This SME, based in Poole, specialises in electronics manufacture from Printed Circuit Board (PCB) assembly, through to full box-build turn-key solutions. 

CT Production use state of the art equipment to cater to the individual needs of their customers, offering everything from prototype products to large volume orders. They supply a diverse range of market sectors, and their products are distributed worldwide. 
 

Background...

SWMAS has a long-standing relationship with CT Production and has been supporting them since 2013.

Most recently, they provided assistance through the High Value Manufacturing Advisory Programme (HVMAP) in Dorset, which is part-funded by ERDF. As part of this support, a member of the management team attended one of SWMAS’ ‘Targeting Improvement’ workshops, which focused on identifying and prioritising the right areas of improvement to increase productivity and maximise profits. 
 

Recent Specialist Support...

This learning encouraged CT Production to implement a paperless system on the shop floor, which would result in more efficient processes that save both time and resources. This new system would also allow them to expand their customer base to include those that require product tracking and operator traceability.

SWMAS worked closely with CT Production, offering specialist manufacturing business support at every step of the improvement process. This support included a recommendation to help review and prioritise digital investments. To help with this suggested course of action, SWMAS was also able to offer a grant towards the cost of the new IT system to be implemented. 

Various members of CT Production’s Management Team have also attended a range of ‘Manufacturing Resilience’ webinars delivered by SWMAS, including ‘Problem Solving for Continuous Improvement’, ‘Resource-Based Strategy’, and ‘Customer Engagement to Protect and Grow Sales’. Attendees from the business have included the Commercial Manager, a Department Manager, and several members of the Sales Team. 
 

Results so far...

The key benefit of this improvement project is a marked increase in productivity and even tighter control of quality. The company is also forecasting that turnover will increase with a corresponding improvement in Value Add per Person.

Two new job roles have also been created as a result of the paperless system being implemented:

 1 x Process and Documentation Engineer

 1 x Trainee Engineer

Looking to the future...

SWMAS continues to provide support to CT Production. Through their network of connections across Dorset, SWMAS has been able to provide contacts for funding towards the implementation of energy-efficient, low carbon, heat, light, and power systems, which has, in turn, helped them with their recent expansion into additional premises.