Fairgrieve Compression Moulding, A Northeast manufacturer which has been in business for 110 years has won recognition for an impressive upturn in performance as it has been shortlisted as a finalist at the 2023 Engineering & Manufacturing Awards.
Fairgrieve Compression Moulding General Manager Barry Davidson and owner Daniel Beaumont
The national awards event covers all elements of the manufacturing cycle from design to production, celebrating the achievements of engineers of all disciplines and manufacturing of all types.
The award recognises the huge importance of improving standards to help UK manufacturing continue to compete on the global stage and celebrates businesses which have made a demonstrable improvement to their site’s productivity, either through the application of technology or the improvement of existing processes.
Judges were impressed by an impressive rate of improvement over the past 18 months at Fairgrieve Compression Moulding.
The business claims that over this time, new investment and new managerial direction has seen the business use its strong market position, and skilled workforce, to turn arounds fortunes and ensure it has a long future ahead.Fairgrieve says that by investing into the business, from the factory floor to online marketing, new customers have been secured and doors opened to new sectors in which the skills and products within the business are suitably placed. Such has been the success that at times over the past year, the firm has on occasion even had to switch to 24-hour operation to meet unprecedented demand for its expertise.
This included new work within the rail industry on a contract to produce terminal blocks used in signal technology for a leading name in the rail sector, supplying thousands of firewall brackets to a major UK construction company which are being used on one of the North East’s largest building projects, and manufacturing products for a British military aircraft parts supplier.
Barry Davidson, General Manager at Fairgrieve Compression Moulding, said: “We are thrilled to have made the finalist stage of the Engineering & Manufacturing Awards 2023. “Since the business was acquired in May 2021, we have made huge changes to the way in which we operate the company and successfully turned around a loss-making business into a highly profitable and efficient operation.
“The dramatic shop floor transformation, through empowerment of our people, has been commented upon favorably by many of our loyal customers and suppliers and this has helped improve the morale and motivation of our workforce, many of whom are long serving employees.
“By adopting a continuous improvement culture, embracing 5S Workplace Organisation and SMED activities (quicker changeover techniques) we have dramatically improved productivity, quality, and health and safety standards throughout the business. “To make the finalist stage of this prestigious award is a great honour and is a huge compliment to all our staff for their hard work and efforts during this exciting journey of business transformation within Fairgrieves.”
Find more out about the business here: https://www.fairgrieves.co.uk/