Brown and Holmes achieves record sales and pushes on for more

Commenting on the growth of the company, joint director Kevin Ward says: "I believe we are enjoying resurgence in British manufacturing, thanks to the high level of engineering expertise in the UK. In order to continue our growth, we are currently forging relationships with overseas partners to supply our products on a global scale." Brown and Holmes has invested in larger vertical CNC machines and in equipment which is set to reduce the firm's reliance on subcontracting work. Also included in last year's total investment of £450,000 were improvements to the design department. Having spent £30,000 on additional soft- and hardware, the company hired two new designers to further build on its expertise in the latest 3D design and solid modelling techniques. Staff training has been another key to the firm's success, it is stressed. All 52 employees have received job-specific training over the past years, including hydraulics and PLC logic courses, as well as customer support training. According to Mr Ward: "Everybody from apprentices up to directors is included in our training plan, which is being reviewed on a regular basis. Whilst we were originally focusing on capital investments, we realised very quickly that it is more important to invest in our own people to strengthen the business as a whole." Currently, Brown and Holmes is working with a sales consultancy, in order to improve the efficiency of its management systems, involving all its staff. In addition to training its own staff, Brown and Holmes is also working closely with local educational institutions, in an attempt to attract young people to their business. In the last year alone, the firm hired two more craft apprentices, for its shopfloor, and two postgraduates for its design office. Image: Brown and Holmes' managing director, Kevin Ward, right, with one of the company's apprentices