Cambridge manufacturer to cash in on Far East dissatisfaction

Shearline Precision Engineering (SPE) said it believed volatile world markets for raw materials had proved challenging for many manufacturers, and provided an opportunity for British companies in the current turmoil. To expand its capacity in design for manufacture, SPE has strengthened its management team, to add further expertise, and enhance its customer-focus. Charles Maltby (pictured) has been appointed as technical and commercial director and will be heading up the new design for manufacture facility. A chartered engineer, with specialist knowledge of product development from various sectors including aerospace, automotive and medical, and a Masters in Engineering Management, he has held executive positions at Domino Printing Sciences, Screen Technology Limited, and ANT Software. Maltby said said increasing shipping costs and wage rises had narrowed the price gap between Far East and UK manufacturers, “hence many companies are looking to return to manufacturing in the UK”. He went on: “The main issues appear to be uncertainty in supply, delays in shipping, increased inventory in the pipeline, and quality control – or potentially the lack of it! – in the finished products. Increasingly there also appears to be a minimum order quantity necessary to secure the low prices of recent years. For many of Shearline’s customers this is higher than their annual production requirements. “Customers are also realising that the intangibles of reputation, trust, and clear, credible communication are more important than ever as worries about the global situation bite.” Shearline’s new dedicated design for manufacture facility could provide the fast turnaround that customers need, taking designs from paper through to prototype and short-run manufacture, supporting scale-up, developing tools and systems as required, he added. The design for manufacture department will be fully operational in the first quarter of the year.