Contract wins seal a record 4th year in business for Millennium
A perfect birthday present for one of manufacturing's youngest MDs
[UKPRwire, Tue Oct 09 2007] A string of high profile contract wins has proved a perfect fourth birthday present for one of the UK’s youngest managing directors.
Anna Stevenson, who started Millennium Pressed Metal after completing an A-Level feasibility study in 2003, has seen turnover more than double to £800k after securing orders in the electronic, automotive and medical sectors.
She now has ambitious plans to take the company’s annual sales past a million pounds and build on new efficiency gains at their two sites.
“2007 started with a trip to meet the Queen and this really set the tone for the next nine months, with our ability to handle short lead-time work and complicated projects really in demand from customers needing additional capacity, suffering labour shortages or requiring specialist expertise,” explained 25 year-old Anna.
“One of the biggest ‘wins’ recently has been our work with Kiyokuni to produce a specialist plate to go in the back of ‘HD’ televisions. This is the one of the most complex parts we do and requires 3 different processes, trimming and cutting – a perfect example of the type of work we are now doing on a regular basis.”
She continued: “In addition to this, we are also producing garden equipment, suspension parts for lorries and frames for hospital beds – a diverse collection you could say.”
Millennium Pressed Metal, which has been assisted by Business Link West Midlands, is now looking to make the most of this order boom by increasing its efficiency through the implementation of a new Trojan MRP (Material Requirements Planning) system.
Using financial and strategic support from supply chain initiative Accelerate, the rapid turnaround specialist can now use the latest technology to track jobs from starts to finish through a bar code process.
It is already helping to increase workflow at the 17,000 sq ft Castle Mill work, maximise stock inventory and boost quality levels, an important asset with the company heading towards the TS16949 global quality standard.
Andrew Clarke, who has recently joined the company as Finance Director, is leading the drive for best practice:
“We are at a very important stage of our development and need to make sure we continue to provide existing and potential customers with the best possible service.”
He continued: “The Trojan system is one part of this approach and, when combined with £100k investment in new presses and staff development, is a very powerful platform going forward.
“We are now looking at ways of increasing our welding capacity and adopting our own ‘in-house’ assembly unit.”
Millennium Pressed Metal’s success story has not gone unnoticed within the industry, with the firm securing a number of awards for its innovative approach to manufacturing.
It has also caught the attention for the fact that 25 of its 37-strong workforce are women, proving that ‘girl power’ can make a difference in what is commonly perceived as a male dominated industry.
“It’s a talking point at first I suppose, but at the end of the day the client just wants efficient and cost effective service. They also want trust, trust that we will do what they want to the best standard and in the timescale required,” pointed out Anna.
“We score highly in both areas and this is thanks to the skill, experience and commitment of our staff, not the fact they are male or female.”
For further information, please contact 01384 252970
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