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Taking pride in innovation

Commercial director at Texcel Technology, Peter Shawyer

British manufacturing demonstrates a history of drive and innovation; qualities that will serve the industry well as we head into an era of uncertainty, says commercial director at Texcel Technology, Peter Shawyer.

I am proud to be British and proud of the British people (except sometimes when I am on holiday), so when the opportunity to contribute to Electronics Sourcing’s ‘Best of British’ feature arose, I was delighted to participate.

Having been involved in the electronics industry for over 30 years, I have visited many manufacturing facilities, mainly in the UK. Overall, I have been impressed with the drive, innovation and focus that British manufacturing companies display. UK businesses have been forced to invest and embrace change to survive and grow in the challenging business environment over the last 20 years. Texcel has had first-hand experience of this: for us to grow and be successful in a competitive industry, we have had to maintain good partnerships with our suppliers and customers, as well as continuously investing in our manufacturing facility and processes.

Threats and opportunities
Over the next few years, the UK manufacturing industry will see substantial changes, and with Brexit looming, no-one can accurately predict how all those changes will play out. What is clear is that new and different rewards, threats and opportunities will come our way, and to survive and grow we will need to work together, collaborate, share information and help each other.

This is the focus at Texcel right now. We continue to build and strengthen the working teams we have with our customers, where we share information and investigate joint opportunities. At the same time, we are working closely with our top tier suppliers, encouraging early involvement in new projects and future forecasts, utilising their expertise to secure continuous availability and competitively priced components.

To support this, the company has invested heavily over the last few years in equipment, a factory upgrade and hiring new staff. We also focus on staff training and reviewing our infrastructure and manufacturing processes to ensure we can support ambitious growth plans.
In summary, my conclusion is that to be a successful British manufacturing company, continuous improvement and collaboration need to be in your DNA.

www.texceltechnology.com