with the ability to reduce and increase volumes at the press of a button - ideal in this current economic climate.”

PP Control & Automation has seen demand for its strategic manufacturing outsourcing solutions rise significantly, with the West Midlands-based firm increasing annual sales to £26m in 2019 - a record year.

The company, which employs more than 220 people at its 5,500 sq metre facility, delivers added value design, engineering and complex assembly to clients involved in aerospace, food processing, machine tools, packaging, printing and advanced technologies.

With renewed financial backing from the Canadian-based investor, PP C&A has added £3m of turnover over the last twelve months and is now exploring the possibility of future acquisitions and a joint venture to establish a manufacturing footprint in North America.

“In our world, there are few costs for the customer to pick up when establishing a strategic outsourcing partnership. In fact, once an agreement is in place, we will take on the majority of the up-front costs, investing time and money into production engineering, setting-up test jigs/rigs and taking on supply-chain management,” added Tony.

“Now, imagine if they didn’t pursue an outsourcing partner? If sales increased rapidly they would have to invest in new machines/buildings or costly sub-contract labour to cope with the peaks. When times are tough and volumes drop, this could well turn into redundancies and capital equipment lying idle.”

He concluded: “Whilst strategic outsourcing is a great way of mitigating risk, it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative measure. In fact, it is actually the opposite.

“By managing your costs, production capability and retaining the skills you need, you will create a platform that allows you to immediately take advantage of increased sales and market share once confidence and demand returns.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

Outsourcing could solve industry’s ‘people puzzle’ predicts PP C&A chief

PP Control & Automation — 14/02/2023

Outsourcing non-core manufacturing activities could provide a hidden answer to industry’s growing skills shortage according to one of the sector’s leading CEOs.

PP Control & Automation’s Tony Hague believes companies, struggling with the recruitment puzzle, are missing out on a golden opportunity to solve their ‘people woes’ and become faster and more efficient in the process.

With unemployment rates in the UK extremely low and Brexit’s brain drain causing one of the biggest employment crises seen in decades, firms are being urged to consider an alternative approach that could transfer risk and the costly expense of finding and recruiting staff.

“The last twelve months have brought the job market firmly into the attention of manufacturers and we’ve recently seen several companies switching to alternative ways of balancing out recruitment and retention,” explained Tony.

“In a nutshell, if bosses decide to outsource certain tasks and processes, they can save costs associated with hiring and training new employees.”

He continued: “If you strip back recruitment to its very basics, then outsourcing part, or all of the machine build, means your strategic outsourcing partner will take on the costs and responsibility of recruiting new employees and you don’t have to face the hefty bills associated with candidate advertising or appointing a recruitment agency.

“Naturally, outsourcing this ‘risk’ makes perfect efficiency and time sense. You benefit from having an expert in place to save you money and time and you don’t have to worry about hiring, training and indeed losing employees.”

PP Control & Automation, which employs 230 people at its world class facility in Cheslyn Hay, is one of the most experienced outsourcing specialists in the country, helping build machines that robotically milk cows, provide everyday packaging solutions, protect your phones from water damage and cut parts that are used in F1 cars and the world’s airlines.

A driving force in the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN Group), the company is increasingly supporting businesses that are looking to automate their operations and are currently involved in some world firsts that will change the way industrial employees get their consumables and consumers receive their shopping.

Recruitment is only one of the ways that outsourcing non-core disciplines can have a major benefit to your business.

It can also deliver flexibility in capacity so you can manage fluctuations in demand without a major hit to financials and gives you access to specialised skills that would usually be out of your reach.

“The final element that should never be overlooked is ‘speed to market’,” added Tony.

“If you’re a disruptor or an established manufacturer bringing an ‘innovation’ to market, then you must consider how quickly you can do it.

“On numerous occasions, PP C&A has been contacted after a potential client has tried to set-up a new manufacturing line or diversified into an area that didn’t really fit what they wanted to produce.

“After an expensive experiment, the customer soon realised that pushing the boundaries in a non-core specialism would not bring them the product, or importantly, the financial benefits they were expecting.

“This is when they tend to turn to an outsourcing specialist, but by then it may already be too late, or certainly damage limitation.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP Control & Automation help boost Jenton’s UV tech that protects against Covid-19

PP Control & Automation — 06/05/2021

A Hampshire manufacturer of packaging automation and UV systems has turned to PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), member of Made in the Midlands, to help it meet growing demand for its technology that helps to deliver clean air in indoor spaces.

Jenton Group has signed a deal with the Cheslyn Hay-based strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist to produce 100 units of its GRU-V® product, a wall-mounted UV Air Disinfection device that exposes ducted air to ultraviolet (UV-C) light.

This process disinfects more than 99.99% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in the air (the virus that causes Covid-19) and is increasingly being purchased for use in workplaces across the UK, Europe and the US, as well as in residential, commercial, healthcare, medical and education settings.

“Using UV disinfection to stop the spread of Covid-19 indoors has had very little coverage, but that is changing as the world adapts to the new normal,” explained Richard Little, Director of the Jenton Group.

“Our systems use lamps that are proven to kill 99.99% of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, creating safer educational, health and workspaces wherever they are installed. We have seen a significant increase in demand for GRU-V® and this accelerated the need for us to engage with PP C&A so that we can satisfy existing orders and also have a blueprint on how we cope with future sales.”

PP Control & Automation immediately created a dedicated manufacturing line at its factory, with a team of engineers assigned to understand the build, before putting in place bespoke production processes that allow for consistent throughput and repeatable quality.

This was achieved in a matter of days from the first parts arriving on site and, from there, PP C&A has taken just weeks to complete the build and lamp burn testing for the GRU-V® systems.

Supply chain management has also been outsourced meaning that Jenton Group simply provide the initial designs and then wait for first-off inspection and then delivery of the finished product – freeing up its engineers and designers to continue their R&D work and development of next generation products.

“Scaling up is a massive challenge for manufacturers, both from an operational, capacity and sometimes an investment point of view,” explained Tony Hague, Chief Executive Officer of PP C&A.

“This sometimes prevents businesses from taking the next step, often missing that market opportunity in the process. For those that do gamble, many fail due to lack of experience of handling production lines of that magnitude.”

He continued: “Jenton Group’s UV product range and its effectiveness to combat Covid-19 is gaining a lot of interest and the firm wanted the confidence of having a manufacturing partner they could turn to if volumes quickly escalated.

“The order for the first 100 units has allowed both parties to commence a working relationship and begin to understand how ‘outsourcing manufacturing’ could work. So far it has been a seamless process and should pave the way for new opportunities.”

The first shipment of GRU-V® systems has been successfully delivered to Jenton Group’s Hampshire facility…on time, on budget and to the exacting quality standards required.

A number of supply chain improvements have been identified that could support greater configurability for future system designs or to enhance other products in the company’s UV range.

Richard concluded: “There’s always an element of risk to outsourcing, no matter how calculated the decision is. So far, we’ve been really impressed with PP Control & Automation and how quickly it has got to grips with our system, seamlessly integrating production so it can make them as fast as we can.

“I’m confident that we have found a formula that works and look forward to seeing how the relationship develops going forward with higher volumes and additional products.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow PP Control & Automation on LinkedIn. More details on Jenton Group can be found at www.jenton.co.uk

PP Control & Automation celebrate 25th Mazak Europe anniversary with production milestone

PP Control & Automation — 19/09/2018

PP Control & Automation, one of the UK’s leading providers of strategic manufacturing outsourcing solutions, is celebrating a major customer milestone with Mazak Europe.

The Cheslyn Hay-based firm has supplied its 25,000th control systems to the global machine manufacturer, just a few days after the 25th anniversary of the first order being delivered.

It marks what has been a transformational partnership for the Staffordshire manufacturer and one that has been worth over £50m since it impressed Japanese Purchasing Directors to make it on to the approved supplier register in 1993.

From there, the relationship has developed at pace and manufacturing is now completed virtually just-in-time, with close communication and design input meaning lead times have been reduced from six weeks per control system to just six days – despite the complexity of the projects increasing.

“There are very few business relationships that last twenty-five years in this day and age, let alone ones where a SME can build such a strategic and mutually beneficial relationship with one of the world’s best manufacturers,” explained David Fox, Chairman of PP Control & Automation.

