Sales boost adds to cutting-edge Essex manufacturer’s 55th birthday celebrations

The UK’s only manufacturer of cutting systems is looking to build

on a strong year of sales by starting its 55th year in business in style.

Blackman & White, which employs 28 people at its state-of-the-art factory in Essex, grew 10 percent in 2018 after a surge of orders from UK and overseas customers involved in the aerospace, automotive, graphics, marine and print sectors.

‘Orion’, an entry-level ‘low cost’ CNC flatbed cutting machine with quick and accurate low ply cutting/plotting system, was the star performer, outperforming other ranges in just seven months.

The company is now targeting greater production control, operational efficiencies and the opportunity to scale after it successfully commissioned a new Material Resource Planning system thanks to the support of the Manufacturing Growth Programme (MGP).

“Our cutting machines are easily identifiable for their robust and reliable build quality, which helps our clients quickly deliver a return on investment,” says Eiko White, finance and operations director at Blackman & White.

“Innovation is another core theme for the company and this has helped us introduce the automated ‘Genesis-V multi-tool Router, Laser and Knife’ range into the marketplace and this has given us a real boost in sales. Interest has come from large throughput signage through to composite manufacturers, who benefit from high percentage material efficiency, as well as high accuracy and speed.

“There are lots of opportunities for us to grow the business, both at home and abroad. However, to do this we needed to better understand our manufacturing operations and how we could put in place improved platforms and systems that would allow us to develop new products and scale-up quickly.

“This is when we turned to the Manufacturing Growth Programme to provide a strategic review of our company and then external assistance to target key areas of improvement that will deliver a host of tangible benefits.”

Sarah Goodwin, MGP Manufacturing Growth Manager, adds her support: “Blackman & White is a market leader in what it does, but every specialist sometimes needs a little help to take a holistic view of processes and material planning.

“This is exactly what we did, providing a clearly defined action plan that will eventually lead to the installation of a new MRP system that will give it real time data and a host of operational efficiency improvements.

“2019 is a massive year for the company and, with these foundations in place, we expect it to build on strong sales growth by securing new business in countries, such as Hungary, Romania, the Philippines and the US.”

The Manufacturing Growth Programme was set up to fill the void left by the Manufacturing Advice Service (MAS) by providing access to specialist assistance to help manufacturers grow and improve.

This is being achieved through a 19-strong network of experienced manufacturing growth managers (MGM), access to industry specialists and the opportunity to apply for an average improvement grant starting from £1000.

Support can be used for leadership and management, R&D, lean manufacturing, productivity and capacity, quality systems and supply chain development.

For more information on MGP, visit www.manufacturingrowthprogramme.co.uk or follow @mfggrowthp on twitter.

Blackman & White
Tel: 01621 843 404
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www.blackmanandwhite.com