2 minute read
Continued investment is the key for growth for JJS Manufacturing
At a time when many UK manufacturers are struggling to remain profitable, Electronics Manufacturing Services (EMS) partner JJS Manufacturing is remaining focused on its strategy for growth, with ongoing investment in its facilities, automation and technology.
2018 saw a 23% increase in turnover for the company, says JJS’s Director of Marketing, Neil Sharp. And as the New Year begins, its ‘Road to £100 Million’ turnover goal remains in reach within the next three to five years.
JJS Manufacturing has made some significant investments in both its plant and equipment / Picture: JJS Manufacturing
Over the past twelve months, the company has made some significant investments in both its plant and equipment, including the purchase of an additional x-ray system which is aiding the efficiency of PCBA inspection and process control.
The introduction of new production planning software is also helping to streamline the planning of jobs and allocation of resources, by providing better visibility of potential gaps.
“This investment offers us a future-proofed, completely scalable dynamic system which accurately models our complex ‘live’ manufacturing environment,” says Sharp.
“As we continue to grow, and as we take over responsibility for increasingly larger and more complex manufacturing projects, we need a production planning & scheduling solution that enables good communication and provides clear visibility on current order status and ‘what if’ scenarios to all interested parties across multiple sites.”
In October 2018, JJS commenced it’s latest refurbishment project with the installation of a new epoxy resin floor at its Lutterworth site. The new resin floor also set the scene for the delivery of a £270K selective soldering solution which is intended to facilitate further automation of JJS’s PCBA production.
The programme of investment continues in 2019. New cable automation technology is being reviewed which will mean the company can create cable harnesses and wiring looms for an even broader range of sub-assemblies and cabinet builds, with even greater efficiency.
And the introduction of new automated material handling solutions will help to streamline and simplify the storing and accessing materials for production, as well as free up existing floor space for manufacturing.
2018 saw a 23% increase in turnover for JJS as it continues the ‘Road to £100 Million’ turnover goal / Picture: JJS Manufacturing
JJS also recently secured the purchase of its fourth electronics manufacturing site, to create what will be the second of its two factories located in the Czech Republic. The new site, which is located directly opposite their current facility in Chomutov, will provide an additional 13000 sq ft of production and office space, with the flexibility to expand further should the need arise.
“Over the past 12-18 months, we have seen a significant uplift from our existing customers for our electronic and electro-mechanical services,” Sharp says.
“We’ve watched the three sites we operate from (Bedford, Lutterworth and Chomutov) begin to ‘fill up’ and, whilst we still have capacity within each, we felt it was the right time to add a fourth.
“This latest investment in additional manufacturing space provides a clear signal to our clients, both existing and new, that we’re serious about growing alongside them.”