“When Mazak Europe audited us in 1993 we were at just £2m and employed about 25 people. However, we had ambitious plans and a clear continuous improvement culture and the work we were doing with Toyota was enough to persuade them that we could meet their quality standards for supplying control systems.”

He added: “That decision was probably the most pivotal in our 50 year-history and - some 25 years on - Mazak Europe continues to be one of our largest and most important customers.

“Today, we continue to provide the capacity for the client to take on new orders and expand by supporting the full design and build of control systems used in machine tools that will eventually produce parts for motorsport, automotive, medical, aerospace and oil & gas industries. It’s a partnership in the purest sense of the word.”

To celebrate the 25th anniversary, PP Control & Automation hosted a special race evening at Worcester Racecourse, with 30 employees from all parts of both businesses enjoying a night of racing, magic and live music.

‘The Together Success’ event gave a focal point to the milestone year and the chance for people to spend time away from their daily jobs and getting to know each other without the pressure of meeting deadlines.

There were also representatives from Wago, Lutze and Ilme present, three important companies that make up the supply chain and provide critical parts for the machine connectivity solutions that PP manufacture.

“These networking evenings have been a major feature of our partnership, as we very much believe that business is about people and these events can help cement relationships,” continued David.

“I was delighted to see how much fun our guests were having. There were even some winners that helped with the celebratory atmosphere and plenty of talk of when the next event will be.”

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation was equally delighted that senior people from its new investment partners, Ardenton Capital, were able to attend the important event.

“It really gave the Ardenton team the opportunity to see first-hand how strategic and long-term our client relationships have become.”

Allan Dunn, Director of Strategic Development for Ardenton, concluded: “One of PP C&A’s many stand out qualities that came out from our early discussions was their unique relationships with their customers and how collaboration is at the heart of everything it does.

“Having the chance to attend this special evening and meet with the Mazak team, learning more about this partnership and how it has grown and benefited all parties, is testimony to that.”

PP Control & Automation has grown into one of the world’s largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to customers involved in the machine tools, packaging, printing, medical, pharma, scientific and food processing sectors.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter.

Hague puts manufacturing on the map after being named as one of the UK’s top 50 most ambitious business leaders

PP Control & Automation — 07/10/2021

Overseeing the rapid expansion of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has seen Tony Hague named as one of the LDC Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders for 2021.

The CEO of PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) impressed judges with the way he has taken the business from £3m in 2001 to a projected £30m revenue this coming year, supporting more than 20 of the world’s largest machine builders.

His company’s expertise touches all our lives, whether that is in the supply of fresh milk, waterproofing mobile phones,, bagging your crisps or helping F1 teams perform well in Monaco.

Investment in people and processes has been at the heart of Tony’s approach and helped beat off the challenge of over 600 nominees in the programme, which is supported by The Times and celebrates the inspiring leaders behind the country’s most successful and fast-growing medium-sized firms.

“This is a tremendous honour, but one that has only been made possible thanks to everyone who works at PP Control & Automation,” explained Tony.

“The last twenty months have been some of the most challenging I’ve ever known in business and all 230 staff at PP C&A have gone above and beyond to make sure we’ve continued to supply our customers, including helping produce wiring harnesses for use in the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium.”

He went on to add: “We are now emerging from the pandemic in a really strong position to grow and have set our sights on increasing sales to £30m by the end of this year and then a longer-term plan to move us towards annual revenues of £50m.”

The featured LDC Top 50 hail from every corner of the country and operate across a diverse range of sectors. Collectively, they employ more than 9,500 people and contribute more than £1.2bn to the UK economy.

LDC’s John Garner concluded: “The last 18 months have presented challenges that none of us could have foreseen, but despite everything, it’s fantastic to see that so many business leaders have achieved remarkable things. Through their resourcefulness and resilience, this year’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders prove that the flame of ambition is hard to extinguish.

“Congratulations to Tony and all those featured, and we look forward to seeing their continued success, impact and contribution to the broader UK economy.”

For further information on PP Control & Automation, please visit www.ppcanda.com. You can find out more details on this year’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Business Leaders programme here: https://bit.ly/2WMjNum

PP C&A celebrates 30,000 ‘control systems’ milestone with Mazak UK

PP Control & Automation — 13/08/2020

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists is celebrating a major milestone this month, when it delivers the 30,000th control system to Mazak UK.

PP Control & Automation has been working with the global machine tool builder for more than 27 years and the latest partnership has seen it play a key role in the design and production of the new CV5-500, a fully simultaneous 5-axis machining centre.

The company, which employs over 200 people at its state-of-the-art facility in Cheslyn Hay, used its expertise to support the design and build of a new configurable control system and interconnectivity solution that would facilitate both the efficient build within PP C&A and the simple and effective integration when building the machine tools at Mazak’s facility in Worcester.

This was even more challenging when you factor in the need to achieve a highly competitive price point that would allow it to successfully launch a world class machine for target markets across Europe.

“The relationship dates back to 1993 when Japanese senior management team saw something ‘different’ in our approach and a company-wide focus on quality, resulting in the placement of the very first order,” explained Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation

“As the years have gone by, the relationship between the two businesses has become more interlinked, with PP C&A increasingly invited to be involved in the design stage of new machine builds to support ‘Design for Manufacturing (DFM)’ and to understand how more specification can be added easily to new models.”

He continued: “For this project, our engineers worked closely with Mazak from the outset of the concept, looking at ways in which we can add value, eliminate unnecessary costs and standardise the build process, whilst still being able to deliver greater scope for the customer to configure machines.

“We are also now taking full responsibility for total supply chain management, including working with multiple Japanese manufactured parts to ensure that we reduce the hidden costs that can arise if the customer is having to manage this. Vendor reduction and rationalisation is a big driver.

“30,000 control systems to exacting global standards is some achievement and we look forward to the celebrating future milestones together.”

Thanks to the close partnership approach Mazak UK were able to successfully launch the CV5-500 5-axis machine in March 2020, one month before its expected global debut at MACH 2020.

Despite the UK’s largest industrial show being cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the latest technology has been universally acclaimed by industry and is expected to be one of the Worcester-based firm’s most popular machines with significant sales already secured.

PP C&A’s dedicated manufacturing and assembly cell has played a key role in the successful introduction of this model, on-time and at a cost point that works for both the customer and the end-user.

Mazak UK Engineering Director Dave Fisher was delighted with the outcome: “PP C&A is one of our critical partners, supporting our ever-changing needs in both engineering and production.

“The relationship works because we both bring our own areas of expertise to the table, challenging and developing ideas that deliver mutual benefits and unrivalled machining performance for our customers.”

Alan Mucklow, Managing Director UK & Ireland Sales & Service Division at Mazak, went on to add: “The CV5-500 is the latest in a long line of Mazak machines to have been fully designed and built in the UK. Not only does it set a new benchmark in British machine tool building, but it breaks the mould for the compact, fully simultaneous 5-axis machining category as a whole.”

PP Control & Automation has been operational throughout Covid-19, supplying critical harnesses to the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium and continuing to provide manufacturing solutions to clients involved in healthcare and communications.

As part of a concerted drive to win new business, the company has recently launched a brand new website (www.ppcanda.com) and a series of educational blogs looking at how companies can comply with UL508a – a critical standard for supplying into the North American market.Tony concluded: “We had very ambitious expansion plans at the start of the year and, whilst certain markets are still besieged with uncertainty, we have seen new contract wins in other areas so are ploughing on with our original aim.

“Central to this will be the website, our digital marketing campaign and our educational series where we look at some of the technical benefits strategic outsourcing can deliver.”

PP launches videos to debate the benefits of outsourcing

PP Control & Automation — 06/02/2018

PP Control Automation has tapped into the thirst for video content and digital marketing by launching three new videos designed to debate the benefits of strategic outsourcing.

The company, which supplies electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to many of the worlds largest machinery builders, has used the power of animation to talk potential customers through the process and how it can help them increase capacity, reduce lead times and mitigate the risk of fluctuating sales.

Videos are between 90 and 150 seconds long and are available via the companys website and through their social media channels, with the first one focusing on unlocking your growth potential, whilst the second one asks the questionare you losing orders because youre too busy.

