UK Sheet Metal Manufacturing

Josh Ogden — Fri, 24 May 2019 12:01:20 +0000

Much has been written about Britain’s manufacturing ability in recent years. Despite a steady decline in the overall size, manufacturing remains a key sector in modern Britain. Falcon have gone from strength to strength over the last 30 years, steadily growing a broad customer base. This trend is expected to continue for many years to come; below are five reasons why UK sheet metal manufacturing can benefit your company.

1. Reduced lead times

This is the number one reason why companies stick with UK manufacturing, consistently low lead times. We regularly have customers needing a rush job due to an unexpectedly long lead time from another country. Our customers are regularly quoted 8-14 weeks, often coming out more, whilst our lead time is just four weeks. We know of customers who have missed delivery deadlines due to receipt of late parts and have then had to air freight the parts despite only quoting for sea-freight. These types of situations can quickly add on tens of thousands, very often as a hidden cost that shows up when it’s too late.

2. The ‘green’ option

As much as has been written about UK manufacturing in recent years, more has been written about human impact on the environment. It is not just the shipping of your products that have an impact on the environment, it is the way in which those parts are made. There are numerous studies which show how product/material recycling, packaging and processing is more environmentally efficient than having parts made in a number of countries abroad.

3. Tighter control over quality

We regularly welcome designers, buyers and quality control inspectors into Falcon to go through our processes. For the majority of our customers this can be done in less than two hours and is well worth it. In January 2019 we shipped over 50,000 parts with a reject rate of less than 0.3%.

4. Smaller MOQ

More and more companies are moving over to a ‘leaner’ production structure and understand the hidden costs and drawbacks of stock. Due to our low MOQ set-up, our customers are able to react quickly to demands and opportunities as they arise, very often winning them more business.

5. No hidden fees

There are no import fees, taxes or air-freight charges when you buy from us. Over 99% of our parts are either delivered by one of our vehicles, or are shipped for overnight delivery.

To see how UK sheet metal manufacturing can help your company’s requirements, click the link below to contact us directly.