While many UK manufacturers are striving to remain profitable, as the uncertainty of Brexit negotiations remains high, finding new ways to nurture and grow the electronics manufacturing business has never been more important.
However, despite the current challenges, some electronics manufacturing services (EMS) providers are reversing this trend and continue to grow.
So what is their secret?
1. Equipment and technology investment
Modern manufacturing facilities are increasingly relying on new technologies and innovations to improve operations and produce higher quality products faster.
Of course, the trend of jumping out of every new technology is not always the answer. For example, the potential application of robots on assembly lines is not always the most suitable for the complex and widely changing needs of electronic manufacturing projects.
However, there is still much work to be done by introducing new technologies if it can demonstrate business needs.
For example, creating new tools using 3D printing has proven to provide good results in assisted production and testing. As the potential for rapid prototyping becomes more mature, 3D printing can better realize greater potential, making the manufacturing process better, faster, and more cost effective.
2. Simplified storage and retrieval system
The speed and efficiency with which materials move in manufacturing facilities can have a significant impact on production costs.
Investing in new automated storage and retrieval systems helps maximize space and minimize processing costs.
Finding ways to simplify and simplify the storage and access of production materials also provides the added benefit of freeing up more of the existing manufacturing space.
3. Introduce production planning software
As electronics manufacturers develop larger, more challenging projects, the need for dynamic and scalable production plans is gaining increasing attention.
The latest production planning and scheduling software solutions can help streamline resource allocation and prioritize work in increasingly complex “real-time” manufacturing environments.
Ability to generate more accurate plans based on actual capacity, material availability and customer delivery requirements, as well as improve resource efficiency, shorten lead times, identify untapped capacity and reduce costs.
4. Investment in people
More and more manufacturers are looking to counter the impact of the UK manufacturing skills gap by investing in their own recruitment, employee development, employee retention and employee health programs.
By offering a range of apprenticeship programs, industrial internship programs and graduate opportunities, you have the opportunity to develop your talent.
Closer collaboration with schools, colleges and universities, as well as professional activities, will also ensure that you stay in touch with the local community. On-going in-house training can help manufacturers promote internally and encourage existing employees to expand their skills and assume a more responsible role, which in turn leads to a more flexible workforce.
If your company is planning an important growth period, it will become more important to understand your mission, values and goals, and to ensure that you are listening and responding to your employees’ ideas and concerns.