We have spent a lot of time and effort in exploring how we can target new markets and the techniques we can use to reach them, explained Tony Hague, Managing Director of PP Control &Automation.

One of the key areas we have focused on was digital media and generating new video content to promote across our website and social media channels was an integral part of this approach.

He added: It seems to be paying off too. The first video has already enjoyed 2500 views and really brought the topic of strategic outsourcing to the fore.

A lot of machine builders are extremely busy with strong order books. Their current issues surround capacity constraints and increasing production and sales lead-times, which in turn can result in lost orders.

Strategic outsourcing solutions that we offer can greatly assist in redesigning their supply chain and operational strategies and provide significant improvements without the cost and risks associated with significant additional recruitment, capex and new buildings.

The third video introduces how PP Control & Automation has worked with Ishida Europe, a world leader in the design, manufacture and installation of weighing, inspection and packaging lines, to increase its capacity and sales.

John Priest, Operations Director, explained how the two firms have built a strategic partnership and why it is crucial to the way the business now grows.

We first started purchasing electrical harnesses from PP, a relatively simple and transactional supplier relationship. This progressed rapidly and the company is now one of our top strategic partners, responsible for the base machine build of our CCW multi-head food weighers, including building and fitting all associated controls.

He concluded: By adopting strategic outsourcing, we have increased our production capacity and lifted any constraints to growth. It means we can remain agile to fluctuating manufacturing demands, whilst also providing best in class lead times to our customers.

PP Control & Automation turned 50 years-old in September and marked the occasion by securing £2m of new contracts.

Located in a 55,000 sq ft facility in Cheslyn Hay, the company enjoyed a major surge in demand for its strategic outsourcing services, with interest coming as far away as Iceland.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter. The three videos can be found on www.youtube.com/user/PPElectrical

PP C&A targets £40m sales with a little help from Sharing in Growth

PP Control & Automation — 04/03/2021

Made in the Midlands member PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) has signalled its intention to double sales to over £40m after it became the latest manufacturer to be selected for the Sharing in Growth (SIG) transformation programme.

The company, which provides strategic outsourcing manufacturing services to some of the world’s biggest machinery builders, has started a 100-day intensive business improvement project that will help it increase operational efficiencies, create a more resilient supply chain and open up new opportunities in aerospace, defence and renewables.

Experts from SIG have completed a gap analysis to identify immediate and longer-term goals to work towards, as well as implementing a ‘survive and thrive’ approach to overcoming the joint issues of Brexit and Covid-19.

This will pave the way for the Cheslyn Hay-based firm to increase production capacity as it targets more than £40m of sales between now and 2024.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP C&A, commented: “There is no point even thinking you’ve reached your optimum performance; the moment you do that then complacency will set in, improvement stagnates and ultimately you will find yourselves dropping back behind the new competition that emerges.

“That is why we embraced the opportunity to take part in the Sharing in Growth programme, a business transformation scheme that gives companies like ours accesses to world-class experts with more than 2000 years’ industrial experience between them.”

He continued: “What we really like about the collaboration is that a lot of the learning will be delivered on-site and we can handpick the different specialists, whether the focus is HR, leadership and management, logistics, lean manufacturing, even adoption of digital technologies.

“We have some really exciting expansion plans in place as we emerge from the economic shackles of Covid-19 and look to seize on the many new and exciting opportunities, some of which are developing on the back of the ‘attraction’ of reshoring supply chains within the UK manufacturing sector.”

PP C&A has been fully operational throughout the entire pandemic, providing strategic outsourcing solutions to customers involved in food and drink, packaging, renewables and medical.

The company’s expertise in control and automation and contract manufacturing, combined with the ability to quickly set up new production cells, has seen it supply critical wiring harnesses to the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium and a host of new Covid-19 inspired technologies designed to protect people and reduce the spread of the virus.

New orders have seen the firm return to pre-pandemic levels and in a position where it is now looking to hire new staff in a range of production and office roles.

Avais Chaudhri, Business Transformation Coach at Sharing in Growth, is leading on the project: “PP Control & Automation is already world-class in a lot of things that it does, but the management team still recognise the benefit for external expertise, especially in making it fit for new opportunities in aerospace and defence.

“We’ve identified some quick wins and a number of strategic changes that will help it meet some of the major requirements of the tier 1s and primes in these sectors, as well as putting the building blocks in place to help the company secure the relevant quality accreditations.

“Our 100-strong pool of experts ‘get industry’ and this makes a massive difference when it comes to imparting our knowledge through the senior leadership teams to the shopfloor, cascading an aligned message.”

Established in 2013, Sharing in Growth was initially set-up to provide intensive transformation support to accelerate business growth in the aerospace sector.

Its team members are deployed into clients to provide training, coaching and mentoring to address specific ambitions and diagnose challenges, including strategy development, operational excellence, productivity, culture and new product introduction.

Over the course of the last eight years, SIG’s focus has widened to also facilitate growth in offshore wind and other sectors, supporting the creation of 9000 highly valued jobs and generating £4.7bn of contract values in the process.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow ppcanda on LinkedIn. More details on SIG, can be found at www.sig-uk.org

PP Control & Automation targets £40m turnover after major investment deal

PP Control & Automation — 03/07/2018

PP Control & Automation is targeting turnover of £40m within five years after receiving a major investment deal.

The Cheslyn Hay-based company, which employs more than 230 people, has been backed by new funding from Ardenton Capital Corporation, which now owns a majority stake in the business.

The deal has seen Tony Hague, current PP managing director, become a significant shareholder in the business as well as assuming the new role of Chief Executive Officer.

David Fox, who founded the firm, will continue his association with the business by stepping up to the role of chairman.

The funding injection comes just weeks after the company announced a string of new contracts to take its turnover for the coming year to £24m, including exciting first orders for Hedinn in Iceland and new projects for customers in digital printing and the scientific industries.

Mr Hague, who has been with the firm since 2001, said: “We recognised over 12 months ago that if we were to realise our aspirations of truly growing PP in the way we believed possible, we would need a new business partner to work with.

“Sales have increased nearly 30% in the last two years, but to take us to £40m and beyond we needed to partner with a long-term investor to really accelerate the growth. There were many organisations keen to invest in PP.

“However, we knew from the very first meeting with Ardenton Capital that its differentiated approach to sustained investment, with no intention to divest, perfectly aligned itself to the way we do business and will ensure we deliver on our ambitious expansion plans.”

He said the terms agreed with Ardenton provided stability for customers and security for employees, whilst also giving the firm a sound platform upon which to invest and extend its manufacturing capabilities to even more global customers.

Canada-based Ardenton is a private corporate investor which unlike traditional private equity funds, invests with no intention to divest.

Directors Iain Marlow and Mark Bradbury opened the firm’s UK office in Manchester in 2016 and made their first investment into Telford-based Corbetts the Galvanizers the year after.

Ardenton targets majority investments in businesses alongside incumbent management teams, which it seeks to support in delivering long-term sustainable growth.

Mr Marlow said: “PP Control & Automation is a great example of a world class UK manufacturer exporting its services and products all over the globe.

“We are exceptionally proud to have the opportunity to partner with Tony Hague and his management team to help take the business into its next phase of growth and ensure the business continues to be a leading light of West Midlands industry.”

The deal was supported by Ian Mansell, Ian Howey and Sunil Prabhakar of Clydesdale Yorkshire Bank in Birmingham.

PP Control & Automation, which turned 50 years-old in September 2017, is a Made in the Midlands member and also one of the constituents of the Midlands Assembly Network (MAN). The deal will not affect its role within the alliance.

Pictured from left: Allan Dunn, Ardenton UK, David Fox and Tony Hague, both PP Control & Automation, and Iain Marlow, also Ardenton UK.

Sales doesn’t have to be a 'dirty word’ according to West Midlands manufacturing chief

PP Control & Automation — 15/03/2017

A lack of expert sales people coming through the ranks is the biggest problem facing West Midlands manufacturers according to the boss of PP Control & Automation.

David Fox, who has been involved in industry for more than 50 years, believes companies are not investing enough time and money into developing a strategy for selling and this, potentially, could do more damage than Brexit and the widely acknowledged skills gap.

The current Chairman and former engineering apprentice feels the role does not get the credit it deserves in this country and is urging more firms to follow his firms suit in developing processes that can help generate the right leads and sales.

It seems that the US is the only country in the world where it actually puts its sales professionals on a pedestalthe rest of us prefer to tuck them away in the smallest possible office and, in recent years, bestow a whole new job title on themBusiness Development Managers for instance, explained David.

Im not buying into this magic formula that only a few have got it. Sales is more about getting the process right and making sure people get access to the right training and support.

He continued: Securing orders is the lifeblood of any business and without it a company cant grow, invest in technology and employ and develop peoplethis is why we should make a concerted attempt to change perceptions and perhaps even look at developing some form of qualification for this profession.

There has to be a joint approach, which industry can drive by lobbying Government and Academia to develop some form of formal training or, taking it one stage further, the launch of our own Sales Degree.

David took over PP Control & Automation in 1979, when it was predominantly offering panel building services to a small customer base.

He recognised in 1993 that in order to succeed the firm needed to behave differently to its competitors and this started a 24-year journey of continuous improvement, embracing automation and giving every member of staff a personal development roadmapthe latter now stands at 200 hours training for each employee.

The company now employs 200 people and provides electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to customers all over the globe.

We also had a significant change in our sales approach in the mid to late nineties, starting really with our successful pursuit of a world number 1 machinery builder. This transformed our thinking as it proved we had an offer that would sell; we just needed to make sure we targeted the right people and embraced the very latest processes, added David,

Im a firm believer of learning from the very best and that involved readings lots of sales books, the majority of which unsurprisingly were written by Americans. We get everyone in our sales team involved, almost like a book club you could say.

Each person takes a section and then presents what they have learned to the rest of the group. Sales have gone up from £12m to £20m in three years so something must be working.

David lists researching your customer before making the initial call as one of the most important bedrocks to the PP sales approach and then not assuming you know the answer to your customers requirements.

Over the last year, this approach has seen us identify outsourcing solutions that has reduced 3-week build times to just four days and boosted production for another client so they can now make 12 machines every month instead of just 8.

He concluded: Sales doesnt have to be a dirty word and its up to industry to ensure it isnt. We can start by putting sales people on a pedestal for the first time.

For further information, visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

Rising engineering star bangs the drum for more ‘girl power’ in industry

PP Control & Automation — 29/06/2023

Attracting more females into engineering is the mission for a Black Country electrical engineer that has won a clutch of awards in the early part of her career.

Sophie Young, who works for PP Control & Automation in the West Midlands, is hoping that her own personal journey can act as an inspiration for hundreds of young girls and women looking to carve out a possible role in manufacturing.

The 20-year-old has already secured a major title at the Ladder for the Black Country Awards and recently added to this by being named as one of the Top 100 Manufacturing Professionals in the UK at a high-profile event at the NEC.

Praised as a ‘young pioneer’, she impressed judges with the way she delivered a £1m+ new product introduction process that has seen her work with the NPI team to eliminate faults and develop a product that now takes less than one hour to build and is being ramped up to 400 units this year.

Sophie was also recognised for her ambassadorial role, which sees her take part in live panel discussions, the Manufacturing Assembly Network’s MANifesto, a digital campaign organised by the Greater Birmingham & Solihull Institute of Technology and numerous school talks where she explains to people about her role and the opportunities available to her.

“I’ve always been interested in STEM subjects so going into engineering seemed a natural decision and I’ve not looked back,” explained Sophie, who is on Apprenticeship pathway that will see her attain qualifications from a HNC through to her degree.

“PP Control & Automation has given me the opportunity to demonstrate what I’m learning on real live projects that involve machines and technology that is changing the way we all live.

“The things I’m doing and experiencing are way beyond what I would get from a textbook and my message to other young women considering what to do for a job is ‘give engineering’ a chance.”

She went on to add: “Roles are so versatile, and the work environments are ultra-modern in a lot of cases. I’ve only been at PP C&A for two years and I’ve already won two major awards and will be on the shortlist for the Rising Star at the Engineering & Manufacturing Awards in London.”

PP Control & Automation, which offers strategic manufacturing outsourcing services to 20 of the world’s largest machine builders, employs more than 150 women across its 230-strong workforce.

Developing people is a key priority for the Cheslyn Hay-based business, who give every member of staff access to 200 hours of development opportunities and training every year.

The firm also plays a crucial role in the Design & Make Challenge run by the Manufacturing Assembly Network. This competition, due to be held at WMG in July, gives up to 18 schools the opportunity to build a vehicle, test it and then race it against rival reams to win four main prizes.

In the history of the event, more than 400 pupils have benefitted so far, with a large proportion going on to pursue engineering at vocational level or at university.

Sophie continued:

“To be named in The Top 100 really was a highlight. I never expected it in a million years, especially when you consider some of the people I’m sharing this honour with. I’m definitely going to use the title to inspire others to follow their industrial dreams.”

Malcom Condon, HR People Partner at PP C&A, concluded: “Sophie has set an inspiring example for aspiring engineers and women in engineering. The whole team would like to congratulate her on these well-deserved accolades and eagerly anticipate the continued impact she will make in her career and on the broader manufacturing community.”

https://www.ppcanda.com/

Record year for PP Control & Automation as sales hit £28m

PP Control & Automation — 01/02/2022

New opportunities in transport, medical and warehousing/logistics are helping one of the West Midlands’ fastest growing manufacturers record its best-ever year.

PP Control & Automation, which employs 230 people at its world class factory in Cheslyn Hay, is on course to post £28m sales for the last twelve months, with a future order pipeline suggesting further growth is on the horizon.The strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist has seen demand for its services rise by 25% on the previous year and bosses at the firm believe this is due to a combination of reshoring back to the UK and a desire for greater security of supply.

There has also been an increasing number of high technology businesses starting to engage, who are all keen to find cost-effective solutions for scaling up production after bringing a new innovation to market.

“I don’t think we’ve ever seen a year like it in terms of supply chain disruption and uncertainty, yet, at the same time, enjoying a tidal wave of interest in what we do,” explained Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation and one of LDC’s Top 50 Most Ambitious Leaders for 2021.

“We work with over 20 of the world’s most successful equipment builders and have built a strong reputation for delivering a strategic manufacturing solution that helps our clients focus on their core business whilst we do what we do best.”

He continued: “This means we provide production and assembly capability - spanning automation, electronics, electrical control, hydraulics, mechanical and pneumatics. The idea is that we can provide access to capacity, greater customisation and value-added design, whilst de-risking the supply chain in the process.”

PP Control & Automation, which is owned by Ardenton Capital Corporation and is part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), has been fully operational throughout the entire pandemic, providing strategic outsourcing solutions to customers involved in food and drink, packaging, renewables and medical.

The company’s expertise in control and automation and contract manufacturing, combined with the ability to quickly set up new production cells, saw it supply critical wiring harnesses to the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium and a host of new Covid-19 inspired technologies designed to protect people and reduce the spread of the virus.

It is now setting its sights on further growth in 2022 and has plans in place to make a senior sales appointment and kick-start an investment plan that will see it incorporate more automation in production inventory management.

Tony concluded: “Although there is a lot of supply chain disruption affecting all parts of the economy, we are keen to press on and take advantage of a £multi-million pipeline of opportunities.

“We expect to see a gradual improvement in the supply chain challenges as the year progresses and, if this is the case, I see no reason why PP C&A should not be seeing double digit growth in 2022.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP’s outsourcing manufacturing offer helps Inventor-e create ten jobs as part of its 60% growth

PP Control & Automation — 06/08/2019

A specialist provider of point-of-use solutions to industrial manufacturers and the facilities management markets is tapping into support from a strategic manufacturing partner after seeing sales increase by 60% in the last year.

Solihull-based Inventor-e, which has created ten new jobs over the past 12 months, has joined forces with PP Control & Automation to outsource the build of SmartStores Secure, an access-controlled cabinet that uses the SmartStores app for access and to issue, return and restock product.

A world-class manufacturing cell has been created at the latter’s state-of-the-art factory in Cheslyn-Hay and has helped increase capacity to cope with new orders from high profile clients, such as Babcock International and Rexel.

The move has also been responsible for reducing lead times by 20%, whilst PP C&A’s design engineers have worked with Inventor-e specialists to explore new configurations to its systems.

