I can’t believe we’re already through the first quarter of 2024, and flicking back through this year’s blogs and updates it’s been a pretty busy time. So this month I wanted to draw breath and quickly recap on some of the standout topics in what has been a record-breaking last few months.

On a recent visit to the Wire and Tube show in Dusseldorf, in between meeting up with customers and suppliers, and investigating upcoming trends, I had some time for reflection. If there’s one thing that really stands out from the start of 2024, it’s how a commitment to achieving more in every area of our work helps to drive continuous improvement on a business-wide level. The goal, of course, is to be a more reliable, more capable, more agile long-term commercial partner for all our customers. With this in mind, I’ve summarised some recent areas of focus below.

More to support best practice

Industry accreditations are a big priority for us. As well as our AS9120 recertification, which is a top aerospace industry award, we also completed JOSCAR reaccreditation this year, and are Cyber Essentials certified too. JOSCAR reduces procurement risk by pre-validating business information, while Cyber Essentials provides assurance around the security of our digital infrastructure. We believe that these accreditations are the foundation of best practice and improvement, providing customers with assurances of competence and integrity.

More to develop key processes

Key processes underpin our certifications, increase product reliability and enhance customer service levels. They demand continuous investment. This year for example, we’ve added sophisticated new apparatus to consolidate quality control procedures. Our metrology equipment now indicates how different products will perform in specific environments and accurately measures conformity to a precise tolerance range. In addition, our new de-coiler allows us to check for imperfections in materials before they’re shipped. It all adds up to extra reassurance with every order.

More than just metal

Customers trust our specialist knowledge to help them get the most out of their materials and we’re always looking for ways that we can add value to our core product offerings. Take the problem of material obsolescence, for example. This year, partnering with our colleagues at the Plymouth Electron Microscopy Centre (PEMC) at Plymouth University, we’ve developed proven methodologies and processes to reverse engineer obsolete materials so that components can be updated or replaced as necessary. It takes all the worry and the hassle out of finding and testing replacement products.

Then there’s our work on the EU’s new Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) for iron and steel. After extensive research and discussions with our global supply network in the first part of this year, we’re in the process of creating a detailed guide to CBAM for our customers. It includes compliance information collected from our supplier partners and proposals on the best way to navigate the new legislation.

Other highlights from the first quarter include increased investment in people and facilities. James joined us as Operations and Marketing Executive to strengthen our service delivery capabilities, and with new, larger storage facilities we’ve also been able to significantly increase stock levels across many popular materials.

More to come…

In our busiest quarter to date, these are just some of the areas and intiatives  we’ve been developing to improve the way we’re able to work and the services we can offer customers. We have further investment planned for the remainder of this year and beyond, and will be making an important announcement in the coming months about our programme of improvement and expansion – so please stay tuned!

In the meantime, as always, please contact me directly to discuss any orders or queries.