The company, which employs more than 220 people at its 5,500 m2 facility, delivers added-value design, engineering and complex assemblies to clients involved in aerospace, food processing, machine tool, packaging, printing and other advanced technologies.
With renewed financial backing from the Canadian-based investor, PP C&A has added £3 million of turnover in the past 12 months, and is now exploring the possibility of future acquisitions and a joint venture to establish a manufacturing footprint in North America. The company has also strengthened its senior management team, with the strategic appointment of Stewart Robertson as head of finance and Garry Myatt as sales director.
“We are very pleased with how the last year has gone, especially when you consider we’ve had to overcome Brexit uncertainty and global trade wars,” explains Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation. “Over 10% growth has been achieved and we’re delighted with how we’ve been able to win contracts in new markets, with automotive electrification proving a major breakthrough for us.”
He continues: “Ardenton Capital’s involvement has been key to this expansion. It’s only been a year, but the financial support and advice has given us the additional impetus to attack new opportunities and make two key appointments. Stewart and Garry bring with them significant corporate experience and strengthen our senior management team ahead of a five-year growth plan that will see us target £40 million.”
Without knowing it, PP C&A touches a lot of lives, whether that is in the supply of fresh milk, keeping mobile phones dry, bagging crisps or helping Formula One teams perform well in Monaco.
The company says that its strategic outsourcing partnerships provide machine builders with better production flexibility, reduced lead times and greater control over supply chains and costs.
“We give our clients the confidence to focus on what they do best, and that approach is really paying off,” says Hague. “Increasingly, we are getting involved in the early development stages with our ‘design for manufacturing’ expertise helping accelerate the product to market and increase machine customisation.
“In order to deliver world-class manufacturing performance, we need to ensure our own internal processes are working, and we have invested heavily in our people and new technology to deliver 99.2% delivered quality,” he adds. “That’s outstanding when you consider we manage a supply chain that contains 13,000 part numbers and 500 different suppliers.”