“Strategic outsourcing with PP Control & Automation is allowing us to globally scale our business with a trusted partner, without the significant direct cost of setting up our own manufacturing facilities,” explained Andy Ingram, Sales Director at Inventor-E.

“The relationship has provided us with a lot of food for thought on future builds and we have already used its design and engineering expertise to improve our solutions and reduce costs.”

Inventor-e’s USP is through its ability to innovate industrial vending and, after significant discussions, it was decided to identify a strategic manufacturing partner that could manage the build of the systems.

An initial meeting with PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) originally took place back in 2013, but at that time, the type and style of the opportunity was not a good fit for either party. However, all lines of communication remained open and in 2018, further dialogue took place and a new partnership was duly formed.

In just a short space of time, strategic outsourcing has proven that it can offer the Solihull business a cost-effective way of building its growing range of point-of-use systems quickly, giving it peace of mind that rapid scale-up can be achieved.

This confidence has come at a very opportune moment for Inventor-e, who has completed an exclusive agreement with a global distributor on its current product range for industrial sectors (excluding aerospace and healthcare).

The volumes for this contract could be game-changing for the business and would not be possible to achieve without a strategic manufacturing partner in place to support with the ramp-up.

“This is an ideal example of how important ‘outsourcing’ can be for technology disruptors looking to scale-up quickly. Inventor-e is continually developing new solutions for point-of-use vending and that’s what it needs to do to concentrate on staying at the forefront of the market,” continued Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation.

“The company wants a manufacturing partner who can not only grow with it, but also contribute its own production knowledge to develop solutions that will improve the end service for the customer - something we have a proven track record of doing.

“It is a very exciting time for Inventor-e and we are looking forward to exploring the new opportunity and the introduction of new systems, including iVendScale.”

A meeting has already taken place at PP C&A’s state-of-the-art production facility and a number of initial actions have been agreed to look at strengthening the supply chain and sourcing new suppliers that can meet production volumes and are UL compliant.

A certification specialist has also been introduced to complete a full evaluation and design review to the relevant North American standard (UL62368).

Whilst the relationship between the three companies is at an early stage, there have already been discussions about PP C&A building products both in the UK and North America in order to support market demands.

For further information, please visit www.inventor-e.co.uk or www.ppcanda.com

About PP C&A

PP C&A targets training boost with investment in Bright Sparks initiative

PP Control & Automation — 21/07/2021

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists has signalled its intentions to ramp up investment in its recently launched Bright Sparks University (BSU).

PP Control & Automation, which works with twenty of the world’s largest machinery builders, is offering all of its 230 employees the opportunity to engage with in-house learning and development programmes, covering continuous improvement, customer service, finance, leadership & management, marketing, sales and technical training.

Staff members are also encouraged to source courses outside of BSU, with the company happy to fund any course on any subject, as long as there are tangible benefits to both the business and the individual.

“Our people are the heartbeat of what we do, and we want to give them every opportunity to learn new skills and competences they can use to boost their own career prospects and deliver additional value to the service we provide our customers,” explained Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation.

“Bright Sparks University is the latest in a long line of personal development and training programmes we have introduced, following on from the launch of our Excellence School, back in 2000. It will deliver learning on the job, in a classroom or online and all of the courses will be funded by PP C&A.”

He continued: “Through BSU we recognise that inside every employee there is more potential than we, or maybe even they realise, and we need to constantly work to unlock this potential, whether that is through training, coaching or mentoring.

“It’s a sizeable investment, but one that is easy to make when you consider the benefits we are already seeing. Training builds self-confidence, keeps the mind sharp, helps with better decision-making and builds a stronger relationship between staff and the company.”

With the UK hopefully emerging from the pandemic, the Cheslyn Hay-based manufacturer is targeting 20% growth this year after it saw sales surge post lockdown.

Its skilled workforce will be key to achieving this ambitious expansion plan, with a recruitment drive currently in place to take on ten new people across engineering, logistics and sales.

Ian, who is a black belt in Six Sigma manufacturing practices, concluded: “Covid-19 limited some of our early activities with the Bright Sparks University, but we are now rolling it out at speed and expect all 230+ staff to have access to training and development opportunities by this time next year.

“Some people say why invest so much in training your staff, they could leave. Our view is simple, imagine not training them and they stay with you!”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP Control & Automation on course for £3m of new business with ‘Ready 4 Electrification’ support

PP Control & Automation — 07/01/2020

Tapping into expert academic support is helping a manufacturing outsourcing specialist access up to £3m in new business in the niche vehicle sector.

Information gained here has already been used to successfully approach and secure work for two customers involved in niche vehicle manufacture, with PP C&A supplying electrical box builds and cable assemblies, as well as using its design for manufacturing experience to support standardisation in order to reduce variety and complexity.

“As an SME, we don’t have the immediate available resource to research into such new and complex vertical market sectors. That’s where WMG comes into the equation.”

“Feasibility has been completed, with the next step being to finalise a strategic project we can work together on that will help us gain commercial advantage in the sector.

“We’re already delighted with the results. Two new contracts with niche vehicle manufacturers have been secured and there’s another in the pipeline…it has been a great start.”

From there participants can benefit from a strategic project that will deliver action plans around collaborative R&D, Knowledge Transfer Partnerships and Internships, with manufacturers also able to access technical support with production processes and rapid prototyping.

“Our experts understand the pressures faced by manufacturers and how important it is to tailor the support to overcome specific barriers and unleash the potential in our supply chain.

“We can deliver data, research and access to networks of specialists, not to mention the world class advanced test and manufacturing facilities available at WMG.”

Ready 4 Electrification has already reached over 200 companies through four regional networking events, with another three planned for 2019.

It has visited over 50 firms and is currently completing in-company pilot feasibility projects. In total, it has the capacity to support over 200 businesses between now and 2020.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or www.warwick.ac.uk/wmg

Sophie’s electric as PP C&A engineer wins major Engineering & Manufacturing Apprenticeship Award

PP Control & Automation — 07/11/2022

A female electrical engineer, who has already delivered a £1m plus new product introduction, has been named as the Black Country’s best Engineering & Manufacturing apprentice last night.

PP Control & Automation’s Sophie Young, beat off competition from across the area to secure the Ladder for the Black Country accolade in front of 285 guests at Wolverhampton Grand Station and has already set her sights on inspiring more girls into industry.

The 19-year-old has always shown a keen interest in STEM subjects from a young age and joined the strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist 12 months ago on an Apprenticeship pathway that will see her attain qualifications from a HNC through to a degree.

She impressed judges with her rate of progression and how she is already completing projects that are delivering financial and operational performance to the Cheslyn Hay-based business, not to mention her willingness to act as an ambassador for women in engineering.

“It has been a great first twelve months in industry and this award has really topped it off nicely,” explained Sophie, who was also highly commended in the Overall Apprentice of the Year category.

“There were so many fantastic finalists on display that I was quite surprised to hear my name being announced. I’ll definitely use the recognition to continue with my studies and to also shout about how great a career in manufacturing can be.”

Within the first five months of her apprenticeship, Sophie was given the opportunity to take a project through from quotation level to completion.

This included supporting the New Product Introduction (NPI) process and working with the NPI team to eliminate faults and develop a product ready for production, carrying out inspection reports on first builds and bridging the product into its own dedicated production cell.

Supported throughout her learning by a Senior Electrical Engineer at PP C&A, she also created a full 3D assembly drawing pack, electrical schematics, and worked closely with all departments of the business to meet stringent deadlines.

She even volunteered to build the first iteration of the assembly to prove out her documentation, cutting out 1-hour of build time by identifying a more efficient method.

The assembly now takes 2.5hrs to produce, which has allowed 100 units to be manufactured in 2022, with 400 units scheduled for build in 2023, shipping both nationally and internationally.

Andy Whittaker, Engineering & Quality Director at PP Control & Automation, added his support: “Sophie has been a shining light since she joined and has developed so quickly, impressing everyone in the business with her passion, hard work, skill and eye for engineering.

“The Award is richly deserved and shows what you can achieve in a relatively short timeframe. I’m sure this is just the start of what will be an amazing career for one of our brightest young stars.

“Competitions like this highlight how important it is for companies to invest in young people and give them the opportunity to learn and grow in your business. It’s the only way we’re going to solve the very real skills shortage.”

