17th September 2014

Improving Global Connectivity and Quality

Below is a copy of an article written by Callum Bentley and featured in The Manufacturer on 8 September 2014.

A sustained period of investment is helping a West Midlands-based automation and control systems specialist provide improved connectivity for some of the world’s biggest machinery manufacturers. PP Electrical Systems has spent more than £500,000 on automated cable preparation machinery that incorporates specialist ‘automatic crimp force monitoring’ technology…all geared towards enhancing electrical connectivity for its global client base.

The company has configured two Artos MTX machines to ensure clients receive 6 sigma levels of quality that results in massive improvements in performance and significantly reduced downtime.

Managing director Tony Hague states that by replacing traditional hand tools with automation has increased the quality of electrical connectivity in control systems and associated wiring exponentially. “Inferior electrical connectivity is proven to be the single biggest cause of machine failure, associated down time and costly service and warranty calls, irrespective of the machine application. “Even the smallest of manual errors can cause intermittent connectivity issues that will not always show themselves immediately, but possibly months later after a machine has been installed at a customer’s site. You then have a potentially very difficult fault to find and a very irate customer.” “Deploying our expert staff to work with the state-of-the-art automation machinery ensures we are achieving world class levels of quality on our connectivity and our clients can be confident of machine performance when dealing with their customers.”

PP Electrical, which employs nearly 200 people, works with 12 of the world’s largest machinery manufacturers in sectors ranging from food, machine tools and packaging to printing, renewables and telecommunications.

In addition to specialist cable preparation, it has also invested heavily on automated testing equipment, IT infrastructure and a training programme that gives each member of staff – on average –200 hours of personal development every year.

This approach has given it the capacity and capability to talk to existing and new clients about outsourcing a wide range manufacturing operations.

For the original article visit http://www.themanufacturer.com/articles/improving-global-connectivity-and-quality/

More thought-leading content

Grid expansion electrifies PP C&A’s move into the energy market with £20m order haul

One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing specialists is tapping into the UK’s unprecedented investment in upgrading the electricity grid.

The Great Grid Upgrade’s hidden bottleneck: protection and control capacity

As Britain accelerates investment in grid infrastructure, protection and control capacity could become a critical delivery constraint.

CEO commentary on Burnham’s economic direction

The appointment of a new Prime Minister inevitably brings renewed debate about the direction of the UK economy and what it could mean for business.

PP Control & Automation calls for a more practical approach to AI adoption in manufacturing

Ian Knight, Chief Information Officer at PP Control & Automation (PP C&A) challenges the prevailing, often vague narrative around AI adoption and reframes the conversation around a more practical starting point: operational constraints.

Smart Manufacturing Week 2026: AI & data in manufacturing panel

Artificial intelligence is no longer a distant concept for manufacturers. It is already being explored across quotation, production planning, engineering, quality, supply chain and customer service functions. Yet, for many organisations, the gap between experimentation and meaningful operational impact remains difficult to close.

Manufacturing deal set to help fish vaccination specialist scale-up

A leading aquaculture specialist – that is changing the way fish are vaccinated safely – has signed a major manufacturing deal.

The assembly advantage: how integrated assembly reduces handoffs, delays and supply chain friction

On paper, defined discipline-specific suppliers can look organised. However, every additional supplier introduces another handoff, and every handoff creates another point where time, quality, communication and accountability can be lost.

Five signs your manufacturing partners are no longer fit for purpose

Very rarely does growth not surface because an OEM lacks ambition. Shortcomings arise because operating models built to support such ambition don’t evolve quickly enough.

Unlock your growth potential. Explore key services

Do you outsource?

    Realise your growth potential by making outsourcing part of your manufacturing strategy.

    At PP C&A, we never assume that a solution for one customer will work for another, because every customer is unique. That is why we will never try to simply sell you an ‘off the shelf solution’.

    We believe in meeting you, listening and understanding your needs first. If you are considering outsourcing for the first time or you wish to review your current outsourcing strategies, we would welcome the opportunity for discussion





    1. Do you outsource?

    If yes
    Do you outsource to multiple suppliers?

    2. Are you considering outsourcing or considering changing supplier?

    3. Are you experiencing barriers to growth?


    4. Would you like to arrange a consultation (call or visit) with us?

    5. Would you like to receive more information on strategic outsourcing?

    6. If you have a more specific enquiry, question or pain point, please let us know: