5th July 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!”
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