The Ladder for the Black Country Apprenticeship Awards was organised by the Express & Star and headline sponsor City of Wolverhampton Council.

Sponsoring the Engineering & Manufacturing Award was voestalpine Metsec plc.

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter

PP Control & Automation Helps Fullwood Packo Set Its Sights On A Record Production Year

PP Control & Automation — 17/04/2019

One of Europe’s leading manufacturers of automated milking systems has set its sights on a record production year after strengthening an existing strategic partnership with PP Control & Automation (PP C&A).

Fullwood Packo, which employs 240 people at its headquarters in Ellesmere, has tapped into the design and build expertise of the Cheslyn Hay firm to increase capacity of its M2erlin robotic milking machines by 100% over the last three years.

The company has managed to make the major leap in output whilst maintaining lead times and is now looking to keep up with customer demand and a move into new international markets by ramping up production to 450 machines by the end of 2019.

“I think the decision to invite PP Control & Automation to become a strategic outsourcing partner was a very significant moment for the relationship and kick-started a series of discussions that have transformed the way we build our robotic milking machines,” said Andrew Dodwell, Group Managing Director at Fullwood Packo.

“We made the decision that we would be completely transparent with our growth plans and the manufacturing challenges we faced and gave our partner the opportunity to look at ways in which it could support our plans.

“The challenge was firmly met. Using best practice gleaned from other industry sectors, its ‘design for manufacture’ engineering team reviewed the current build processes and came up with a number of suggestions that would see it provide a significantly more cross-functional and added value build solution. This would then free up valuable manufacturing resource and space at Fullwood Packo.”

Following these initial discussions, a plan was agreed in April last year on how both the electrical and mechanical controls could be combined into a single integrated outsourcing approach for M²erlin.

Work then began on production engineering - identifying areas of standardisation, option configuration, combined test requirements - as well as mapping out supply chain needs and engaging both current and new suppliers to ensure optimum quality, reliability and total production costs.

The supply chain challenge also required PP C&A to move fabrication and machined parts (historically manufactured by Fullwood Packo) into its supply chain, thus creating the additional capacity required for the planned growth.

Tony Hague, CEO at PP Control & Automation, said: “This is a great example of how a normal supplier/customer relationship has been transformed into a strategic partnership where both companies benefit from playing to their strengths.

“We have successfully used our design and build experience to help eliminate production constraints from Fullwood Packo, leaving them free to concentrate on growing their business and scaling up without the challenge of physical space issues or availability of additional skilled labour.

“In addition to the current robot system, we will be working closely together on the design of the next generation Merlin. This is an exciting opportunity where we can explore further collaboration and engage technical partners to create something that is truly innovative.”

M2erlin was first introduced in 2014 and is recognised as the best performing milking robot, providing farmers with a robust system for voluntary milking cows. This is different to the traditional involuntary approach that sees them herded together in a parlour for example.

Using the automated method, cows will present themselves when they are ready to feed and, using an electronic tag, will be identified and moved into position for the efficient laser-guided attachment to be fixed to the teats.

M2erlin is developed around improving milk quality, increasing efficiency and maximising productivity, with each robot able to milk up to 70 cows in one day.

Andrew Dodwell concluded: “The recent expansion is just the start. We have ambitious plans in place to increase domestic sales and increase market share in strategic international territories, including Australia, Canada, China, New Zealand, Russia and the United States.

“Our relationship with PP Control & Automation will again be important to achieving this aim, with its ability to design the electrical controls to UL508a – an essential standard if you want to supply customers in the US and North America.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com

Pictured, from left: Ruth Piotrowski (Fullwood Packo), Tony Hague (PP Control & Automation), Andrew Dodwell and Aled Williams (both Fullwood Packo).

There will be many more success stories such as this at this year’s Made in the Midlands Exhibition, which takes place at the Ricoh Arena on June 20. To join the hundreds of members exhibiting simply register for tickets by clicking on the banner below and for more details, don’t forget to visit our new exhibition website - www.madeinthemidlandsexpo.co.uk

PP Control & Automation invests £250,000 in ‘world first’ technology

PP Control & Automation — 03/07/2019

A world first in ‘crimping’ technology has been installed at a Black Country manufacturing outsourcing specialist to help it cope with increased demand for its strategic services.

PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), which works with thirteen of the largest machine builders across the globe, has invested nearly £250,000 into a new Artos CRX33-GVM that has been modified for its exact production requirements by Cablespeed UK

The machine will allow it to operate faster and with greater reliability thanks to the unique software customisations provided, plus the integration of two of the latest Markem-Imaje Inkjet printers and the very latest in Z&F UNIC-GV Ferrule crimping units - the latter containing the very latest changeover technology.

It comes at a perfect time for the business after it enjoyed a £4m sales surge in 2018 and with exciting plans in place to build on recent contracts in food processing, mobile phone technology, printing and the dairy sector.

“Before this recent investment, we had two existing Artos machines in place that were delivering repeatable quality and, importantly, world class connectivity - so important in machine building,” explained Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation.

“The latest addition is a slightly smaller model. However, it has been designed and integrated into our production line, and the slightly smaller footprint provides shorter handling distances for processing cables, which will in-turn provide greater accuracy.”

He continued: “In layman’s terms, we can now process cables at over 5 metres per second, which means we are 20% faster whilst still maintaining the same accuracy.

“A lot of our strategic partners, including Fullwood Packo and ABG International, are ramping up volumes as we prove we can offer them additional capacity and cost-effective outsourcing services, so this technology is going to be crucial.”

PP Control & Automation, which is part of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, signed a deal with Ardenton Capital Corporation last year, which saw the Canadian-owned private equity fund take a majority stake in the organisation.

Current CEO Tony Hague became a significant shareholder in the business after guiding the company into one of the world’s largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to customers involved in machine tools, packaging, printing, medical, pharma, scientific and food processing sectors.

The injection of funding will help the business target global opportunities as it looks to increase annual sales from £24m to £40m by 2023.

Tony Hague concluded: “This £250,000 investment is our latest commitment to automation and underlines the importance it plays in making our manufacturing processes as productive as possible.

“We are seeking strong growth both in the UK and further afield and the only way we can do this is to embrace the latest technology and ensure we employ and develop the best talent in our industry.”

He concluded: “Strategic outsourcing is very much in demand. There is a clear focus from our customers to reduce both their manufacturing and sales lead times, as well as improving total production costs - we have a proven track record in working with many of the world’s leading machinery builders and doing just that!”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter.

£Multi-Million green opportunity for PP C&A as machine builders and ‘early disruptors’ target Net Zero gains

PP Control & Automation — 26/05/2023

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists has seen a surge in demand from clients looking to gain ‘early mover’ advantage in the low carbon economy.

PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), which employs 230 people at its world class manufacturing facility in the West Midlands, has started working on projects worth more than £2million in the last year alone, projects that are all involved in renewable energy, energy storage and building machines for electrification across a myriad of transport sectors.

This has involved working with OEMs building new machines and ‘early disruptors’ that are looking to bring new technologies to market that will both modernise the existing National Grid infrastructure and support the move to Net Zero, through the development of new and exciting technologies.

All are turning to outsourcing as a way of reducing manufacturing costs, overcoming recruitment challenges and accelerating time to market, the latter so crucial when trying to secure competitive advantage with new opportunities.

Tapping into specialised expertise to overcome design and build issues has also been a key consideration, as management teams struggle with the balance of being an ‘early mover’ with ensuring the technology delivers the required performance.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation, commented: “The trend towards renewable energy is driven by several factors, including environmental concerns, government incentives, and the decreasing cost of renewable energy technologies.

“As the demand grows, machine builders are playing a key role in supporting the transition to a low-carbon economy.”

He continued: “We are definitely seeing this shift on our shopfloor, with numerous projects in development that will play a role in renewables, energy storage, smart grids and electrification, as well as hydrogen powered systems.

“The latter is not just in transport, but in the wider ‘agri-tech’ solutions that are looking at hydrogen as an important, future green energy source.”

A member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN Group), PP Control & Automation is one of the most experienced outsourcing specialists in the country, helping build machines that robotically milk cows, provide everyday packaging solutions, protect your phones from water damage and cut parts that are used in F1 cars and the world’s airlines. In addition to established machine builders, the company is increasingly supporting ‘disruptors’ through its innovative PP+ offer, which offers an ‘ecosystem’ of support that will help them scale quickly.

This gives clients access to a trusted network of experts in business growth, sales, marketing and PR support, as well as a clear pathway to academia, legislative bodies, engineering groups and investors.

Tony went on to add: “Whilst the Net Zero journey presents significant challenges for OEMs, it also creates new opportunities for those who can be innovative, be agile, and have the ability to scale at pace. “By working in collaboration with partners like PP C&A, the chances of success are increased. What is undeniable is that the UK will play a key role in the transition to a low-carbon future for us all.”

PP’s first ever Career Open Days generates 25 new applications

PP Control & Automation — 31/07/2017

One of the West Midlands fastest growing manufacturers threw open its doors last week in a bid to recruit new staff.

PP Control & Automation, which has seen sales rise to £20m this year, hosted its first ever Career Open Days to give individuals considering a career in industry the chance to see what opportunities there are to progress in the sector.

School leavers, people looking to change professions or those wanting to get back into manufacturing attended one of the 2-hour slots that included a guided tour of the firms world class 40,000 sq ft facility in Cheslyn Hay, the chance to speak with current employees and an overview of current vacancies.

Philip Newell, Training and Continuous Improvement Manager at PP Control & Automation, commented: The last twelve months have been very good for our business and we have won a lot of new outsourcing contracts both at home and abroad.

In order to cope with this increase in demand, we need to boost the workforce and are looking to create up to 30 new jobs and these range from apprentices and shop floor technicians, to logistics specialists and project managers.

He continued: Getting the right skills is important so we want to make sure everyone knows what type of company we are building here at PP, a company that currently supplies 12 of the worlds largest machine builders. Opening our doors and letting them see the technology we use and the processes we employ was a great way of getting people to consider a career with us.

25 people attended the PP Control & Automation open days, with 80% of those under the age of 25 years-old and from a wide range of backgrounds.

They were introduced to the company by local training providers, colleges and schools, with all of those attending subsequently applying for one of the firms traineeship or apprenticeship roles.

Philip concluded: We were delighted with the turn-out and the interest taken in working at PP Control & Automation. The quality was very good so Im now going through the applications and arranging interviews with our potential new employees.

Opening up the factory gives the applicants a chance to see if we are the right company for them and to get them excited. It worked perfectly and well look to plan further open days in 2018, not to mention the launch of a prospectus-style magazine in January to showcase opportunities we have.

We currently have 3 vacancies for apprenticeships in September and to see so many young people applying is great for the company and the local area. Supporting these young adults through their education is a service we are proud to provide.

PP Control & Automation has recently completed a £1m extension as part of ambitious expansion plans that will see it grow from £20m to £40m by 2020.

PP C&A targets global expansion after agreeing new deal with Product Approvals

PP Control & Automation — 13/04/2021

One of the UK’s leading providers of strategic manufacturing outsourcing services has signed a deal with Product Approvals to boost its product certification offer to global clients.

PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), a member of Made in the Midlands, has seen a major increase in demand from machinery builders sending products to North America and is looking to capitalise on new opportunities by strengthening a seven-year relationship with the Telford-based specialist.

The new formal agreement gives the company the backing of seven product approval experts and rapid access to dedicated laboratory and testing equipment covering electromagnetic capabilities, safety and environmental compliance.

Whilst the partnership has been heavily directed towards supporting PP C&A’s clients with UL 508a certification and NFPA79 compliance covering industrial control panels and electrical cable harnesses, there will be future projects around the country and industry-specific approvals and legislation.

“This partnership is all about increasing our engineering bandwidth and access to technical expertise that will support the requirements of our growing order book,” commented Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation.

“We currently work with 20 of the world’s largest machinery builders and these span aerospace, food and drink, machine tools, medical, packaging and renewables. The machines are becoming increasingly customised and will need to comply to ever-changing global legislative demands.”

He continued: “Product Approvals’ very specialist knowledge complements our own internal ‘design for manufacture’ experience and, together, this will give us the ability to offer our clients a much more in-depth engineering due diligence service.

“It’s an important weapon to have in our arsenal and will help de-risk new product/process introductions.”

Established in 2006, Product Approvals is a product certification specialist supporting its customers to get products on sale in target markets as soon as possible by helping them meet required legislation.

Despite the Covid-19 slowdown, the business has continued to grow over the last twelve months and has invested in strengthening its team of experts and its laboratory and testing capabilities on Stafford Park in Telford.

“This feels like the perfect next step in our relationship with PP C&A and builds on seven years of working together and some outstanding educational seminars we jointly put on about UL508a,” added Mark Lindsay, Director of Product Approvals.

“We now have dedicated engineers assigned to the strategic outsourcing manufacturing expert, so that we can deliver the fastest possible support on engineering issues, testing and full certification services.

“It’s much more than just that though. We’ll be working with the production team in Cheslyn Hay to scope our future projects and where we can add value to the PP C&A offer. This could be reducing lead times, eliminating risk and even opening up new global markets by advising on the right certification.”

Hedinn fishing for efficiencies as PP C&A helps it deliver €11m deal

PP Control & Automation — 08/11/2022

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists is celebrating a fifth birthday of supplying the fishing sector in style by supporting a new €11m project.

PP Control & Automation, which employs more than 230 people at its world class facility in Cheslyn Hay, will provide complete electrical build services on the dual Hedinn HPP-10000s that are destined for Sildarvinnslan, Iceland’s biggest fishmeal and fish oil producer.

Capable of turning 380 tonnes of fish waste and offal into high quality protein meal and oil for animal feed, the plants are the largest ever delivered and will involve PP C&A assembling sensors, prefabricated cables, junction boxes and I/O cabinets, labels for sensors and motor isolator switches.

The technology here utilises significantly less energy than existing traditional methods, is 30% more compact and has 30% fewer components. Importantly, it also offers the dual benefits of increased profitability and greener environmental performance, attributes very much in demand.

Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation, picked up the story: “Hedinn was our first involvement in the fishing industry and the relationship underlines how a lot of the values of strategic outsourcing transcend all sectors.

“By working with a specialist, we have given it access to skill, capability and capacity, which, in turn, has led to faster builds, improved product quality and the ability to cost-effectively scale.”

He added: “As the partnership has developed, we have also collaborated to look at standardising some of the manufacturing processes across all its different protein plants. This can only be done so far, but we have certainly reached a stage where increases in volumes can be easily met.”

Ragnar Sverrisson, Managing Director of Hedinn, added his support: “The Sildarvinnslan deal is a major project for our business and one we can deliver on time and to budget thanks to our team of experts and the support we receive from PP C&A.

“As a strategic partner, it has access to our whole electrical package, which means it holds a comprehensive understanding of the requirements for each build and any customisation that needs to be incorporated. The workmanship is second to none and wiring faults are virtually non-existent, which gives us great confidence and a significant commercial advantage.”

Since the first project, PP Control & Automation has helped produce the HPPm-2000, HPP-5000, HPPsh-300 and HPP-15000, a mixture of land and at sea solutions for using 100% of fish waste and offal to produce high quality protein meal and oil for animal feed.

The partnership has evolved so that Hedinn can importantly focus more of its time and resource on the design and development of its plants, as well as providing a quality service to its growing legion of global customers.

Today, the Icelandic business employs 120 people and has a group turnover of approximately €30m, with HPP Solutions launched in January as a standalone business to help drive its HPP division.

PP C&A’s Tony Hague concluded: “It’s great news that we can celebrate 5 years of working together by supporting Hedinn with such a landmark project. Everything is in place in the UK to scale volumes as interest in the technology will grow – a real UK/Icelandic success story!”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter. More details on Hedinn can be found at www.proteinplant.is

PP's £1m extension to help double sales

PP Control & Automation — 09/04/2017

A new £1 million factory extension was unveiled today by PP Control & Automation as it singled its intention to double sales from £20m to £40m by 2021.

It is in order to facilitate growth in new technology markets and interest from a wider international customer base.

Mr Hague said that PP Control & Automation was confident that its four-year plan to reach £40m would be achieved.

We dont envisage Article 50 or Brexit having too much of an influence on what we do, he said.

PP Control & Automation, which is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network, has become one of the worlds largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems, cable harnesses and sub-contract manufacturing solutions.

The company has benefitted significantly from the outsourcing trend being employed by machinery builders who are keen to reduce production lead times, secure greater manufacturing flexibility and ultimately reduce overall manufacturing costs and increase their profitability.

Its not just investment in bricks and mortar either, added David Fox, the chairman of growing PP Control & Automation.

Over the last six months we have been steadily recruiting new members of staff across the business in production, engineering, sales and supply chain management.

Mr Fox added: Our people, their skills and the culture they adhere to is vital to the way we do business and this is something that will be absolutely essential if we are to deliver the ambitious growth plans we set ourselves.

PP Control & Automation will also hold a special event to mark the official opening of the extension later his year, as part of its programme of 50th anniversary celebrations.

PP Control & Automation hits £5m training milestone as it calls on industry to do more to win ‘hearts and minds’

PP Control & Automation — 14/11/2023

One of the West Midlands fastest growing manufacturers has capped a major personal
development milestone this month with investment in training now totalling over £5m since
2003.
PP Control & Automation (PP C&A), which works with 20 of the world’s leading machinery
builders, has expanded its Bright Sparks University concept that champions diverse learning
pathways, technical excellence, leadership and continuous improvement.
It’s the latest in a long line of initiatives that the company employs to maximise the skills of
its growing 230-strong workforce and has helped it increase sales to a record-breaking £30m
by the end of this year.
Malcolm Condon, HR People Partner at PP C&A, believes a bigger challenge faces his
company and the rest of the sector in trying to encourage more young people – from a
grassroots level up – to choose a career in manufacturing.
“Sowing the seeds when children are learning about different jobs must be one of the
priorities, as we look to shift outdated perceptions of industry towards the modern-day
sector, we all know and love.
“This is something we are very passionate about at PP Control & Automation and already
work with several schools to host factory visits, provide mentoring opportunities, work
experience and STEM projects.”
He continued: “The benefits are there for both sides and we are now seeing students we
have worked with choose to come here because of our engagement at an earlier stage of
their life.”
PP Control & Automation is a member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), a
group of seven sub-contract manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency.
The collective launched its MANifesto earlier this year as a direct response to a lack of a
coherent Government industrial strategy and one of the four key pillars is ‘people’ and how
the sector looks to tackle the widespread skills and labour shortages it is facing.
The eight companies all invest in apprentices and graduates, not to mention coming together
to host the UK’s largest Design & Make Challenge that gives 80 Year 10 and Year 11
students the opportunity to test their STEM skills against each other.
Malcolm concluded: “We now want other manufacturers to tackle the skills crisis head on by
doing more to help develop the next generation of engineers and are offering to share our
proven ‘Design & Make blueprint’ we have created to support ‘engagement’.

“The ‘hard yards’ have already been done in overcoming some of the issues that exist when
dealing with academic institutions and we believe we can pave the way to build the volume
of relationships industry needs to reverse the direction the skills shortage is heading.”
For further information, please visit www.man-group.co.uk or follow MAN Group on
LinkedIn

UK industry needs to be ‘bold and brave’ urges manufacturing boss

PP Control & Automation — 14/02/2020

The time has come for UK manufacturing to be ‘bold and brave’ in the way it targets international opportunities according to the boss of a strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialist.

PP Control & Automation’s Tony Hague made the rallying call after GDP figures revealed that growth in the economy had stalled and manufacturing output was falling.

The CEO is urging more companies to invest in automation and to proactively target export contracts after his own business announced a £3m order haul and exciting plans for further growth both domestically and in North America.

It is an approach that the Government is keen for other manufacturers to replicate as it looks to reinforce the UK’s reputation as an industrial powerhouse.

“We have definitely noticed an increase in confidence since the General Election result and it appears that investment has been switched on in a lot of sectors, which is very pleasing,” explained Tony Hague.

“From our base here in the UK, we support 25 of the world’s largest machinery builders in food processing and packaging, printing, machine tool, energy, transport and infrastructure, medical and high technology sectors.

“Everything we do has to create added value to our clients through innovative design, proactive supply chain management and competitive and agile manufacturing.

He continued: “We are targeting emerging markets in the UK, such as electrification, as well as new opportunities in different geographies. In particular the North American markets, where we are well placed with 20+ years knowledge of legislation and associated UL standards. There are also the connections we have in place now through our investment partners Ardenton Capital.

“Despite the figures out this week, I believe it is exciting times for industry, but we have to work collectively and collaboratively to grow GDP and wealth.

“Developing a more comprehensive supply chain model across the UK could ensure that the larger ‘primes’ in aerospace, defence, automotive and industrial machinery could actually increase their domestic spend. For that to happen, we need supply chain excellence; the impact on GDP and balance of trade would be massive.”

PP Control & Automation, which employs over 220 people at its 5,500 sq metre facility, delivers added value design, engineering and complex assembly to clients involved in aerospace, food processing, machine tools, packaging, printing and advanced technologies.

With renewed financial backing from Canadian-based investor Ardenton, the firm secured a record £26m year in 2019 and strengthened its senior management team with the strategic appointment of Stewart Robertson as Head of Finance and Garry Myatt as Sales Director.

It continues to be an influential member of the Manufacturing Assembly Network (MAN), a collective of nine manufacturers and a specialist engineering design agency that work together to share best practice and bring work back to the UK.

Tony concluded: “UK manufacturing is still revered throughout the world for our engineering, our design and our innovation. We need to embrace this as we embark on doing trade in a whole new world and I’m confident that, whilst there may be twists and turns ahead, the opportunities will far outweigh the threats.”

For further information, please visit www.ppcanda.com or follow @ppcanda on twitter.

PP nets first ever Icelandic deal

PP Control & Automation — 30/04/2018

A leading West Midlands manufacturer has secured a major contract to support one of Icelands key suppliers to the fishing sector.

PP Control & Automation, which employs 230 people at its state-of-the-art factory in Cheslyn Hay, is providing Hedinn with early-stage design support and electrical control systems build for the production of its Hedinn Protein Plant (HPP).

These revolutionary machines make fishmeal and fish oil production on land or sea more economical and efficient than previously possible and are already installed in Icelandic vessel Solberg and German vessel Berlin, whicho are both reporting 100% utilisation of fish proteins and oil.

In addition, projects are well advanced for installs in such places as the Faroe Islands and the United States for processing produce including lobster shells.

We are seeing a significant trend in larger machine builders focusing on strategic outsourcing, in order to help increase production capacity, improve production and sales lead times and create a competitive advantage with respect to time to market and scalability, explained Tony Hague, managing director of PP Control & Automation.

Hedinn is another example of the strategic partnerships we are looking to create and we are delighted to have secured a contract to play a role in delivering next generation machinery for the fishing sectorour first foray into this industry.

He continued: Working with engineers in Iceland, we have developed the design of the control systems and are currently supporting our client in standardising a number of the manufacturing processes to help with meeting anticipated volume increases once the market fully embraces HPP.

We have also introduced one of our technical partners Rockwell, who are assisting in the further technical development of the process and supply chain.

The Hedinn Protein Plant is based on decades of experience in the fisheries and fishmeal production industries, with all conventional fishmeal plants currently in operation in Iceland having been constructed or upgraded by the company.

Available in different size configurations, the HPP is a turnkey plant with transportable components ready for on-site assembly on land or at sea. It runs on electricity and steam, providing a clean, efficient and highly adjustable operation.

Ragnar Sverrisson, managing director of Hedinn, went on to add: This technology dictated a new partner that could provide advanced controls and automation assembly and design expertise and wanted to be involved from the start.

We couldnt have done it in-house so we started to look for strategic partners and PP Control & Automation were easily the most suitable and had the same passion we had for the product. It is also very familiar with UL compliance, which could be very useful when targeting the US and North American markets.

There is massive potential for HPP and our volumes will increase rapidly. This partnership gives us the skills, capability and capacity to meet the anticipated demand.

PP Control & Automation turned 50 years-old in September 2017 and marked the occasion by securing £2m of new contracts.

It has grown into one of the worlds largest and most respected suppliers of electrical control systems and sub-contract manufacturing solutions to customers involved in the machine tools, packaging, printing, medical, pharma, scientific and food processing sectors.